Sébastien Fabbro, Brian Major, Dustin Jenkins, Patrick Dowler, Kevin Casteels, J.J. Kavelaars, Sharon Goliath, Séverin Gaudet, Alinga Yeung, Helen Kirk
Initiated in 2008, the Canadian Advanced Network for Astronomical Research (CANFAR) has evolved into an advanced science platform, a cloud-native framework for remote analysis of astronomical data. This innovative platform is designed for a diverse range of users, from large-scale groups like CHIME-FRB, to individual researchers in remote institutions. It offers intuitive interfaces such as notebooks, desktops, visualizers and IDEs, all accessible through a browser. These are supported by multi-tiered storage and Kubernetes orchestration. A comprehensive REST API facilitates seamless integration and automated batch processing. CANFAR stands out by combining conventional desktop analysis with cutting-edge, browser-based interfaces and GPU-accelerated machine learning capabilities. This unique blend has made it a hub for a varied user community, establishing it as a unified platform for comprehensive astronomical data analysis.
Séverin Gaudet, Norman Hill, Patrick Armstrong, Nick Ball, Jeff Burke, Brian Chapel, Ed Chapin, Adrian Damian, Pat Dowler, Ian Gable, Sharon Goliath, Isabella Ghiurea, Sébastien Fabbro, Stephen Gwyn, Dustin Jenkins, JJ Kavelaars, Brian Major, John Ouellette, Mike Paterson, Michael Peddle, Duncan Penfold-Brown, Chris Pritchet, David Schade, Randall Sobie, David Woods, Alinga Yeung, Yuehai Zhang
KEYWORDS: Clouds, Astronomy, Telescopes, Data storage, Astronomical telescopes, Space telescopes, Web services, Data processing, Observatories, Computer architecture
The Canadian Advanced Network For Astronomical Research (CANFAR) is a 2 1/2-year project that is delivering a
network-enabled platform for the accessing, processing, storage, analysis, and distribution of very large astronomical
datasets. The CANFAR infrastructure is being implemented as an International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA)
compliant web service infrastructure. A challenging feature of the project is to channel all survey data through Canadian
research cyberinfrastructure. Sitting behind the portal service, the internal architecture makes use of high-speed
networking, cloud computing, cloud storage, meta-scheduling, provisioning and virtualisation. This paper describes the
high-level architecture and the current state of the project.
KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Data modeling, Data centers, Space telescopes, Observatories, Data archive systems, Gemini Observatory, Astronomy, Astronomical telescopes, Internet
The Canadian Astronomy Data Centre (CADC) manages the data collections of the CFHT, JCMT, HST and Gemini
telescopes plus data from several other projects. In the past five years, the role of the CADC has changed. It is now an
integral part of telescope operations and provides support for PIs, project teams and the Virtual Observatory. This paper
will describe the drivers for this new role, how the CADC has responded to these needs and the operational experience
with three major telescope facilities. The advantages and disadvantages of this role for a multi-mission data centre will
also be discussed.
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