Enhanced Management of Personal Astronomical Data with FITSManager

TL;DR

FITSManager is a specialized software tool designed to help astronomers efficiently manage, search, and utilize their large collections of local FITS files, integrating Virtual Observatory features for enhanced data handling.

Contribution

The paper introduces FITSManager, a novel tool that fills the gap between FITS data management and analysis, offering comprehensive features tailored for personal astronomical data handling.

Findings

FITSManager enables efficient thumbnail and preview generation for FITS files.

It provides header keyword indexing and search functionalities.

The tool integrates with online services and other tools for seamless data utilization.

Abstract

Although the roles of data centers and computing centers are becoming more and more important, and on-line research is becoming the mainstream for astronomy, individual research based on locally hosted data is still very common. With the increase of personal storage capacity, it is easy to find hundreds to thousands of FITS files in the personal computer of an astrophysicist. Because Flexible Image Transport System (FITS) is a professional data format initiated by astronomers and used mainly in the small community, data management toolkits for FITS files are very few. Astronomers need a powerful tool to help them manage their local astronomical data. Although Virtual Observatory (VO) is a network oriented astronomical research environment, its applications and related technologies provide useful solutions to enhance the management and utilization of astronomical data hosted in an astronomer's personal computer. FITSManager is such a tool to provide astronomers an efficient management and utilization of their local data, bringing VO to astronomers in a seamless and transparent way. FITSManager provides fruitful functions for FITS file management, like thumbnail, preview, type dependent icons, header keyword indexing and search, collaborated working with other tools and online services, and so on. The development of the FITSManager is an effort to fill the gap between management and analysis of astronomical data.