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Observing Tool (OT)

Content owned by bmiller

Phase II: Requesting & Monitoring Observations

The Gemini Observing Tool (OT) is the software used for detailed definition and planning of observations from approved proposals during the Phase II process. The OT is also the high-level interface for on-site (classical and staff) observers. It supports observations with all facility instruments (visiting instruments normally have their own control systems and are not integrated with the high-level software).

The philosophy of the OT is to hide the complexity of the Gemini Observatory control systems (e.g. 60+ TCS and sub-system engineering control screens) and yet not restrict significantly the scientific capabilities and innovative observing techniques. It is intended to be the sole instrument user interface (at the telescope as well as remotely), capable of configuring and sequencing instrument and telescope motions and integrating the data processing pipeline with data taking.

Assistance with its use can be found at the OT Help pages.

You can also access a description of all of the OT's components, and their function.

Download the OT

caution The OT is updated every semester to accommodate new instruments and observing modes. We recommended reading the brief summary of new policies, features, and improvements described in the OT Release Notes. 

Download the current distribution of the OT. Pick the appropriate distributions for:

cautionPre-Upgrade Warnings and Instructions

Installing the Observing Tool

Version of the Gemini Observing Tool was released on December 12, 2023 to support 2024A and continuing  2023B programs.

You can install the software on a network of workstations or, for best performance, on individual machines. This machine needs internet access to communicate with databases situated at the Gemini Observatory and with other on-line image and catalog servers.

Anyone installing an OT for a multi-user environment should read the following:

Follow the instructions for:

If you experience any problems installing or running the OT, please see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) or known bugs pages for the latest information.

If you are installing the OT for the first time, please read the installation instructions. The OT installation files are available at the Download section above).

Using and Installing the OT on macOS

The OT can be used on macOS 10.8.3 and newer releases (Mountain Lion to Sonoma).

Installation:

The Mac application is now signed by Apple. In case you need to give the application permission to run the first time that you use it. You can either:

Using and Installing the OT on Linux

The OT can be used on most recent 32- and 64-bit Linux distributions. It has been extensively tested under RHEL/CentOS 5, 6, and 7, and Fedora up to release 30. We have not heard of any problems on other Linux distributions.

Installation:

Sufficient memory appears to be the most important element affecting performance and, whilst the OT may run with less, we suggest a minimum of 2GB of memory and a Core 2 Duo or newer processor when using the Observing Tool.

Using and Installing the OT on Windows

The OT can be used on Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10, 11, and Server 2008/2012. It has been tested on Windows 7, 10, and 11, and we have no reason to believe there will be problems in other Windows versions as long as the Java included in our distribution is used.

You may encounter a font display problem in Windows 10 due to an issue with Windows/java font scaling. This does not affect functionality. A workaround is to change the scaling of text and apps to between 100% and 175%, depending on screen resolution.

Installation:

Sufficient memory appears to be the most important element affecting performance and, whilst the OT will run with less, we suggest a minimum of 2GB of memory and a Core 2 Duo or newer processor when using the OT on the Windows platform.

OT Release Notes

2024A

Version 2024A.1.1.1 released on December 12, 2023 includes the following updates:

2023B

Version 2023B.1.1.1 released on June 6, 2023 includes the following updates:

2023A

Version 2023A.1.2.3 released on January 25, 2023 includes the following update:

Version 2023A.1.2.1 released on December 5, 2022 includes the following updates:

Version 2023A.1.1.1 released on November 22, 2022 includes the following updates:

2022B

Version 2022B.1.1.3 released on September 6, 2022 includes the following updates:

Version 2022B.1.1.1 released on June 1, 2022 includes the following updates:

2022A

Version 2022A.1.1.2 released on April 5, 2022 includes the following updates:

Version 2022A.1.1.1 released on December 9, 2021 includes the following updates:

2021B

Version 2021B.1.1.2 released on October 14, 2021 includes the following updates:

