ACCESS TO GRO/BATSE SOLAR DATABASE MAINTAINED AT GSFC Kim Tolbert / Amy Skowronek April 29, 1991 Revised: December 23, 1991 Revised: February 10, 1992 Revised: April 29, 1992 Revised: July 22, 1992 Revised: March 10, 1993 Revised: October 20, 1995 Revised: December 11, 1995 Revised: December 15, 1999 This package of programs provides access to the GRO BATSE data for solar analysis. The software was prepared by Kim tolbert and is being maintained by: Amy Skowronek (301-286-4713, amy@aloha.nascom.nasa.gov) Eva Alam (301-286-8958, eva@kano.nascom.nasa.gov) Contacts for questions of a scientific nature are: Doug Biesecker (301-286-3116, doug@sungrazer.nascom.nasa.gov) Brian Dennis (301-286-7983, brian@sdac.nascom.nasa.gov) I. SUMMARY The data in the BATSE solar database are the BATSE DISCLA (Discriminator Large Area) rates. From each of eight detectors there are hard X-ray data in 4 energy channels, 25-50, 50-100, 100-300, and >300 keV with a time resolution of 1.024 seconds. These data will be suitable for temporal correlation with data at other wavelengths and they will provide a first look into the BATSE and other GRO instrument flare data sets. The BATSE and other GRO principal investigator groups should be contacted for the availability of data sets at higher time or spectral resolution or at higher energies. The daily data files containing DISCLA data and housekeeping data collected at the Mission Operations Center at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) are copied to SDAC and merged into one daily BATSE Data Base (BDB) file. We then survey these data for flares and generate a catalog of solar events. A collection of Flare Data Base (FDB) files is created containing data before, during, and after solar flares. Quicklook plots of the entire data set, this flare catalog, and the FDB files are readily accessible to the solar physics community, while the BDB files are not accessible to remote users because of the possibility of unauthorized use of non-solar data. Data is normally available within three days after observations. In addition to the DISCLA data there are for every flare the available CONT data from the same Large Area detectors with finer energy resolution and going to higher energy (20 keV - > 2 MeV) with a time resolution of 2.048 seconds. At the same time resolution, lower energy photons are displayed using the DISCSP data from the highest gain Spectroscopy detectors. We make even lower energy thermal X-rays information available by including access into our complete GOES soft X-ray monitor database from Space Environment Center of NOAA. Remote users may view the daily solar event listings without logging onto our computer as described below. Or, after logging onto our computer (also described below), a remote user can plot flare time profiles, orbital or full-day quicklook plots, generate ASCII or binary dumps of select time intervals, or retrieve information about GRO solar observing time periods. The programs have provisions to e-mail any user-generated plots or ASCII files back to the user. II. ACCESS TO BATSE SOLAR DATABASE Users can access the BATSE database either by logging onto SDAC (address 15886) or by typing or copying files on SDAC over the network. A. Logging onto SDAC Users may log onto SDAC directly through an account with username BATSE (no password) from SPAN or INTERNET, or via modem. SPAN users - Type SET HOST SDAC or SET HOST 15886 Respond to username prompt by typing BATSE INTERNET users - Type telnet sdac.nascom.nasa.gov or telnet 150.144.30.130 Respond to login prompt by typing BATSE Modem users - Dial 301-286-9000. Respond to number prompt by typing LASP. Press return a few times. Respond to username prompt by typing BATSE Upon successfully logging onto SDAC, the user is notified of recent solar flares (the most recent ten events that were logged) and presented with a menu of options. B. Remote access Remote access to files is available to DECnet users through the TYPE and COPY commands, and to Internet users through ftp or http. DECnet users: To display a file on your monitor, type TYPE SDAC::BATSE$DATA:filename.extension To copy a file to your local node, type COPY SDAC::BATSE$DATA:filename.extension * Internet users: To copy a file to your local node, type: If the account used was BATSE then you must request assistance to obtain one of our database files so it may be placed in the anonymous ftp directory. Files created within your session may be obtained (see below) since they are placed in [anonymous.input.batse]. If you have access to a normal login account then ftp sdac.nascom.nasa.gov or ftp 150.144.30.130 username password get sdac_file_name local_file_name (e.g. get 910922.events eventfile) Web users: To view postscript or gif images of flare files, go to the SDAC BATSE web page at: http://umbra.nascom.nasa.gov/batse The following types of files (all on SDAC::BATSE$DATA:) can be displayed and copied using DECNET (without logging onto SDAC): Type of information Filename -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daily event listings YYMMDD.EVENTS Example: 910423.EVENTS lists solar flares on April 23, 1991 Help in general HELP_GENERAL.TXT (this file) Help on quicklook plots HELP_QUICKLOOK.TXT Help on flare plots HELP_FLAREPLOT.TXT Help on flare catalog HELP_CATALOG.TXT --------------------------------------------------------------------------- III. INTERACTIVE USE OF BATSE DATABASE When logging onto the BATSE account on SDAC, users are asked to verify that they will use this database only for solar research (by typing `yes'), and to enter their name (we are keeping track of use of the BATSE account). A menu of options is presented such as the following: GRO BATSE Solar Data Menu Options are: 0: Select screen and printer formats 1. Display flare catalog entries 2. Display archived quicklook orbital plots 3. Display archived flare plots 4. Run interactive plot program 5. Display BATSE solar viewing time intervals 6. Enter program to create ASCII files of BATSE data 7. List this menu 8. Type general help information 9. Type help information on quicklook plots 10. Type help information on flare plots 11. Type help information on flare catalog 12. Quit (and logout) Enter number of option: Help is available in the form of: Option 8 - (this file) stored in BATSE$DATA:HELP_GENERAL.TXT Option 9 - stored in BATSE$DATA:HELP_QUICKLOOK.TXT Option 10 - stored in BATSE$DATA:HELP_FLAREPLOT.TXT Option 11 - stored in BATSE$DATA:HELP_CATALOG.TXT HELP command in the interactive programs: Option 4 (interactive plot program) - BATSE$DATA:HELP_FSPLOT.TXT Option 5 (BATSE solar viewing times) - BATSE$DATA:HELP_ONTIMES.TXT Option 6 (raw data dump program) - BATSE$DATA:HELP_RAWDUMP.TXT Option 6 (rates data dump program) - BATSE$DATA:HELP_RATESDUMP.TXT How to use these programs: All of the programs are parameter/command driven. A menu is displayed showing the current settings of parameters and the available commands. The user accepts the default value of a parameter, or changes the value by typing the first three letters of the description, comma, the new value. When the parameters are set as desired, the user issues a command. Input is case-insensitive. The format for specifying times is YY/MM/DD,HHMM:SS.XXX (only up to the comma is required). For example, to set a parameter called START TIME, type STA,91/4/23,1233 Specifying input files is a special case. The file name can be entered explicitly, such as INP,910422_0737.FDB but most users won't know the names of files, only the flare number or time. To specify by time, type INP,T,91/4/22,0739 for the file containing that time INP,T,91/4/22 will list all the files for that day and let you choose To specify by flare number, type INP,F,18 for the file with flare 18 The following provisions have been made for copying information back to your local node.: - When you generate an ASCII file of information (e.g. the event listing, print output in the plot program, the dump program output), you will be asked whether you would like the file to be mailed to you. If so, you will be prompted for your e-mail address. Your address is then saved and displayed with the regular menu, and can be altered just like any other program parameter. - After you generate a plot in options 2, 3, and 4, you can use the MailPlot command to mail the plot file to yourself. - In general, files that you created during your session on the BATSE account on SDAC are found on USER_DISK0:[ANONYMOUS.INPUT.BATSE] or for regular login accounts they are found on the top directory and can be copied (to your local node) by: DECnet users: use the VMS COPY command (example: COPY SDAC::[ANONYMOUS.INPUT.BATSE]BATSE_FLARES.OUT *) Internet users: use ftp. Type: If the account used was BATSE ftp sdac.nascom.nasa.gov or ftp 150.144.30.130 anonymous guest get [anonymous.input.batse]sdac_file_name local_file_name (e.g. get [anonymous.input.batse]910922.events eventfile) If the account used was a normal user account, the file will be on the top directory of that account.