IEAD: A Novel One-Line Interface to Query Astronomical Science Archives

TL;DR

IEAD introduces a simple, powerful one-line interface for astronomical archives that abstracts database complexity, enabling easier and more efficient scientific data retrieval through real-time feedback and autocompletion.

Contribution

The paper presents IEAD, a novel JavaScript-based interface that simplifies querying astronomical databases with a user-friendly syntax and real-time interaction features.

Findings

Enhanced user experience with real-time parsing and error feedback

Improved efficiency in querying astronomical archives

Potential to increase advanced data usage in astronomy

Abstract

In this article I present IEAD, a new interface for astronomical science databases. It is based on a powerful, yet simple, syntax designed to completely abstract the user from the structure of the underlying database. The programming language chosen for its implementation, JavaScript, makes it possible to interact directly with the user and to provide real-time information on the parsing process, error messages, and the name resolution of targets; additionally, the same parsing engine is used for context-sensitive autocompletion. Ultimately, this product should significantly simplify the use of astronomical archives, inspire more advanced uses of them, and allow the user to focus on what scientific research to perform, instead of on how to instruct the computer to do it.