Creating a new EIS study

This page describes how a user can create a new EIS study.

Step 0: create a user database

[You don't have to do this step every time you create a new study.]

Create a new directory on your computer for storing the user databases. I have a directory called "planning_db" in my home directory.

If your Solarsoft distribution is in ~/ssw, then do the following:

> cp -r ~/ssw/hinode/eis/database/planning_db/* ~/planning_db/

In your idl_startup file, add the following line:

setenv,'ZDBASE_USER=+$HOME/planning_db'

Step 1: Start IDL and set the database

Enter Solarsoft IDL, and do:

IDL> s=fix_zdbase(/user)

This tells IDL that you will be using the "USER" database instead of the official EIS database. If you want to go back to the official database, then give /eis in the command above.

Step 2: create a new raster

Start up the make-raster GUI routine:

IDL> eis_mk_raster

This GUI is quite complex and it allows you to select the spectral windows and raster parameters. Please check my guide for designing new studies for information about how to select your parameters.

If you want to base your raster on an already existing raster, then use 'Raster' -> 'Load raster from the database...' from the menu at the top of the GUI.

Once you're happy with the raster that you've created, you should first save the line list. From the menu, click on 'Linelist' -> 'Save in database...'.

Now save the raster by going to the menu and selecting 'Raster' -> 'Save in database...'. In the widget that pops up, you should always select 'Create new'.

Step 3: create the study

A study comprises a collection of rasters, although mostly it's only one raster. The make-study GUI is used:

IDL> eis_mk_study

The GUI automatically loads the EIS Default_Raster, so the first thing you should do is delete this by right-clicking it and selecting 'Remove from List'.

From the top menu, select 'Raster' -> 'Insert raster(s) from database...'. A list of all the EIS rasters will appear, and your new raster should be the most recent one, at the bottom of the list. Select it and click on 'Load Raster'.

Note that at this stage you can select the number of repeats, although usually this will be left at 1.

You can proceed to enter additional rasters in your study, but generally it is recommended to  have only one raster.

Click on 'Study' -> 'Save in database...', which saves the study to your user database.

Then click on 'Study' -> 'Export study...'. This creates a ".def" file (actually just a plain text file) which I suggest you store in a directory such as 'eis/study_definitions'. Do not put the file in your user directory (planning_db).

Using a text editor you should now create a study description. To see an example, start up the GUI 'eis_xstudy' and choose a fairly recent raster (i.e., a high study ID number). Then click on the 'View/Edit Study Description...' button at the top of the GUI. If the study definition file that you created was called 'my_raster_1.def', then I suggest naming your description file as 'my_raster_1.txt'.

Step 4: send the new study to MSSL

Send an e-mail to Khalid Al-Janabi at MSSL containing the study definition file and study description file. Tell him approximately when you would like the study ready by (e.g., 1 month). He will then test the study on the EIS engineering model. If it runs successfully then he will import it into the official EIS database, and it will be available for the EIS planner to use.

Page maintained by Dr Peter R Young.