1. Experiences With gRAVI Brian Tieman Beamline Controls and Data Acquisition Advanced Photon Source

2. Advanced Photon Source www.aps.anl.gov
Techniques:
Science & Research Highlights:

3. Sources of Software Used in APS Experiments
(Left) The sample holder at the 2BM experimental end-station. This is the final portion of the 30 meter beamline used for tomography experiments.
Commercial
Experimental Device Control Software
Data Reduction Software
Data Visualization Software
Beamline Controls and Data Acquisition Group
Experiment Control Scripts
Beamline Staff Scientists
Analysis Software
External Users
Open source
(Below) 3D rendering from computed micro-tomographic data set of the Space Shuttle External Tank Foam.
Lots of different software needed to turn
this into this
It takes a lot of different applications to go from physical sample to data visualization
0.1 mm
0.1 mm

4. Overall Experiment Work Flow
Most all experiments fall into this simple looking work flow. In reality the number of applications that are required to perform this simple workflow for the diverse techniques employed at the APS is astonishingly large. We need tools to develop tools!

5. Developer vs Development Tool
My first operational service was developed from the standpoint of a typical software developer working in the scientific field. At a later date, I learned about the gRAVI tool and rewrote the service using the tool.
Developer
Generate Service
Research how to write a service
Buy books
Search internet
Develop example code
Write lots of code!
~10 files of code
~2000 lines of code
Deploy
More research
Configure deployment descriptors
Results
Time to Deployment > 1 month
Security = none
Status notification = none
Got the job done and I now have a sketchy but growing understanding of how to develop services
If our supported envelop changes, service needs to be redevelop and redeployed
gRAVI
Generate Service
Start up Introduce
Complete gRAVI wizard for application
Deploy
Results
Time to Deployment < 2 days
Security = PKI based credentials
Status notification = several useful options
Got the job done with little need to understand how to develop services
If our supported envelop changes, we rerun the gRAVI wizard to generate an updated service

6. Needed Development gRAVI is helpful…but it could be better…
Server side code
gRAVI is easy to use, but creating lots of gRAVI services from legacy code is repetitive
The APS could easily generate 100s of gRAVI based services...is there a way to reduce the repetition?
Client side code
Managing gRAVI services in a custom client can be tedious
More auto-generated code to help build client
Code to help manage End Point References
Would be great to have integration into existing work flow environments such as Taverna
Live client for work flow prototyping
Way to save and document working work flows
Work flow engine running server side with client interface to initiate work flows