Python widgets for astronomy visualization

Contributed talk for Python in Astronomy 2017, held at the Lorentz Center, Leiden, NL. The talk describes the Firefly visualization system and its interfaces in Javascript and Python. Examples of interfacing Firefly to the Jupyter notebooks are shown (though the animated GIFs sadly do not show up in this PDF. Lessons learned from the widget development are outlined.

Transcript

1. Python widgets for astronomy visualization David Shupe (Caltech/IPAC) Scientist, LSST and ZTF on behalf of the LSST Science User Interface & Tools team Python in Astronomy 2017
2. Astronomy in 2020+ Context: LSST Science Platform Too much data to download -> Remote workspaces LSST LSST Stack DAX and Compu3ng Infrastructure Firefly Query/Visualize: xyz Analyze: xyz Data: xyz Data: xyz LSST LSST Stack Data Access, Database and Compu6ng Infrastructure Firefly X. Wu, D. Ciardi, G. Dubois-Felsmann, LSST Joint Technical Meeting
3. Python widgets for astronomy visualization
4. Python widgets for astronomy visualization • The Firefly visualization system
5. Python widgets for astronomy visualization • The Firefly visualization system • APIs to Firefly
6. Python widgets for astronomy visualization • The Firefly visualization system • APIs to Firefly • Example: Python interaction with the Firefly app
7. Python widgets for astronomy visualization • The Firefly visualization system • APIs to Firefly • Example: Python interaction with the Firefly app • Firefly widgets for Jupyter
8. Python widgets for astronomy visualization • The Firefly visualization system • APIs to Firefly • Example: Python interaction with the Firefly app • Firefly widgets for Jupyter • Resources
9. Python widgets for astronomy visualization • The Firefly visualization system • APIs to Firefly • Example: Python interaction with the Firefly app • Firefly widgets for Jupyter • Resources
10. Archive Access System Firefly T. Roby et al. SPIE 2016
11. Archive Access System Firefly Pipeline Database Disk/Tape Store T. Roby et al. SPIE 2016
12. Archive Access System Firefly Pipeline Database Disk/Tape Store Search Retrieval System Workspace T. Roby et al. SPIE 2016
13. Archive Access System Firefly Pipeline Database Disk/Tape Store Search Retrieval System Workspace Firefly Server Firefly Web Client T. Roby et al. SPIE 2016
14. Table Display FITS Image
 Viewer XY Plot / Histogram
15. Table Display FITS Image
 Viewer • WCS Readout • Zoom • Flip/ Rotate/ Crop • Color / Stretch • Grid • Region • Magnifier • Distance tools • Markers • Fits Headers • Crop XY Plot / Histogram
16. Table Display FITS Image
 Viewer • WCS Readout • Zoom • Flip/ Rotate/ Crop • Color / Stretch • Grid • Region • Magnifier • Distance tools • Markers • Fits Headers • Crop • Sort / Filter • Column Controls • Supports large tables, 1O Million+ rows • Very fast response time XY Plot / Histogram
17. Table Display FITS Image
 Viewer • WCS Readout • Zoom • Flip/ Rotate/ Crop • Color / Stretch • Grid • Region • Magnifier • Distance tools • Markers • Fits Headers • Crop • Sort / Filter • Column Controls • Supports large tables, 1O Million+ rows • Very fast response time • Interactive • Column math • Zoom • Filter XY Plot / Histogram
18. Many Faces of Firefly
19. Catalog Search Planck WISE Spitzer IRSA Viewer Finder Chart Herschel Many Faces of Firefly
20. Using Firefly
21. Using Firefly • Servers • Application at Infrared Science Archive
 http://irsa.ipac.caltech.edu/irsaviewer • Standalone Firefly 
 Download a single file, deploy using only Java 8
22. Using Firefly • Servers • Application at Infrared Science Archive
 http://irsa.ipac.caltech.edu/irsaviewer • Standalone Firefly 
 Download a single file, deploy using only Java 8 • Programmatic interfaces • Javascript • Python with Firefly the single-page application • Widgets for Jupyter notebook / JupyterLab
23. Python widgets for astronomy visualization • The Firefly visualization system • APIs to Firefly • Javascript • Python: firefly_client • Example: Python interaction with the Firefly app • Firefly widgets for Jupyter • Resources
24. Contemporary JavaScript framework External and internal actions are enabled Actions Reducers Store View Dispatch Subscribe Actions dispatched from outside Actions monitored by the outside Control Response
25. Javascript API falls out naturally • Dispatch actions to make a change
 var action= firefly.action; • To change color:
 action.dispatchColorChange({plotId:’myplot’, 
 cbarId:5}); • Zooming an image:
 action.dispatchZoom({plotId:’myplot’, 
 userZoomType:’UP’ });
 
