NVST data archiving system based on fastbit nosql database

TL;DR

This paper presents a new data archiving system for the NVST using Fastbit NoSQL database, significantly improving query performance for large-scale solar observation data.

Contribution

The study introduces a Fastbit-based archiving system that outperforms traditional relational databases in indexing and querying large astronomical datasets.

Findings

Fastbit database is 15 times faster in multi-field queries for 40 million records.

The system effectively handles over 20 million FITS files since 2012.

The approach enhances data management for large-scale astronomical observations.

Abstract

The New Vacuum Solar Telescope (NVST) is a 1-meter vacuum solar telescope that aims to observe the fine structures of active regions on the Sun. The main tasks of the NVST are high resolution imaging and spectral observations, including the measurements of the solar magnetic field. The NVST has been collecting more than 20 million FITS files since it began routine observations in 2012 and produces a maximum observational records of 120 thousand files in a day. Given the large amount of files, the effective archiving and retrieval of files becomes a critical and urgent problem. In this study, we implement a new data archiving system for the NVST based on the Fastbit Not Only Structured Query Language (NoSQL) database. Comparing to the relational database (i.e., MySQL; My Structured Query Language), the Fastbit database manifests distinctive advantages on indexing and querying performance. In a large scale database of 40 million records, the multi-field combined query response time of Fastbit database is about 15 times faster and fully meets the requirements of the NVST. Our study brings a new idea for massive astronomical data archiving and would contribute to the design of data management systems for other astronomical telescopes.