NOTES on UKIDSS REFERENCE PAPER-III

"The UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS)"
Lawrence, Warren, Adamson and Survey Group Heads

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SECTION PLAN
(1) Introduction
(2) Science goals
(3) Implementation with the UKIRT Wide Field Camera
(4) Survey Design 
(5) Data Processing
(6) Survey releases.

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FIRST NOTES

(1) INTRODUCTION

This is UKIDSS Reference Paper II. It describes the scientific goals of UKIDSS and the survey design produced to achieve those goals. It summarises the properties of the UKIRT Wide Field Camera, especially those aspects which influence survey design. It also summarises the data processing chain for UKIDSSS leading to scientifically useable survey products. Finally it describes the survey data policy and the release plan. 

(2) SCIENCE GOALS

- fundamental resource of wide significance : atlas
- deep enough to be true counterpart to current optical sky surveys
- but much science deeper, so guided by specific goals

\item to find the nearest and faintest sub-stellar objects

\item to break the z=7 quasar barrier

\item to determine the epoch of re-ionisation

\item to determine the substellar mass function

\item to discover Pop II brown dwarfs, if they exist

\item to construct a galaxy catalogue at z=1 as large as the SDSS 
catalogue

\item to measure the growth of structure and bias from z=3 to the present 
day

\item to determine the epoch of spheroid formation

\item to clarify the relationship between quasars, ULIRGs, and galaxy 
formation

\item to map the Milky Way through the dust, to several kpc

\item to increase the number of known Young Stellar Objects by an order of 
magnitude, including rare types such as FU Orionis stars


(3) IMPLEMENTATION WITH THE UKIRT WIDE FIELD CAMERA

- general technical parameters of telescope and camera
- area, wavelengths, sensitivity 
- definitions of stare, pointing, observations etc
- predicted observing efficiency and mosaic efficiency vs parameters
- UKIRT MSB system, Survey Definition Tool

(4) SURVEY COMPONENT DESIGN

(4.1) General points
- General principles; shallow vs deep surveys; tiered approach
- survey programme as portfolio of quasi-independent survey components
- brief summary of components and their goals

(4.2) Large Area Survey
- key goals
- Area/depth selection from goals
- need for repeat : variability, proper motions
- Filter selection (esp Y filter)
- Area selection; supporting data (SDSS key match here)

(4.3-4.6) Ditto DXS, UDS, GPS, GCS

(4.7) Summary of design 
- predicted time; staged plan
- Sky map, RA distribution
- table of survey parameters
- observing plan
- calibration plan

(5) DATA PROCESSING

* brief summary : details in other papers
* but note some processing issues specific to UKIDSS
rather than WFCAM as a whole
* and requirements were set by UKIDSS

- requirements analysis thru twenty questions
- standard pipeline ; parameters measured 
- science archive design
- V2 VO enable archive
- survey level processing; 
  large area photometry, astrometry, gradients etc
  xmatching with other surveys
  measurement of final calibration and errors etc
- final survey products

(6) ASSESSMENT OF EARLY DATA QUALITY

- observed sensitivity and efficiency
- seeing quality
- image artifacts
- science verification plan

(7) SURVEY IMPLEMENTATION and RELEASES

- organisation of consortium
- division of responsibilities 
  observatory, consortium, data processing, science
- science access through archive
- data policy
- initial two year plan
- staged release plan