 action.dispatchZoom({plotId:’myplot’,
 userZoomType:’LEVEL’,level: zlevel, 
 forceDelay: true });
26. Documentation for Javascript API firefly.lsst.io
27. Python API tracks Javascript closely • firefly_client is a thin layer over Javascript API • Pip-installable • Dispatch actions, add listeners (callbacks) • Image display for a local Firefly server:
 import firefly_client
 
 fc = firefly_client.FireflyClient(‘localhost:8080’)
 
 fval = fc.upload_file(‘myfile.fits’)
 
 fc.show_fits(fval)
28. Python widgets for astronomy visualization • The Firefly visualization system • APIs to Firefly • Example: Python interaction with the Firefly app • Firefly widgets for Jupyter • Resources
29. Setup with Jupyter notebook Forced photometry with LSST stack • Define function for forced photometry for (ra, dec, filter) • Callback listens for row selection and point events • Extension added to Firefly to enable this button in point selection mode
30. Add-on from Python: photometry on click confluence.lsstcorp.org/display/DM/SUIT+demos
31. Add-on from Python: photometry on click confluence.lsstcorp.org/display/DM/SUIT+demos
32. Table of results is returned to the browser confluence.lsstcorp.org/display/DM/SUIT+demos
33. Table of results is returned to the browser confluence.lsstcorp.org/display/DM/SUIT+demos
34. Python widgets for astronomy visualization • The Firefly visualization system • APIs to Firefly • Example: Python interaction with the Firefly app • Firefly widgets for Jupyter • Resources
35. Eventful Python objects that have a representation in the browser What are widgets? ipywidgets.readthedocs.io
36. Eventful Python objects that have a representation in the browser What are widgets? ipywidgets.readthedocs.io
37. Eventful Python objects that have a representation in the browser What are widgets? ipywidgets.readthedocs.io
38. Eventful Python objects that have a representation in the browser What are widgets? ipywidgets.readthedocs.io
39. Firefly Widgets • Available as firefly_widgets • Interactive widgets for Images and Tables • Widgets currently just past experimental state github.com/Caltech-IPAC/firefly_widgets/examples
40. Firefly Widgets • Available as firefly_widgets • Interactive widgets for Images and Tables • Widgets currently just past experimental state github.com/Caltech-IPAC/firefly_widgets/examples
41. Interactive Table Widget github.com/Caltech-IPAC/firefly_widgets/examples
42. Interactive Table Widget github.com/Caltech-IPAC/firefly_widgets/examples
43. Synchronize widget properties with other widgets github.com/Caltech-IPAC/firefly_widgets/examples
44. Synchronize widget properties with other widgets github.com/Caltech-IPAC/firefly_widgets/examples
45. Lessons learned from widget development
46. Lessons learned from widget development • Use the cookiecutter template for Jupyter widgets • incorporates best practices for packaging • makes installation straightforward
47. Lessons learned from widget development • Use the cookiecutter template for Jupyter widgets • incorporates best practices for packaging • makes installation straightforward • Development is light on Python side,
 heavy on Javascript
48. Lessons learned from widget development • Use the cookiecutter template for Jupyter widgets • incorporates best practices for packaging • makes installation straightforward • Development is light on Python side,
 heavy on Javascript • Only some actions are good candidates for widget attributes • If action is done on the client — can change quickly • If action calls the server — can be slow
49. Python widgets for astronomy visualization • The Firefly visualization system • APIs to Firefly • Example: Python interaction with the Firefly app • Firefly widgets for Jupyter • Resources
50. Resources for Firefly
51. Resources for Firefly • Instructional videos at IRSA IPAC channel on YouTube
52. Resources for Firefly • Instructional videos at IRSA IPAC channel on YouTube • Source code repositories with example notebooks
 firefly, firefly_client, firefly_widgets
53. Resources for Firefly • Instructional videos at IRSA IPAC channel on YouTube • Source code repositories with example notebooks
 firefly, firefly_client, firefly_widgets • Documentation for Javascript and Python APIs
54. Resources for Firefly • Instructional videos at IRSA IPAC channel on YouTube • Source code repositories with example notebooks
 firefly, firefly_client, firefly_widgets • Documentation for Javascript and Python APIs • Demo videos made for the Large Synoptic Survey telescope
55. Resources for Firefly • Instructional videos at IRSA IPAC channel on YouTube • Source code repositories with example notebooks
 firefly, firefly_client, firefly_widgets • Documentation for Javascript and Python APIs • Demo videos made for the Large Synoptic Survey telescope • See blog post at astropython.wordpress.com for links