taskGNU Astronomy Utilities - Tasks: task #14885, CFITSIO and WCSLIB as optional...

 
 

You are not allowed to post comments on this tracker with your current authentication level.

task #14885: CFITSIO and WCSLIB as optional dependencies

Submitter:  Mohammad Akhlaghi <makhlaghi>
Submitted:  Sat 17 Mar 2018 01:07:41 PM UTC
   
 
Should Start On:  Fri 16 Mar 2018 11:00:00 PM UTC Should be Finished on:  Fri 16 Mar 2018 11:00:00 PM UTC
Category:  Installation Priority:  5 - Normal
Item Group:  Enhancement Status:  Postponed
Privacy:  Public Assigned to:  None
Percent Complete:  30% Open/Closed:  Open
Effort:  0.00

Fri 06 Apr 2018 01:49:31 PM UTC, comment #1: 

All the programs can now read their input datasets in any of the known formats (see this commit).

However, they still write their outputs in FITS format, and a thorough check hasn't been done to make sure everything else is FITS-independent. So this task isn't fully complete yet, but atleaset, the program inputs don't need to be FITS any more (although FITS is, and will be, the preferred and recommended format).

Mohammad Akhlaghi <makhlaghi>
Group administrator
Sat 17 Mar 2018 01:07:41 PM UTC, original submission:  

Currently these two libraries are mandatory dependencies for Gnuastro. However, recently Gnuastro also accepts TIFF images and previously it also read JPEG images. Therefore the progarm inputs don't necessarily need to be FITS images (as they currently are except for ConvertType) and output datasets can also be written in JPEG/TIFF also.

Therefore if someone doesn't use FITS files, but still wants to benefit from Gnuastro's features, they shouldn't be forced to install CFITSIO or WCSLIB.

To do this, we just have to make an `array' library that will read and write the separate formats based on filename. Similar to how http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/gnuastro.git/tree/lib/table.c table.c] reads the desired input/output format and uses the appropriate library to do the job.

Ofcourse, FITS isn't just for arrays (images or cubes), it is also a wondeful format for tables. For now the only other alternative is plain text. But later, we can also use other standards (with other optional dependencies).

FITS will remain the suggested/recommended format throughout Gnuastro, it is far more superior for scientific processing than other formats for many reasons (allowing tables/images with a huge variety of types, multiple extensions, human-readable keywords and etc...).

But as some non-astronomy groups are starting to use Gnuastro and they only use TIFF/JPEG formats, there is no need to force them to install FITS prior to installing Gnuastro.

Mohammad Akhlaghi <makhlaghi>
Group administrator

 

(Note: upload size limit is set to 16384 kB, after insertion of the required escape characters.)

No files currently attached

 

Depends on the following items: None found

Items that depend on this one: None found

 

Carbon-Copy List
  • -email is unavailable- added by makhlaghi (Submitted the item)
  •  

    There are 0 votes so far. Votes easily highlight which items people would like to see resolved in priority, independently of the priority of the item set by tracker managers.

     

    Follows 1 latest change.

    Date Changed by Updated Field Previous Value => Replaced by
    2018-04-06 makhlaghi Percent Complete0% 30%

    Back to the top

    Powered by Savane 3.13-f8d8.
    Corresponding source code