SimSpec

SimSpec UI

SIMplified SPECtroscopic (SimSpec) reduction pipeline is a semi-automated, modular, long-slit spectroscopic data reduction pipeline based on PyRAF. The goal of the pipeline is to make a simplified, step-by-step guided data reduction interface. This single pipeline can handle data from a wide range of telescope / instruments, where each instrument can be added as a modular component to the pipeline. These add-on modules contain all necessary information specific for the instrument, detector, telescope and observatory site. The user need to only provide a list of raw calibration and science frames.


SimSpec components SimSpec pipeline is collection of thee components and they communicate in hierarchical order:

  1. SimSpec user interface or SimSpec UI - pipeline's user interface for end-user and can be installed from PIP.
  2. Standalone Python package SimSpec-Lib - back-end library also available at PIP, which you might not need unless you plan to write your own user-interface or a derived automated-pipeline.
  3. SimSpec Modules - instrument/telescope specific components. Users can build their own module or can use pre-built modules available from SimSpec's own module repository. These are not to be confused with Python modules, these are packages of files and parameters specific to the instrument.

SimSpec Installation and Getting started

Refer to online documentation for more detailed usage instructions.

Install SimSpec using Python PIP command

$ pip install simspec

After installation use help command to list all commandline arguments

$ simspec -h


Acknowledging or Citing this software

If you find this pipeline helpful and used for your publication, then I will be happy if you just add a footnote linking this page and also mention SimSpec in the 'list of Software used' in your paper.


License and Disclaimer

This is the most hated part attached to a software, 'the Licensing'. In short, as an end user you are free to use this software any way and as much you like. This is available on public repository PIP and so it is also open source. But as a developer, if you want to redistribute or modify this software, then following conditions apply. I know this is complicated and not in-line with general open-source community spirit, but to minimize some complications and to reduce my liability, I impose these usage terms.

SimSpec has three components, (i) SimSpec Lib, (ii) SimSpec UI and (iii) set of modules. Each of these components (individually) are subjected to following license terms.

  1. You are free to use, copy and redistribute the software as a whole, but cannot copy or distribute just a portion of the software.
  2. You are NOT granted rights to modify any portion/whole of the software
  3. You are allowed to use the software for any private, commercial or patented use.
  4. Any derived Software which uses this software must (i) clearly mention the use of this software without modify the original name (ii) include a copy of this license which will be applicable to this software component
  5. The author of this software does not provide any warranty nor hold any form of liability for the usage of this software.

For Example: SimSpec-UI uses SimSpec-Lib in it and both are subjected to above license terms. You are not allowed to modify SimSpec-UI, but you are free to build your own UI from scratch, without using any portion of code from SimSpec-UI. However, your new UI can use the SimSpec-Lib and/or Simspec-Modules as a whole (without any modification)