Installing GILDAS software
GILDAS, the Grenoble Image
and Line Data Analysis Software, is a set
of software tools that facilitate the processing of astronomical data
from single-dish radio telescopes and millimeter-wave interferometers.
GILDAS is a product of IRAM, an
international institute for research in millimeter-wavelength
astronomy and is used at the Plateau de Bure interferometer, the IRAM
30-meter telescope, the KOSMA telescope on Koernergrat, the Heinrich
Hertz Telescope on Mt. Graham (Arizona), among others.
The software is composed of several packages:
- CLASS (Continuum and Line Analysis Simple Software) is a
software package that contains the basic functionality to
process single-dish data, for single pointings as well as for
regularly sampled mapping data.
- GRAPHIC/GREG: The GREnoble Graphics package provides
plotting capabilities and is accessible to most other packages
during operation, as well as on its own as a standalone
package. GRAPHIC supplements GreG by including tasks for reading
GILDAS images (.lmv/.gtf), running GILDAS tasks, and
connectivity to the GSC and IRAS catalogs, among others.
- CFITS/GFITS provide the ability to convert between CLASS
and FITS, and GILDAS and FITS data formats. They provide a
means by which data can be exported to a format that is widely
accepted and understood by most scientific and graphics
software.
- GILDAS Tasks are standalone programs that perform
specific functions relevant to the analysis of processed data.
Tasks include basic functionality, like making channel and
moment maps, mosaicing, interferometer tasks for UV plane
statistics and manipulations, and Gaussian convolution and image
reconstruction.
- ASTRO is software that allows astronomers to plan an
observing run more efficiently. A common use of ASTRO is to
make horizon plots of scientific targets.
- NIC is used to process bolometer data, particularly when
multipixel bolometer arrays are used (such as those in operation
at the 30-meter and at the HHT).
- CLIC/MAPPING/POINT are packages designed for the
processing of interferometer data. These packages are designed
for use with the Plateau de Bure interferometer. It is also
possible to export data in FITS format for processing with AIPS,
if desired.
How do I install it?
If you are using a commercial Unix, you can download binary tarballs
via anonymous FTP to
iraux2.iram.fr and install, following the instructions. This can
be a bit tedious if you're not used to installing software from
tar files.
If however, you are using Linux, I have packaged GILDAS software into
RPM packages that are used by most
major Linux distributions (Redhat,
SuSE, Mandrake). You can download the RPM packages from
bobafett.as.arizona.edu;
just follow the GILDAS link. There is a base package, and add-on packages that
provide more functionality. The splitting-up of the software is done
to minimize disk usage if full functionality is not needed. For
example, the basic operation of CLASS, GREG, GRAPHIC, CFITS, GFITS,
and online help require 19 MB of disk space. This constitutes the
basic package upon which other packages may be optionally added.
GILDAS tasks add 30 MB,
interferometry adds 20 MB, Postscript manuals add 23 MB, ASTRO adds 6
MB, development libraries and include files add 23 MB, and NIC
(bolometer) adds 2 MB.
To install the RPM packages:
rpm -Uvh --nodeps
gildas-2001-2.i386.rpm
Do the same for any add-on packages you want. That's it!
The --nodeps option is needed for the base package
(and the tasks package) because a few GILDAS binaries are strangely
linked to lesstif.
I have disabled MOTIF support at runtime, so this is an irrelevant
dependency. A future RPM packaging of GILDAS will circumvent this
annoyance, if necessary.
These packages were made under Redhat 7.1, but the binaries should run
from Redhat 6.1 onwards. These packages are in RPM version 4 format. If
you have RPM version 3, you should upgrade (see the Redhat Errata &
Updates Page to download an RPM v4 compatible version).
Craig Kulesa
Last modified: Tue Aug 7 16:10:20 MST 2001
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