Analysis of Scoring Changes between Version 2 and Version 3 Processing





The qasit file generated on 010815 contains all of the nights (except for 970615n) included in the v3 OPS test. Using this qasit file, scans whose scores changed between v2 and v3 processing have been analyzed to discover why the scores are different.

In total there are 3262 scans in this sit file, of which the vast majority (85.5%) had no score changes between v2 and v3 processing. A total of 464 scans had changes in scoring, and this histogram shows the their distribution versus amplitude of the change. Those with improved scores outnumber those with degraded scores by a factor of 2.5.

Listed below are the causes for each of the scoring changes and what their extrapolations suggest for the rest of the data (the full v3 complement of 70744 scans) --

Photometric dispersion downgrade changed

  • 148 scans improved
  • 0 scans degraded
  • Only good news here.

    Photometric overlap downgrade changed

  • 91 scans improved
  • 7 scans degraded
  • This is mostly good news. The degraded scans were all from a single sci block on 980815s. These all fell from Q=10 in v2 to Q=7 in v3. Thus, new overlap downgrades are not expected to degrade an appreciable number of scans below catalog quality during v3.

    Photometric interval downgrade changed (too few cals in the photometric interval)

  • 80 scans improved
  • 0 scans degraded
  • Only good news here.

    Cloud downgrade changed (cloud suspected before and not there, or newly found)

  • 2 scans improved
  • 8 scans degraded (all to Q=1)
  • Three of the degraded scans are from the first night of the survey (970607n), and the other degraded scans came from a single sci block on 980322s (the 3rd good night of southern OPS). Both of these night were run in v2 before many of our diagnostic cloud-catchers were in place. We conclude that these numbers are not representative of the rest of the survey, and hence newly discovered clouds should affect only a small number of scans.

    Sensitivity scoring changed

  • 5 scans improved
  • 11 scans degraded
  • The eleven degraded scans had delta Q = -2 or -3. For only one of these did the new Q fall below 5. This implies that ~22 more scans in the rest of the sky will fall below catalog quality during v3 because of sensitivity toggling.

    Airglow scoring changed

  • 0 scans improved
  • 7 scans degraded
  • Since this downgrade is an automatic Q=10 or Q=1, it is not possible to get improved scans here since those aren't run in v3. The 7 degraded scans suggest that ~152 scans total will be dedgraded in v3 to Q=1 because of airglow.

    Aspect ratios toggled over downgrade threshold

  • 0 scans improved
  • 46 scans degraded
  • Of the 46 degraded scans, 45 came from the first week of northern OPS data. The other one came from another early night, 970712n. Again, these numbers are not representative of the rest of the survey, so aspect ratio downgrades are not expected to downgrade many other scans during v3.

    Untracked seeing toggled over threshold

  • 0 scans improved
  • 2 scans degraded
  • Both scans (of course) dropped to Q=1. Extrapolation suggests that ~43 such scans could be so effected in v3.

    Maximum seeing shape toggled over threshold

  • 0 scans improved
  • 2 scans degraded
  • Both scans (of course) dropped to Q=1. Extrapolation suggests that ~43 such scans could be so effected in v3.

    Non-uniform v2 scoring (scoring rules changed after night was run)

  • 3 scans improved (all by delta Q=+2)
  • 51 scans degraded (all by delta Q=-1)
  • None of these previously ok scans dropped below catalog quality, so this effect is not likely to produce many problems in the rest of v3.

    The Bottom Line

    It is expected that ~260 scans of the 70744 run in v3 will fall below catalog quality (Q<5) due to sensitivity, airglow, untracked seeing, or max seeing shape downgrades. The other causes for downgrades listed above are believed to affect only isolated cases -- clouds have degraded 8 early scans below catalog quality, and 46 scans (all from early northern nights) have been similarly downgraded due to poor aspect ratios


    D. Kirkpatrick - IPAC
    Updated 17 August 2001