About the Galactica simulation database

Presentation

The Galactica simulation database is an open, generic platform providing access to computational astrophysics simulation datasets in a wide range of fields (e.g. solar physics, star-planet interactions, star formation, galaxy formation, galaxy mergers, cosmology). Both astronomers and computational astrophysicists can have access to data that could be useful to prepare observational campaigns or compare with other theoretical models.

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Open Science

Any computational astrophysicist, working in any field of research, is welcome to contribute to the content of the database by publishing the results of its own numerical study and providing access to the simulation data that can be reused by other scientists, making Galactica an Open Science hub for computational astrophysics.

If you want more details on how to publish your numerical projects on the database, see How to host my projects on Galactica ?

Data location and access

The Galactica database only hosts lightweight data related to the numerical projects published on the platform:

• meta-information: project description, simulation code configuration, simulation run parameter values, physics model details, used algorithms, simulation snapshot information, scientific analysis results, etc.
• reduced datasets: plots, images, object catalogs, (small) datacubes, configuration files, etc.
• object catalogs: tabulated data containing the properties of objects identified in numerical models (e.g. galaxies, stellar cores, sun spots, galaxy clusters, stars, ISM filaments).

This lightweight data is stored on a small filesystem on the Galactica server, in a centralised way (at pretty low cost). It is provided by the various contributors while documenting their projects and directly available for download on the web application.

To prepare your project's documentation offline and publish it on Galactica, you can use the Astrophysix python package (see detailed information on how to host my projects on Galactica ?).

Now the most important question: "What about the PBytes of raw data produced by my simulation code ?"

The Galactica database does not have enough resources to store massive simulation datasets and process them to produce advanced data products that meet the scientific community specific requirements. To achieve that specific goal, Galactica communicates with a network of data-processing servers (called Terminus nodes) hosted by various astrophysics research institutes, sharing their storage and computational resources.

On each Terminus node, custom data-processing WebServices (or Terminus services) are deployed to process any type of simulation data produced by any astrophysical code. To share massive simulation datasets, you can host your data on an existing Terminus node or run your own Terminus instance in your research institute. For more information, see How to share massive simulation data ?

Architecture

The organisation of the database closely reflects the Simulation Datamodel, which has been developed in the context of the International Virtual Observatory in order to ensure the interoperability with other astrophysics projects. It follows a hierarchical structure:

The database is organised in projects, which assemble sets of related numerical simulations. Each simulation is referring to a simulation code, and contains generic results or snapshots (status of the numerical experiment at a particular time). Object catalogs can be described within a snapshot and datafiles can be associated to results, snapshots or catalogs.

License

This Galactica database is made available under Open Database License. Any rights in individual contents of the database are licensed under the Database Contents License.

You are free:

• To Share: To copy, distribute and use the database.
• To Create: To produce works from the database.
• To Adapt: To modify, transform and build upon the database.

As long as you:

• Attribute: You must attribute any public use of the database, or works produced from the database, in the manner specified in the ODbL. For any use or redistribution of the database, or works produced from it, you must make clear to others the license of the database and keep intact any notices on the original database.
• Share-alike: If you publicly use any adapted version of this database, or works produced from an adapted database, you must also offer that adapted database under the ODbL.
• Keep open: If you redistribute the database, or an adapted version of it, then you may use technological measures that restrict the work (such as DRM) as long as you also redistribute a version without such measures.

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The reproduction of the materials and graphical elements on this site, in part or in whole, is prohibited except with permission from the Director of publication.

Director of publication:
P. Hennebelle

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