We mention our automated pipelines a lot, so I might as well jump in and provide some more information about them, on top of what might already have been mentioned before. I will start with the first one – HiDog – in a moment, but first, let me introduce Watchdog.

You should know by now the route our data takes: from the HiRISE camera on MRO to storage to spacecraft radiation to the Deep Space Network radio telescopes here on Earth to the ground data system network to JPL in Pasadena, CA to the University of Arizona campus network to our servers in the HiRISE Operations Center. Our Watchdog software, well, watches the JPL servers for new HiRISE raw image data. When it sees a new raw channel file (2 channels per CCD, up to 14 CCDs per observation), Watchdog flags that file as ready to be downloaded by HiDog.

HiDog is the first automated pipeline. It wakes up every few minutes to see if the Watchdog has flagged any new files (basically, it is checking a sources table in our database). If there is nothing new in the sources table, then it goes back to sleep. If there is something new, HiDog wags its tail, rapidly downloads the file, checks to see if there are any gaps in the data, and then tells the next pipeline that a new image channel has arrived in Tucson, ready for further processing. Then, it checks to see if there are any more files ready for downloading, and goes back to sleep if there are not. Sweet dreams, little doggy.

Over and over again, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the Dogs are ready and waiting for the latest HiRISE data from Mars.

Next time…the EDRgen pipeline.