Version 2021B.1.1.1 released on June 8, 2021 includes the following updates:

2021A

Version 2021A.1.1.4 released on March 23, 2021 includes the following updates:

Version 2021A.1.1.1 released on December 9, 2020 includes the following updates:

2020B

Version 2020B.1.1.1 released on June 2, 2020 includes the following updates:

2020A

Version 2020A.1.1.3 released on March 2, 2020 includes the following updates:

Note, the Mac disk image installer ot_2020A.1.1.4_macos.dmg includes the same software as version 1.1.3. This installer was made so that it could be mounted on all supported Macs (10.8+), the 1.1.3 installer would only mount on High Sierra (10.13) and newer. There is no need to install 1.1.4 if you already have 1.1.3.

Version 2020A.1.1.1 released on December 3, 2019 includes the following updates:

2019B

Version 2019B.1.2.1 released on October 7, 2019 includes the following updates:

Version 2019B.1.1.3 released on August 7, 2019 includes the following updates:

Version 2019B.1.1.1 released on June 3, 2019 includes the following updates:

2019A

Version 2019A.1.1.6 released on April 4, 2019 includes the following updates:

Version 2019A.1.1.5 released on March 28, 2019 includes the following updates:

Version 2019A.1.1.4 released on March 11, 2019 includes the following updates:

Version 2019A.1.1.3 released on March 6, 2019 includes the following updates:

Version 2019A.1.1.2 released on December 18, 2018 includes the following updates:

Version 2019A.1.1.1 released on December 12, 2018 includes the following updates:

2018B

Version 2018B.1.1.1 released on May 31, 2018 includes the following updates:

2018A

Version 2018A.1.1.1 released on November 28, 2017 includes the following updates:

2017B

Version 2017B.1.1.1 released on June 6, 2017 includes the following updates:

2017A

Version 2017A.1.1.5 released on March 28, 2017 includes the following updates:

Version 2017A.1.1.2 released on December 7, 2016 includes the following updates:

2016B

Version 2016B.2.1.1 released on July 26, 2016 includes the following updates:

Version 2016B.1.1.3 released on June 15, 2016 includes the following updates:

Version 2016B.1.1.2 was released on June 3, 2016 with the following updates:

2016A

Version 2016A.1.1.2 was released on December 2, 2015 with the following updates:

2015B

Version 2015B.1.1.1 was released on June 3, 2015 with the following updates:

2015A

Version 2015A.1.1.2 was released on February 11, 2015 with the following updates:

Version 2015A.1.1.1 was released on December 10, 2014 with the following updates:

2014B

Version 2014B.1.1.2 was released on June 16, 2014 with the following updates:

Version 2014B.1.1.1 was released on June 4, 2014 with the following updates:

2014A

Version 2014A.1.2.10 was released on March 5, 2014 with the following updates:

Version 2014A.1.2.5 was released on January 27, 2014. Changes from the previous version include:

Version 2014A.1.2.1 was released on December 9, 2013. This is a major update with many significant changes, including:

2013B

Version 2013B.1.2.2 was released on September 13, 2013. Changes from the previous version include:

Version 2013B.1.1.1 was released on June 5, 2013. Changes from the previous version include:

2013A

Version 2013A.2.1.1 was released on March 6, 2013. Changes from the previous version include:

Version 2013A.1.1.1 was released on December 6, 2012. Changes from the previous version include:

2012B

Version 2012B.3.1.1 was released on August 31, 2012. Changes from the previous version include:

The 2012B OT was released on June 18, 2012. Changes from the previous version include:

2012A

Version 2012A.1.2.1 was released on February 15, 2012. Changes from the previous version include:

Version 2012A.1.1.2 was release on December 15, 2011. Changes from the previous version are:

OT Known Bugs

Known bugs (and workarounds, where possible) in the Observing Tool are described here. If you find a new problem, please submit the information via the Gemini HelpDesk and include any log messages. The most recent OT log file is called ot.0.0.log and is located in <home>/.ocs15/<version>/log (Windows, Linux) or <home>/Library/Logs/edu.gemini.ot (OSX).

