Speaker
Description
The study of radio emissions in the low-frequency range (kHz to tens of MHz) provides crucial insights into plasma processes, magnetic field interactions, and particle acceleration mechanisms. However, accessing and analyzing these complex datasets presents significant challenges for the Heliophysics scientific community. The MASER (Measuring, Analyzing & Simulating Emissions in Radio frequencies) portal addresses these challenges by providing a comprehensive suite of tools and data access solutions specifically designed for low-frequency radio astronomy applications.
Our objective is to facilitate efficient data analysis workflows for researchers by implementing FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles throughout the MASER ecosystem. The portal combines multiple components to support the entire research pipeline: a repository system for data publication and online access with visualization capabilities, a set of python libraries (maser4py): maser-data library (within maser4py) for programmatic access and specialized analysis tools through maser-tools (currently in development). This integrated approach enables researchers to seamlessly transition from data discovery to advanced analysis.
The maser4py library offers programmatic access to many low-frequency radio datasets while supporting open standards such as VESPA metadata for enhanced discoverability, TAP servers and TFCat catalogs. In an effort of interoperability, maser4py's integration with Astropy, SpacePy and XArray frameworks provides familiar tools for data manipulation and analysis. Significant collaborative efforts are underway to bridge gaps between existing tools and services. Notably, we are working to integrate maser4py within the PyHC environment for enhanced capabilities, and integrate Das2 server technology for efficient access to large-volume data from instruments like NenuFAR and SKA. We are also working on interfacing maser-data's capability to open complex low-frequency radio datasets with Sunpy tools like fido to retrieve those datasets. The interface with the NASA WebGeoCalc API enables automatic ephemeris calculations. While maintaining the codes, current development focuses on advanced radio analysis capabilities including goniopolarimetry and direction finding tools for use in official ground segments, and specialized tools for data providers including CDF/ISTP/PDS4 validation and label generation. The modular design of MASER ensures data storage and tool multiplicity do not create barriers, while enhancing the system robustness and flexibility for diverse research needs, notably in Heliophysics.