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Purpose

The Observing Tool provides a comprehensive set of interfaces, forms andtools to define observing proposals and to prepare observations with the AtacamaLarge Millimeter/submillimeter Array. The full description of the Observing Tool and how to prepare the observations using the OT can be found in the ALMA OT User Manual.

In the OT the user will be confronted with various fields and interfaces with a large number of menus, input fields and buttons that need to be completed and/or used for defining a proposal or observing project. A major fraction are mentioned and briefly described in the various chapters of the OT User Manual. However, for readability reasons more comprehensive descriptions of the OT fields and menus were not included.

This ALMA OT Reference Manual contains these descriptions and definitions. The information is basically arranged in the same order as they are presented in the User Manual and as the user will most likely use the OT. As some of the forms contain many fields, they are splitinto subsections as they appear as panels in the forms. For all forms, the descriptions of the fields are provided starting at the top of the forms.

Chapter  2 provides descriptions of the main OT menu and its tool bar at the top as well as some additional information about the OT graphical interface. Chapter  3 describes the buttons of the Tools and Simulators,currently the Exposure Time Calculator and the Calibration Selection Tools. In Chapter  5 , reference information is provided for the parametersrequired for completing Science Goals for Phase 1 proposals and Phase 2 programs.Similarly, Chapter  6 provides references for all SchedulingBlock parameters for defining Phase 2 programs. Note that defining Phase 2 Scheduling Blocks requires a solid knowledge of interferometry in general and ALMA in particular.Descriptions for the Visual Spatial and the Visual Spectral Editors are providedin Chapter  7.1 and  7.2 .

To provide a good overview of ``what is where'', all descriptions are accompanied by one or more figures that show the corresponding (part of the) form, menu, interface or tool bar.


next up previous contents index
Next: Release Information Up: Introduction Previous: Introduction   Contents   Index
The ALMA OT Team, 2011 May 20