XML schema

[pa3weg]

Hi Dave,

first comment on the schema at https://github.com/FUNcube/SatInfoServi ... ellite.xml:
The SATCAT number is called NasaID. Not sure where this originated, but NASA has nothing to do with it. it was NORAD before, and now its more universally called SatCat.

<tns:LaunchingSite> should be LaunchSite

I think beacons should be telemetry or beacons
beacons should be reserved for identification I guess... or eliminated completely

<tns:Mode>FM</tns:Mode> should become Modulation, and like mentioned before we should also include framing to be flexible. not sure what to do with FEC...

<element name="AmsatId" type="string" maxOccurs="1" minOccurs="0">
Is this the OSCAR number?

Why would we have "TargetLaunchDate"? If the date is in the future, its obviously a target...

[pa3weg]

I have done a very quick meta-style lay out of how I see the structure.
Please forgive the typo's and inconsistencies, it was done quickly!
It is attached below:

Code: Select all

<xml>
   <satellite>
      <basic>
         <name>WizzBang-1</name>
         <catalog id>99999</catalog id>
         <AmsatDesignator>AO-99</AmsatDesignator>
      </basic>
      <tle>
         <line1>
         <line2>
      </tle>
      <radio>
         <telemetry>
            <downlink>
               <frequency>145999000</frequency>
               <modulation>BPSK</modulation>
               <protocol>AX.25</protocol>
               <coding>FEC</coding>
            </downlink>
            <description>Main telemetry downlink</description>
         </telemetry>
         <telemetry>
            <downlink>
               <frequency>145999000</frequency>
               <modulation>FM</modulation>
               <protocol>SSTV</protocol>
               <coding>NONE</coding>
            </downlink>
            <description>SSTV downlink</description>
         </telemetry>
         <transponder>
            <downlink>
               <frequency>145800000</frequency>
               <modulation>FM</modulation>
               <protocol>Voice</protocol>
               <coding>NONE</coding>
            </downlink>
            <uplink>
               <frequency>435200000</frequency>
               <modulation>FM</modulation>
               <protocol>Voice</protocol>
               <coding>NONE</coding>
            </uplink>
            <description>FM transponder</description>
         </transponder>
         <transponder>
            <downlink>
               <frequency>145800000</frequency>
               <modulation>USB</modulation>
               <protocol>Voice</protocol>
               <coding>NONE</coding>
            </downlink>
            <uplink>
               <frequency>435200000</frequency>
               <modulation>LSB</modulation>
               <protocol>Voice</protocol>
               <coding>NONE</coding>
            </uplink>
            <transponderWidth>20000</transponderWidth>
            <description>Linear transponder</description>
         </transponder>         
      </radio>
      <operators>
         <operatorName>AMSAT-UK</operatorName>
         <operatorCountry>United Kingdom</operatorCountry>
         <operatorContact>QSL via bureau</operatorContact>
         <operatorWeb>http://amsat-uk.org</operatorWeb>
      </operator>
      <launch>
         <date>21-11-2013</date>
         <time>07:00:00</time>
         <status>Launched</status>
         <site>Yasny</site>
         <vehicle>DNEPR</vehicle>
      <launch>
      <otherstuff>
      </otherstuff>
   </satellite>
</xml>


[hb9drv]

My Initial comments on a good proposal:

Must decide what is mandatory, what is optional.

Basic

basic should be something like index or identification?
Satellites should only be uniquely identified by catalog number. If a satellite has not been assigned a catalog number then it should probably be in a separate database. So catalog is mandatory.
Their can be more than one name.
Add an optional free-format text field for a description of the satellite.

Enumerations
Fields such as modulation, protocol and coding should only contain values from agreed lists.

Telemetry etc.
Need to indicate whether active, inactive, part-broken, whatever (another list).

Frequency
As well as the official frequency there should be an optional field with a known offset, for example the beacon could be 2kHz lower than the official frequency.

[pa3weg]

Agreed 100% Simon.

And do you have any examples of satellites that are not in the catalog? I would say they should all be in, except in LEOPS right after launch. But in this case, normally everyone takes 99999U. This is a problem for multiple satellites on one launch, so we should have a way of indicating that something is not in the catalog yet. But apart from that, are you aware of something without SATCAT number?

Also, in LEOPS, sometimes satellites are hopping between catalog numbers.

