Data - Apps - AI - Cybernetics

Database Design for SpExoDisks: A Database & Web Portal for Spectra of Exoplanet-Forming Disks

By Keith Cowing

Status Report

astro-ph.IM

November 21, 2024

Filed under App, astro-ph.IM, astrochemistry, astronomy, biochemistry, data, database, exoplanet, imaging, organic chemistry, software, Spectra of Exoplanet forming Disks SpExoDisks, Spectroscopy, SpExoDisks, web portal

Database Design for SpExoDisks: A Database & Web Portal for Spectra of Exoplanet-Forming Disks — The SpExoDisks database portal as viewed from spexodisks.com/ExploreData. Four regions have been denoted with dashed and dotted highlights. The spectrum plot (shown in a dotted rectangular box) is an interactive plotting tool displaying spectra and molecular lines. In the bottom half of the figure, a long-dashed box indicates the navigation table, which is used for searching available stars and displaying associated spectra. The upper left corner has a long-dash-dotted circle showing the toggle for the spectra download menu. In the lower right, a short-dashed circle shows the help button, which toggles a window that explains the “Explore Data” page of the SpExoDisks database portal. — astro-ph.IM

Data access — or the availability of new and archival data for use by the larger community — is key for scientific advancement.

How data is presented, searched, and formatted determines accessibility and it can be difficult to find a solution that fits the needs of a given subdiscipline.

We present a generalized roadmap for developing a specialty astronomy database with web application based on the development of the SpExoDisks (Spectra of Exoplanet forming Disks) database (https://spexodisks.com/), which provides infrared spectra of protoplanetary disks. Expertise in an astronomy subdiscipline can provide two necessary components for creating a database: access to a large volume of specialized data and knowledge of how that data should be presented to the community.

However, there are a variety of steps and decisions for database development that can fall outside astronomy expertise. Here we offer generalized discussions on design and process that are accompanied by real-world examples from the SpExoDisks developer team and website.

Starting from the database portal design and data organization, we demonstrate on-demand data distribution and query using publicly accessible database software. These systems support interactive visualizations such that users can explore spectra directly from their browsers.

We also offer details that show how the technical concepts in SpExoDisks are implemented, particularly emphasizing sustainability and long-term management of the codebase and processes. Finally, we illustrate the utility that a specialty website can offer to the community by providing a specific example of how the combined spectra from SpExoDisks can enhance our understanding of protoplanetary disks.

Caleb Wheeler III, Natalie R. Hinkel, Andrea Banzatti

Comments: 25 pages, 2 appendices, 6 figures, 1 table, accepted to PASP
Subjects: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM); Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP); Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR)
Cite as: arXiv:2411.13308 [astro-ph.IM] (or arXiv:2411.13308v1 [astro-ph.IM] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2411.13308
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Submission history
From: Caleb Wheeler [via Natalie Hinkel as proxy]
[v1] Wed, 20 Nov 2024 13:25:08 UTC (2,540 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2411.13308
Astrobiology,

Keith Cowing

Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA Space Station Payload manager/space biologist, Away Teams, Journalist, Lapsed climber, Synaesthete, Na’Vi-Jedi-Freman-Buddhist-mix, ASL, Devon Island and Everest Base Camp veteran, (he/him) 🖖🏻

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