QSAS:
The QMUL Science Analysis System
Analysis
Contents:
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Overview
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Joining Time Series
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Arithmetic
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Plug-ins
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Tips/FAQ
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Bugs
Overview
Purpose
QSAS enables the user to perform various kinds of analysis and manipulation
of data. In all cases, the operations are performed on objects held on
the QSAS Working List, and the results of the analysis are, in general,
returned as new objects on the Working List from which they may be further
manipulated, plotted, or exported.
QSAS currently supports three types of manipulation:
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Specialised analysis routines requiring specific user interfaces (at present,
only one such routine is provided and performs a join of two or more time
series onto a common set of time tags)
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General arithmetic operations, including +, -, x, /, and various vector
operations. These are sufficiently simple to utilise the generic plug-in
interface
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Plug-ins, which enable user-written routines to be loaded dynamically in
order to perform analysis functions. The QSAS team provides an increasing
suite of plug-ins, some of which include specialised graphics.
User Interface
Analysis routines are invoked from the Analysis pull-down menu found on
the QSAS Main Window. The specialised and artihmetic routines are listed
there. An entry "Plug-ins ..." pops up a file selection widget which is
used to locate the "template" (*.qtpl) file in which the inputs and outputs
of the plug-in routine are described. Once an analysis routine or template
is selected, a graphical user interface is opened. Input objects can be
drag'n'dropped from the Working List or typed manually into the boxes provided.
Outputs can be renamed as required. In the case of specialised routines,
options may be chosen. Then the action buttons at the bottom of the interface
perform the calculations. Red or Green traffic lights indicate invalid/valid
entries, and text windows provide status and other reports (more detailed
diagnostics may be found in some cases on the console window from which
QSAS was launched).
Arithmetic and plug-ins provide a Help menu which displays the information
on the routine as described in the *.qtpl template file. These can include
a description of the algorithm and any conditions on the inputs, options,
or outputs.
Joining Time Series
Analysis of time-ordered datasets often requires data to be placed onto
a common set of time tags prior to further analysis. For example, taking
the difference between two time series of plasma density, e.g. n1(ti) and
n2(tj) requires that each time ti at which n1 has a value has a matching
tj so that n1(ti) - n2(ti) can be found. Since often n1 and n2 come from
different sources, this is not usually th
Tips/FAQ
Bugs
Page
created by Steve Schwartz, csc-support-dl@imperial.ac.uk
Last up-dated: July 2000