Introduction to DANSE

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Introduction to DANSE

• Brent Fultz
• Prof. Materials Science and Applied Physics
• California Institute of Technology

• Distributed Data Analysis Architecture
• for Neutron Scattering Experiments
• Technical Issues, Scientific Organization
• From a Concept to a National Project

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Analysis Software for Neutron Scattering

• Enables science
• Helps new users get up to speed
• Better science with better software
• optimize beamtime usage
• experimental procedures tuned on-the-fly
• sample knowledge can constrain data
  interpretations
• Some experiments are impossible with todays
  software
• New opportunities to connect to materials theory

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Logo for ARCS Spectrometer
Headstock
Tailpiece (Whammy Optional)
Frets
Neck
Pickups
Solid Body
Volume/Tone
Logo for DANSE??
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Software with Power and Beauty
?
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Software with Coherence
DANSE architecture is General but All developers
must know it Hence this Workshop
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Data Analysis as a Web Service

• Data analysis is a service controlled by the
  user
• Users laptop issues commands and receives
  results
• Computation is arranged by the web server

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Present Example from inelastic scattering Born
- von Kármán Lattice Dynamics
Simplicity Complexity

• Undergrowth of indices for tensor quantities
• Crystal structure

lattice, l, basis, k
allowed elements depend on symmetry
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The Bigger Concept Underneath

• Components
• Pre-compiled Python objects called and
  re-arranged by the Python Interpreter
• Data Streams
• Standard communication protocol between
  components (standard streams can connect
  components located anywhere)

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DANSE Project Develop Tools for Programmers
Component Templates Standard Data
Streams
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Levels of User Expertise

• For using existing scripts, entry barrier nearly
  zero.
• For altering existing Python scripts, entry
  barrier is very low.
• For writing new Python code, entry barrier is
  modest. Performance may be comparable to IDL or
  Matlab.
• Transition to high performance compiled code
• ARCS Writing Python bindings for C
• DANSE Component templates for C, FORTRAN,
  Java?

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NSSA Neutron Software Poll

• Importance of remote control of neutron
  instruments
• Remote collaboratory capability
• Remote data analysis capability
• No strong support for remote control -- too
  risky
• (sample temperature and saving data okay)
• Strong support for remote data analysis
  capability
• Overwhelming support for standardization of
  data analysis
• (across different instruments and different
  facilities)

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Making a Software Project Plan

• Define and justify scientific needs
• Define and justify the software architecture
• Define the scope of the project
• Accurately estimate the effort
• Proposal -- what, why, who, where, when, how?

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A DANSE Project Would Have 2 Parts

• Build Tools (hardware and software) for
  Developers
• Extend Software Beyond ARCS
• Diffraction
• Engineering diffraction
• Reflectometry
• SANS
• Inelastic scattering (ARCSchemistry)

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Money

• Software tools development
• Hardware for multiple users
• Science-based subprojects

Four-Year Budget (salaries mostly) 10 M 4-5
subprojects 10 M Central Resources 7 FTE
hardware
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Software Development
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ARCS Software Project
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Recent Developments

• DANSE is the SNS standard architecture
• NIST reflectometry sub-proposal
• TeraGrid Extension to ORNL (DANSE is core)
• SNS software developers at HFIR(?)
• SNS to write specifications for data analysis
  software
• censored
• NSF intermediate-scale instrumentation program
  (December 2003)
• NSF ITR (Spring 2004)

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Reasons for Optimism about DANSE

• Upsurge in interest from DOE and beyond
• Alternative architectures are not full solutions
• Technically possible within the scale discussed
• No better group to do it

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DANSE Software Workshop Wednesday Sept. 3, 2003
Introductions Lunch Python and OOP
Dinner Evening tutorials Thursday Sept. 4, 2003
The Python/C API, NeXus Lunch Subgroup
Talks/Funding Evening tutorials Friday Sept. 5,
2003 Architectural Framework Lunch Programmers'
Tools Dinner Evening tutorials Saturday Sept.
6, 2003 Software design for DANSE Lunch "Edward
Weston A Legacy" Sunday Monday Sept. 8, 2003
Python Extensions in C Lunch FORTRAN,
Operating systems. DANSE Project integration.
Dinner
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Welcome to California
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• End of Presentation
• Michael is Next