Monitoring the performance of the Southern African Large Telescope

Christian Hettlage; Chris Coetzee; Petri Väisänen; Encarni Romero Colmenero; Steven M. Crawford; Paul Kotze; Paul Rabe; Stephen Hulme; Janus Brink; Deneys Maartens; Keith Browne; Ockert Strydom; David De Bruyn

doi:10.1117/12.2230484

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11 July 2016 Monitoring the performance of the Southern African Large Telescope

Christian Hettlage, Chris Coetzee, Petri Väisänen, Encarni Romero Colmenero, Steven M. Crawford, Paul Kotze, Paul Rabe, Stephen Hulme, Janus Brink, Deneys Maartens, Keith Browne, Ockert Strydom, David De Bruyn

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Proceedings Volume 9910, Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes, and Systems VI; 99102M (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2230484
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2016, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Abstract

The efficient operation of a telescope requires awareness of its performance on a daily and long-term basis. This paper outlines the Fault Tracker, WebSAMMI and the Dashboard used by the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) to achieve this aim. Faults are mostly logged automatically, but the Fault Tracker allows users to add and edit faults. The SALT Astronomer and SALT Operator record weather conditions and telescope usage with WebSAMMI. Various efficiency metrics are shown for different time periods on the Dashboard. A kiosk mode for displaying on a public screen is included. Possible applications for other telescopes are discussed.

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Christian Hettlage, Chris Coetzee, Petri Väisänen, Encarni Romero Colmenero, Steven M. Crawford, Paul Kotze, Paul Rabe, Stephen Hulme, Janus Brink, Deneys Maartens, Keith Browne, Ockert Strydom, and David De Bruyn "Monitoring the performance of the Southern African Large Telescope", Proc. SPIE 9910, Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes, and Systems VI, 99102M (11 July 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2230484

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