Simutil.py

↵ Simulating Observations in CASA

The python utility is called simutil.py, and is located in a scripts directory of your CASA installation.

CASA <> execfile(".../simutil.py")
CASA <> util=simutil()
CASA <> util<TAB>

Methods:

simutil.average_direction(directions)

Returns the average of directions as a string, and relative offsets

simutil.calc_pointings(spacing, imsize, cell, direction=None, relmargin=0.5)

If direction is a list, simply returns direction and the number of pointings in it. Otherwise, returns a hexagonally packed list of pointings separated by spacing and fitting inside an image specified by direction, imsize and cell, and the number of pointings. The hexagonal packing starts with a horizontal row centered on direction, and the other rows alternate being horizontally offset by a half spacing. All of the pointings will be within a rectangle relmargin * spacing smaller than the image on all sides.

simutil.ephemeris(date, direction=None, telescope=None)

calculate the elevation of a source on a date, in a direction, seen from a telescope

simutil.irtf2loc(x, y, z, cx, cy, cz)

convert ITRF earth-centered xyz coordinates to offsets in the local tangent plane offsets from the center of the array cx,cy,cx

simutil.locxyz2itrf(latitude, longitude, locx=0.0, locy=0.0, locz=0.0)

Returns the nominal ITRF (X, Y, Z) coordinates (m) for a point at "local" (x, y, z) (m) measured at geodetic latitude lat and longitude longitude (degrees). The ITRF frame used is not the official ITRF, just a right handed Cartesian system with X going through 0 latitude and 0 longitude, and Z going through the north pole. The "local" (x, y, z) are measured relative to the closest point to (lat, longitude) on the WGS84 reference ellipsoid, with z normal to the ellipsoid and y pointing north.

simutil.long2xyz(long, lat, elevation, datum)

convert geodetic longitude latitude, and elevation (relative to the geoid of specified datum) to earth-centered x,y,z

simutil.xyz2long(x, y, z, datum)

convert earth-centered x,y,z to geodetic latitude and longitude

simutil.utm2xyz(easting, northing, elevation, zone, datum, nors)

convert UTM coordinates to x,y,z earth-centered

simutil.utm2long(east, north, zone, datum, nors)

convert universal transverse meractor coordinates to geodetic longitude/latitude (see help simutil.utm2long for more details

simutil.readantenna(antab=None)

read an antenna configuration file (and perform necessary geodetic conversions)

simutil.noisetemp(telescope=None, freq=None, diam=None, epsilon=None)

look up receiver temperature, antenna efficiencies, etc for known telescopes

simutil.plotants(x, y, z, d, name)

a prettier plotants than CASA native, including antenna diameter and pad name (e.g. for compact arrays, the antennas will be plotted with actual sizes to scale)

simutil.statim(image, plot=True, incell=None)

plot image and return and overplot statistics

For more detailed examples, find the python script for the simdata task, which is a file called task_simdata.py in your distribution.