November 2022 (2023A.1.1.1)

If a GMOS observation is not a spectrophotometric standard (observation class = Nighttime Partner Calibration and the disperser is not the Mirror), then ignore the warning "GMOS baseline spectrophotometric standards should not have conditions constraints." This is being triggered by calibrations steps in the sequence and will be fixed in the next release. FIXED in OT 2023A.1.2.1

Gemini DSS Images

August 2017 (2017B.1.1.1)

December 2016 (2017A.1.1.2)

June 2016 (2016B.1.1.2)
There are no known significant bugs in this release.

December 2015 (2016A.1.1.2)

July 2015 (2015B.1.1.1)
Proper motions set to zero by target lookup queries
In the 2015A OT the target lookup queries in the OT began using the Simbad server at ESO instead of the decommisioned server at CADC. The ESO server does not return proper motions and all proper motions will be set to zero by the coordinate query. Proper motions for fast-moving targets will need to be entered manually. FIXED in version 2016A.1.1.2.

Simbad Coordinates incorrect for Dec > 0 and RA < 00:40:00
There is currently a bug in the ESO Simbad server that the OT uses for target coordinate lookup. The returned coordinates are incorrect for Dec > 0 and RA < 00:40:00. For 0 < Dec < +10 no results are returned while for Dec > +10 the declinations get truncated, eg. +15:25:15 becomes +5:25:15. ESO has been informed of the problem. The only solution for now is to use other sources for coordinates (the CDS and Harvard Simbad sites return correct results) and to manually enter the coordinates in the OT. We are planning to have the OT use alternative Simbad mirrors in the future. FIXED in version 2016A.1.1.2.

January 2015
Target Name Resolvers:
The "SIMBAD@CADC" target name resolution service used to search by target name and return RA, Dec coordinates, is currently offline due to a hardware failure at CADC. Unfortunately the SIMBAD@ESO and NED searches are also not working at this time. FIXED in version 2015A.1.1.2.

December 2014
2015A.1.1.1:

9 December 2013
2014A.1.2.1:

31 August 2012
2012B.3.1.1:
When doing manual guide star searches some catalogs do not respect the inner radius or the magnitude limits. Some search radii are also listed in reverse (i.e. min > max).

4 December 2009
Known bugs in 2010A.1.1.2:

24 September 2009
GMOS and Michelle component bugs in 2009B.1.1.3:

05 February 2007
Avispa 2.1 fetch attachment bug:
On Solaris and certain Linux flavors (e.g. Fedora) there is a problem with the feature to fetch attachments. The files will appear to download but the files will not appear in the selected directory.  The problem is related to operating system restrictions on renaming files across file systems (disk partitions).  The easiest work around is to save all attachments to the /tmp directory and then manually move them to the desired location.  The problem was fixed in the 2007B OT.

23 June 2006
Abeja 3.3 GNIRS and GMOS-S bugs:
In the GNIRS static component the number of coadds cannot be saved in the static component, the coadds must be set in a GNIRS sequence iterator. Also, changes to the PA in the static component cannot be saved. The PA can be changed by dragging the slit or IFU field in the Position Editor.  For GMOS-S, the visualization of the IFU nod& shuffle focal plain units in the Position Editor is incorrect and the planned time does not appropriately account for the binning. All of these problems are fixed in Abeja version 3.5 released 30 June 2005.

29 June 2005
Palote 3.1 not compatible with Fedora Core 4 Linux distribution:
We have discovered that the Sun JRE included with the Palote_3.1 Linux distribution is not compatible with the Fedora Core 4 Linux distribution. The symptom is that the fetch/store fails immediately with a stack trace starting as follows:

ERROR [SwingWorker] 2005-06-28 18:16:28,748:  edu.gemini.oodb.OodbClientBase - Connection problemjava.net.SocketException: Invalid argument or cannot assign requested  address

with several more lines. This is a known problem with the Fedora Core 4 people. The FC4 installation notes suggest that users upgrade their JRE to the latest 1.5_04 distribution from Sun at http://java.sun.com.We've tested this and confirmed that it fixes the fetch/store problem. After additional testing, we will make a special FC4 version available on the Gemini FTP site.

