The Grid Signal Processing System

I. J. Taylor
University of Wales College of Cardiff

B. F. Schutz
Albert Einstein Institute, Potsdam, Germany

Session ID: T2.03   Type: oral

Abstract:

Signal-processing systems are fast becoming an essential tool within the signal-processing community. This is primarily due to the need for constructing large complex signal-processing algorithms which would take many hours of work to construct using conventional programming languages. Grid is a graphical interactive multi-threaded signal-processing environment which allows the creation of complex arrays of signal-processing algorithms by simply choosing the desired units (or tools) from a selection of toolboxes and then graphically wiring them together. Units are dragged from a Toolbox window and dropped onto a programming window and then connected together by dragging from a socket on the right of a Sending unit to a socket on the left hand side of a receiving unit. If the connection is valid (i.e. if the type of data to be sent is acceptable by the receiving unit) a cable is then drawn between the two socket icons. Thus, the user constructs a signal processing algorithm by drawing a block diagram of it. Once the desired connectivity is in place, the algorithm can be run in a single step fashion (i.e. one step at a time) or continuously i.e. where an algorithm may be applied to continuous data, for example, in analysing the output from a gravitational wave detector or when animating the formation of star clusters etc. Although Grid has been originally developed to provide a quick-look data analysis system for the GEO 600 gravitational wave detector (expected to be built within the next three years) its use is much more general. For example, collaborators are already working on units which can manipulate FITS images, apply a variety of signal and image processing algorithms on a variety of sources, provide multimedia teaching aids and even to construct a musical composition system. Grid is written mostly in Java (e.g. there are about 18,000 lines of Java source code (including source-code documentation) and about 500 lines of C code). Grid is now in its alpha testing stage with many more features being planned for the coming year. Currently, Grid is being distributed free of charge to interested parties, some of which are developing units to suite their own particular needs. We are hoping that a wide variety of tools will be created in the near future which can be applied to many different subject areas.

For more details see http://www.astro.cf.ac.uk/pub/Ian.Taylor/Grid/.




Patrick P. Murphy
Tue Sep 10 22:26:44 EDT 1996