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Paper: ATLAS - A General Search Service for Complex Data Collections
Volume: 314, Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems XIII
Page: 205
Authors: Alexov, A.; Good, J.
Abstract: Many astronomical datasets consist of diverse and complex data collections (images, catalogs and spectra) of arbitrary size that cover any region on the sky. The purpose of Atlas is to provide uniform access to such collections, using a common interface. We define a set of files to be generated for each collection (image metadata, a list of source tables, etc.) and some standards for how data should be organized and referenced and how collection "Home Pages" should be structured. Atlas is a single CGI-program that can be used to search, subset and present any collection's data to the user via the web. This method of organizing and presenting the data makes it easy to update the data without major modifications or upgrades to the system or software.

Atlas also has a "mode" to serve image data using the National Virtual Observatory (NVO) Simple Image Access Protocol (SIAP). We will also show how NVO protocols and standards should be extended to support a variety of complex data collections.

Atlas can be found on the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive (IRSA) website: http://irsa.ipac.caltech.edu/applications/Atlas.

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