otterdb

Backend database code and data for OTTER

A note on the classification confidence keyword

These confidence scores are our rough confidence values in the classification of this object. They were determined using the following, somewhat arbitrary, system:

Warning: This confidence score system is still under development and may have bugs or mistakes, please trust at your own risk!

Providing Data

We expect the data to come as a zip file that contains a single meta.csv file, a separate csv photometry file for each transient (but not necessarily required for each transient), and an individual FITS file for every spectra. More details about each file are below.

meta.csv

This file contains metadata for the transient event you are providing. A list of possible column names are below.

Required Columns:

• name: The name (internal or IAU) of the transient
• ra: The right ascencsion of the transient
• dec: The declination of the transient
• ra_units: The units of the provided RA
• dec_units: The units of the provided declination
• reference: The ads bibcode associated with this data

Optional Columns:

• phot_path: The path of the photometry file, relative to the directory that the meta.csv file is in.
• spec_path: The path of the spectrum file, relative to the directory that the meta.csv file is in.
• redshift: The measured redshift (only provide if YOU measured it)
• luminosity_distance:
• dispersion_measure:
• date_discovery: Discovery date of the transient if you discovered it
• date_discovery_format: Format of the discovery date
• class: The classification of the transient (e.g. SN, TDE, FRB, etc.)

The photometry CSV files

There should be one file per event in the meta file. These photometry csv files have the following columns.

Required Columns:

• date: The date the photometric observation was made
• date_format: The format of the date given
• raw: The raw photometry. This can be a flux, flux density, magnitude, energy, or count.
• raw_units: The units (or system in the case of a magnitude) of raw
• filter: The name of the telescope filter

Required/Optional Columns (Only required in some cases):

• telescope_area: Collecting area of the telescope. Required if the photometry is given in counts!
• val_k: The k-correction value applied. Only required if a k-correction was applied.
• val_s: The s-correction value applied. Required if an s-correction was applied.
• val_av: The value of the applied Milky Way Extinction. Required if the photometry was corrected for Milky Way Extinction.
• val_host: The value of the applied host correction. Required only if the photometry is host subtracted.
• val_hostav: The value of the host extinction. Required if the photometry was corrected for host extinction.

Optional Columns:

• raw_err: The error on the raw photometry value given.
• date_err: The error on the date given.
• upperlimit: Boolean. True if this is an upperlimit.
• sigma: Significance of the upperlimit.
• instrument: The instrument used to collect this data.
• phot_type: is the photometry PSF, Aperature, or synthetic.
• exptime: The exposure time
• aperature: The aperature diameter in arcseconds, if aperature photometry.
• observer: Name of the observer for this point.
• reducer: Name of the person who reduced this data point.
• pipeline: Name and version of the pipeline used to reduce this data.
• filter_eff: The effective wavelength or frequency of the filter. We will use the filter_eff_units key to determine this.
• filter_eff_units: The units of filter_eff.
• telescope: The name of the telescope or observatory.

The spectra FITS files

Spectra are not supported at this time.