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| Paper: |
The GBT Dynamic Scheduling System: “When do I observe?” Guiding Users’ Expectations |
| Volume: |
411, Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems XVIII |
| Page: |
338 |
| Authors: |
Clark, M.; Balser, D.; Sessoms, E.; Bignell, D.; Condon, J.; McCarty, M.; Marganian, P.; O’Neil, K.; Shelton, A.; Maddalena, R. |
| Abstract: |
Because of variable local weather in Green Bank, West Virginia, along with the wide frequency coverage of the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT), substantial improvement in efficient use of telescope time is possible by dynamically scheduling observers within a time range when weather forecasts are reliable; however, using the best forecasts would require observers to be constantly “on-call.” During the 2008 summer trimester beta testing, the GBT Dynamic Scheduling System (DSS) attempted to mitigate this inherent conflict by 1) compromising between the best weather forecasts vs. short-term observer notification and 2) providing earlier indicators of the likelihood of being selected by the scheduling algorithms. These indicators were derived from simulations based on Green Bank weather forecasts from previous years and from relative project rankings covering the entire time range of available weather forecasts. We report our experience on the generation of the information, its presentation, and its use by observers. |
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