9 January 2005
RA values considered to have units of hr:
The units for RA are assumed to be hr (hours). Values greater than 24 are 'unwrapped' e.g. 243.7, intended to be in degrees, is interpreted as 10 revolutions plus 3.7hr and is converted to an 'RA' of 3h 42m.

10 Dec 2004 - fixed in public re-release
Sequence not copied when modified observation merged:
After fetching a program and modifying observation sequences, the changes are not correctly integrated when the program is stored to the Observing Database.This only affects Grillo-01.6, which was the initial public release available for about 12hr overnight on 9 December, and is fixed in subsequent releases.

4 Feb 2003 - fixed in river-10 internal release
Offset sequences not preserved when copies are made:
This occurs when an offset iterator is copied from one observation to another and then one of them is edited. The problem is that a new copy of the list is not being made; it is being shared between the copies. This bug also manifests as the apparent 'disappearance' of offset and nod-and-shuffle steps when exporting and re-importing saved (XML file) copies of the science program.

20 January 2003 - fixed in river-10 internal release
Image quality observing condition not loaded correctly:
From semester 2003A, the previous image quality observing conditions (20%, 50%,80% and "any") were changed to (20%, 70%, 85% and "any"). Some science program or Phase I proposal created with OT or PIT from 2002B or earlier and imported into later versions of OT are not correctly translated,e.g. 80% is interpreted as "any". The image quality observing conditions should be checked and changed manually.

11 July 2002 - fixed in OT river release of January 2003
Offset iterator steps are defined in wrong axis for rectangular grid:

17 April 2002 - fixed in OT limberlost release of 10 July 2002
GMOS OIWFS does not correspond to current hardware configuration:
As it has an asymmetric configuration relative to the optical axis, the GMOS on-instrument wavefront sensor's patrol field will change when the instrument is mounted on the up-looking and any side-looking port. (The effective patrol fieldis flipped about the x-axis by reflection in the science fold mirror). Thus although the same guide star may in principle be used regardless of port, the instrument may need to be rotated to acquire that star and the OIWFS probe arm will vignette a different part of the field.

The current public OT release (OT2002A.11) assumes that GMOS is on the up-looking port; in fact the instrument is now mounted on a side-looking port.PIs should continue to define their programs using the public OT; their Gemini Contact Scientist will notify them of any problems.

5 February 2002 - fixed in OT river release of January 2003 (use the Position Editor...Catalog...Proxy Server menu)
Guide star catalogue or digital sky survey searches fail because user machine is behind proxy server:
If the user's computer connects to the outside world via an HTTP proxy server then PIT catalogue assistant searches, PIT proposal submission (UK, Canada and Australia)and OT guide star or image searches will fail, often with the error exception occurred while retrieving the data:java.net.ConnectException: Connection refused. This problem arises because PIT and OT currently do not support sites with an HTTP proxy(support is being added for the next public releases of PIT and OT).

There is a workaround for those using PIT and OT under Solaris or Linux operating systems. (If you are using Windows, please contact us as there may also be a solution). The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) on Solaris and Linux allows setting two system properties at runtime to indicate that HTTP access should go through an HTTP proxy server.

The two system properties are:

By setting the site specific values for these two properties before starting PIT and OT, the access for posting the proposal and gathering WFS stars will go through the indicated proxy. You may find the name of  your proxy by looking in your web browser preferences.