I already had in my initial E-mail the need for the status options. One more flag to put into the transponders might be IlluminationRequired: does the satellite work in the dark or not (AO-7, Delfi-C3)
Doing this per transponder gives more flexibility.

[hb9drv]

Hi,

Either have a second database with the exact same schema or a flag to indicate that the catalog number has not been assigned or is provisional.

[g4dpz]

Or tables with versioned attributes

- Dave

[g4dpz]

This is the model I use when doing calculations with S[GD]P4:

private int catnum;
private String name;
private int setnum;
private int year;
private double refepoch;
private double incl;
private double raan;
private double eccn;
private double argper;
private double meanan;
private double meanmo;
private double drag;
private double nddot6;
private double bstar;
private int orbitnum;
private double epoch;
private double xndt2o;
private double xincl;
private double xnodeo;
private double eo;
private double omegao;
private double xmo;
private double xno;
private boolean deepspace;
private java.util.Date createddate;

- Dave

[g4dpz]

Hi,

Another stab at the schema, based on some of the comments.

satellites.xsd

(5.63 KiB) Downloaded 480 times

and the associated xml:

satellite.xml

(1.67 KiB) Downloaded 475 times

Happy to move attributes to elements and vice versa.

- Dave

[pa9tv]

Some feedback, opinion:
* i cant see the need for the extra wrappers: aliases, beacons, transponders.
* frequency should not be abbreviated.
* frequency should be in Hz.
* state would be nice as an atrribute.
* how about centerfreq, bandwidth instead of upper/lower bounds.
* how about giving a transponder an attribute inverting='true/false'

[pa9tv]

My next attempt, i'm struggling how to model a AO-40 matrix system, a proper, but less simple way for clients is to use xsd:id for the up and downlink and refer (xsd:idref) to them in transponder elements.

I have included an element 'confirmation' for http://oscar.dcarr.org/ like functionality.

Code: Select all

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<response version="v1">
    <satellite>
        <name>Oscar 7</name>
        <alias>AO-7</alias>
        <catalog-number>74089B</catalog-number>
        <international-designator>1974-089-B</international-designator>
        <transponder>
            <bandwidth>100000</bandwidth>
            <rxfrequency>145900000</rxfrequency>
            <txfrequency>29450000</txfrequency>
            <inverting>false</inverting>
        </transponder>
        <transponder>
            <bandwidth>50000</bandwidth>
            <rxfrequency>432150000</rxfrequency>
            <txfrequency>145950000</txfrequency>
            <inverting>true</inverting>
            <confirmation>
                <callsign>OZ1MY</callsign>
                <time>2015-04-29 00:46:00</time>
            </confirmation>
        </transponder>
        <beacon>
            <frequency>2304100000</frequency>
            <status>inactive</status>
        </beacon>
        <telemetry>
            <frequency>29502000</frequency>
            <modulation>CW</modulation>
        </telemetry>
        <telemetry>
            <frequency>145977500</frequency>
            <description>Mode U/V (B) TLM Beacon</description>
            <modulation>CW</modulation>
        </telemetry>
        <telemetry>
            <frequency>435100000</frequency>
            <description>Mode U TLM Beacon</description>
            <modulation>FSK</modulation>
        </telemetry>
        <owner>http://www.amsat.org/?page_id=1031</owner>
        <phase>ORBIT</phase>
    </satellite>
    <satellite>
        <name>UWE-3</name>
        <catalog-number>39446</catalog-number>
        <phase>ORBIT</phase>
    </satellite>
    <satellite>
        <name>FUNcube-1</name>
        <alias>AO73</alias>
        <alias>AO-73</alias>
        <phase>ORBIT</phase>
    </satellite>
    <satellite>
        <name>FUNcube-3</name>
        <alias>EO79</alias>
        <launch-date>2014-06-19</launch-date>
        <phase>ORBIT</phase>
    </satellite>
    <satellite>
        <name>AMSAT Phase 3C</name>
        <alias>P3C</alias>
        <alias>AO-13</alias>
        <phase>DECEASED</phase>
    </satellite>
    <satellite>
        <name>AMSAT Phase 3E</name>
        <alias>P3E</alias>
        <image>https://www.p3e-satellite.org/en_EN/images/p3e_09.jpg</image>
        <logo>https://www.p3e-satellite.org/en_EN/images/p3e_logo.jpg</logo>
        <phase>PRELAUNCH</phase>
    </satellite>
</response>