FAQ

Notice: This FAQ is out-of-date and currently being reviewed. This page is a placeholder only. Please contact the Principal Scientist if you have any questions.

How do I get on MWA email lists? What lists exist?

Visit /wiki/spaces/MP/pages/24972057

How do I get access to the MWA git repository?

Email sysadmin@mwa128t.org with a ssh public key attached as a separate file (not in-line). They will enable access to the MWA git repository. See http://mwa-lfd.haystack.mit.edu/twiki/bin/view/Main/GitVersionControlIntro for usage.

What is MWA_Tools, and how do I get MWA_Tools installed?

MWA_Tools is the main set of user-contributed and user-supported tools to allow integration with the MWA observation and metadata databases. To get access to MWA_Tools, you need access to the git repository (see above). Then run:

git clone gitolite@git.mwa128t.org:/MWA_Tools

Email David Kaplan, Andrew Williams, Natasha Hurley-Walker, or Danny Jacobs for specific questions. This is also best discussed over the data analysis mailing list analysis@lists.mwatelescope.org. For installation instructions, see
http://mwa-lfd.haystack.mit.edu/twiki/bin/view/Main/MWA_Tools.

What other software might I need?

NRAO’s CASA (https://casa.nrao.edu) is useful for many aspects of data visualisation and processing.
WSclean (https://sourceforge.net/projects/wsclean/) is particularly useful for imaging
AOFlagger (https://gitlab.com/aroffringa/aoflagger) has been extensively tested for RFI excision.
anoko/mwa-reduce tools (via gitolite@git.mwa512t.org:/anoko).

How do I find MWA data? How can I search for observations and figure out what they contain?

The best way to find MWA data and examine the contents is via the MWA All-Sky Virtual Observatory (ASVO) portal: https://asvo.mwatelescope.org
Useful information on how to find MWA data is available on the Data Access wiki page.

How can I download files?

Use the MWA All Sky Virtual Observatory (ASVO) portal (https://asvo.mwatelescope.org). Once you register, you will be able find, convert and download MWA visibility data either through the web front end or via the command-line client. Please see https://asvo.mwatelescope.org/support to get started. By default, all users get access to publicly available data only, however, if you are the P.I. of a project, you can email asvo_support@mwatelescope.org and we'll enable you and your team to access to your project's proprietary data.

How do I reduce data?

A number of resources for the processing of Phase I MWA data are available on the Data Reduction wiki page.

How do I find out what projects are ongoing? How do I join these projects?

First, check the MWA Student Projects and MWA Publication Proposals (see below). These contain specific projects submitted to the whole collaboration. If you wish to plan projects of your own, please make sure you plan accordingly. If you wish to join a project you can email the relevant Principle Contact, although note that there is no obligation to collaborate. Also note that some Science Collaborations may have specific lists or policies of their own (see below).

How else do I find out what is going on?

The best way is to join the regular telecons done by the different groups. To find out more, please refer to the appropriate team on the Science Information wiki page.

What is a Student Project? How do I make a Student Project?

The Student policy is available on the MWA Policies Page. A Student Project is “a well-defined research project that depends on MWA data, hardware, and/or software, and that will be conducted primarily by an undergraduate or postgraduate student in pursuit of his/her degree”. I.e., this is a way to protect a science area for students (PhD or other). You can find a list of MWA Student Projects at on the /wiki/spaces/MP/pages/24973334 wiki page.

To make a new Student Project:

Create a Student Project proposal (see examples) that clearly delineates the science goals and data sources.
Check that this does not conflict with other /wiki/spaces/MP/pages/24973334 or other MWA /wiki/spaces/MP/pages/24973276.
Send the proposal around to members@lists.mwatelescope.org for feedback. If that is accepted, your Student Project will become active. Contact the Project Scientist with questions.

What is a MWA Publication? How do I write a MWA Publication?

The MWA Publication policy is available on the MWA Policies page.
An MWA Publication is any journal/proceedings paper, popular article, or other publicly available document that has been derived from proprietary data, algorithms, software or hardware associated with the MWA, and in cases where these results have not been previously published elsewhere. So note that this includes proprietary data that has not yet been published.

The purpose of an MWA Publication is to delineate an area of science that will be published. The material contained in an approved MWA Publication cannot be published by other MWA Members. If you want to write a paper with proprietary data, you need to do it as a MWA Publication. You can find info about the required author list on the /wiki/spaces/MP/pages/24973276 wiki page. Note that this differs based on the original project and the science area.

Please refer to the MWA Publication policy for full details, but in brief, the stages are the following:

Create an MWA Publication Proposal (see template and guidelines at the link above). This should be done before the paper is written. The Proposal contains the author list, the intended data source, the science/analysis goals, and the intended publication venue.
Email the proposal around to: members@lists.mwatelescope.org. In the case of problems, the situation will be moderated by the Project Scientist.
Once the paper is ready, send around a draft to: members@lists.mwatelescope.org stating that the paper is ready for “Collaboration Review.” This requires a minimum of 2 weeks. Any issues should be discussed with the Principal Contact (i.e., you) and the Project Scientist.
After all issues during the Collaboration Review have been resolved (and 2 weeks have passed), send around the latest version to the same email list stating that the paper is ready for “Final Review.” The Final Review also requires 2 weeks for Members to raise any issues, but only clear errors should be identified during this period.
Submit the paper! And send the submitted version around to the same email address.

During refereeing, if the changes are minor you can deal entirely with the journal editor/referee. Then you only need to notify the Collaboration when your paper is accepted. If there are substantial changes then you can go back to Step 4 (Collaboration Review). Further questions or issues? Contact the Principal Scientist (scientist@mwatelescope.org).

I want to start a new project - who do I need to tell?

In general, nobody (but see below). But if you want to make sure that others are not going to do the same thing, create a Student Project (if a student is involved) or write an MWA Publication.

Are there any additional steps needed for specific Science Collaborations?

Epoch of Reionisation (EoR): Please read the main EoR page for details. Members of the EoR collaboration are expected to commit resources to the development of common analysis software and processing. Details are provided in the wiki, but potential new members are encouraged to contact Cath Trott (eor_lead@mwatelescope.org).
Galactic and Extragalactic (GEG): Please read main GEG page for details on current projects, to propose a new project, and to examine the GLEAM data.
Transients: No specific steps are needed for the Transients collaboration. Any MWA member can be a member of the Transients collaboration, and there are no special requirements for projects or papers. Contact Gemma Anderson (transients_lead@mwatelescope.org) with questions.