A modified command for starting PIT would look like thefollowing (where the -D allows setting the system property on the command line):

exec java ${JFLAGS} -Dhttp.proxyHost="proxy host" -Dhttp.proxyPort="port" edu.gemini.phase1.tool.app.PIT

23 October 2001 - only an issue for semester 2001B
Bugs in Phase I - to - Phase II skeleton conversion.In the translation of approved Phase I proposals to the XML skeletons for PhaseII several errors were introduced:

3 May 2001
In (first) public release OT1.0.0

OT FAQ & FMM

Frequently asked questions regarding Phase II science program preparation and the Gemini Observing Tool are discussed here. (See also the known bugs page for other known problems).

All questions should be submitted using the Gemini HelpDesk. This web-based system will send the request to your National Gemini Office staff in the first instance who will then provide you with the answer or escalate it to Gemini staff if necessary.

Caution:Please read the special instructions regarding completion of your PhaseII Science Program including those specific to the current/upcoming semester and where to go for help. Follow the link in the contents list for details.

Q: Why aren't my programs appearing in the list in the Open Program dialog?

A: Check the active key in the Key Manager. Be sure that you are using the key for the site where your program is stored.

Q: My program appears in the program list but it is greyed out. How to I download it?

A: Programs listed using a grey font in the Open Program dialog are available in the database but have not been downloaded yet. Double-click on the row for the program or highlight the line with a single click and then press the "Open" button.

Q: Are there any keyboard shortcuts?

A: Yes. The most useful are given below. Keyboard shortcuts are given in the main menus of the science program editor.

Q: How do I delete a locally stored program, or revert to the version in the Observing Database?

A:  Bring up the Open Progam dialog, select a local program, and then click Delete. You will be prompted for confirmation. Note that the Delete button is only active when a program in the local database (shown in dark font) is highlighted. Once the local program is deleted you can download the version that is in the Observing Database.

Q: Where are the targes and conditions for my 2012B and newer program?

A: Targets and conditions are associated with the instrument resources requested at Phase I. Phase I targets, conditions, and total times for a template group are viewed by clicking on the template group names.

Q: If I significantly change my instrument configuration in the templates, will the calibrations be automatically generated when I select Apply/Reapply?

A: Not at this time. This is a long-term goal but it is not possible to implement now. All configuration changes to the template observations must also be applied manually to any baseline calibration observations. An easy way to do this is to copy a component (instrument, conditions, sequence nodes),  shift/cntl(command) click all the observations or sequence nodes where the component should go, and then click Paste. This will paste the contents of the copy buffer into all selected observations/sequences.

Q: Are there any example observations to help me get started with my Phase II?

A: Yes, there is an OT library for each instrument that you can fetch. Each contains example observations and common configurations. Starting with the 2008A OT there are special Library Fetch features for quickly fetching and updating the needed libraries. 

Q: Why is the OT so slow?

A: Some delays are caused by the time required for the OT to communicate with the Observing Database.  Being on a slower network will obviously cause longer pauses. In general the OT runs quickly on modern hardware with sufficient memory. A Core 2 Duo or equivalent CPU with 2GB of memory is the recommended minimum configuration. However, since the OT has a complicated GUI it does not work well if it is run on a remote machine and displayed locally. It is usually best to run the OT on the local machine.

Q: I copy/pasted a GNIRS component from an acquisition observation to a science observation and the automatic baseline calibrations changed. What happened?

A: Copy/pasting a GNIRS static component also copies the setting for the acquisition mirror (see the first step of the first GNIRS iterator in an acquisition observation). If you copy/paste from an acquisition observation into a science observation, then you need to set the acquisition mirror to "out" in the first GNIRS iterator in the science observation. Conversely, make sure that the acquisition mirror is "in" in the first step of acquisition observations.

The Observing Tool is the work of the Gemini Observatory software engineering group with science staff direction by Bryan Miller, Andrew Stephens, and Aleksander Cikota and previous employees Florian Nussberger, Devin Dawson, Larry O'Brien, Nicolas Barriga, Alan Brighton, Vasudeva Upadhya, Darrell Denlinger, Kim Gillies, and Phil Puxley.