SDN0002

SYSTEM DESIGN NOTE

SDN0009 – Software Requirements Overview

Prepared by	Date	Approved by	Date	Rev.	Rev Date
Jay Elias	7/12/99	N. Gaughan	7/21/99

There are three sets of software related to GNIRS. These are the Engineering Test Software, the Gemini Engineering Software, and the GNIRS User Software.

The Engineering Test Software is intended to permit testing of GNIRS at NOAO in the laboratory. Although it will be made available to Gemini (if desired), it is not a “deliverable.” Requirements are set only by the GNIRS team’s needs for laboratory tests, and it does not have to conform to Gemini interfaces

The Gemini Engineering Software is the main software deliverable. It provides access to the full functionality of the instrument and must conform to Gemini software interface requirements. Although it is, in principle, distinct from the Engineering Test Software, the two would ideally have considerable overlap in low-level functions. One would certainly not want to introduce new and untested mechanism control algorithms in this software package.

The GNIRS User Software is not supplied by NOAO, but it affects (or is affected by) the NOAO GNIRS effort in several ways. First of all, the GNIRS Project Scientists should provide input to the IGPO team producing the software, since the User Software is intended to provide a scientifically useful interface to the instrument’s functionality. Second, the Gemini Engineering Software must provide access not just to the minimum functions required to test the instrument, but also to any additional scientifically useful functionality. (As an example, to test the grating turret, it is sufficient to specify a tilt angle for a given grating. But for science use one wants to specify wavelength, so the instrument must provide this information in some form.)

The requirements for the three software packages will eventually be described in individual System Design Notes, as follows:

SDN0009.01: Engineering Test Software Functional Requirements
SDN0009.02: Gemini Engineering Software Requirements
SDN0009.03: GNIRS User Interface Recommendations