database and application use cases

[pa3weg]

Hi All,

I think it is important to list some of the database use cases and the several apps we require:

• Dcarr alike satellite status reporting
• Overview of active satellites including frequencies and modulation types
• IARU coordination data
• Machine readable output for software
• Tracking app on website
• list of decoders / modems etc
• list of central warehouses

We are already discussing several aspects in several topics, and some people already started writing the database scheme. Now we need to extend this and implement some of it.

Please add to the list. We can discuss later what we will focus on.

I know that the tracking app, database scheme and JSON/XML format have been described in some way, shape or form.

[pa9tv]

Ok, both json and xml will be supported (from the other forum thread)

Repost:

I think the development should be requirement driven, so we need to find the 'customers' who will define the requirements.

Are there any reading this topic?

If there are, i hope they can formulate their specific use-case. After we have a few use cases, we could define an interface for providing this data.

Please feel free, to specify any preferences in format, json, xml, others? Please specify frequency of retrieval, and if the interface query is in bulk (all), subset or individual satellite.
Also please specify your data requirements in order of importance.

[pa9tv]

• Dcarr alike satellite status reporting
• Overview of active satellites including frequencies and modulation types
• IARU coordination data
• Machine readable output for software
• Tracking app on website
• list of decoders / modems etc
• list of central warehouses

Some of this we can return in the form of URLs URIs.

I believe you envisage this as also returning observation data. Shall we separate this query interface (which we can run on http, without authentication) from the reporting interface?

Gr. Simon

[pa9tv]

Do you want this to return TLE data?

[pa3weg]

Hi Simon,

Maybe I have been stuck in space engineering for too long, but what else would you do as opposed to requirements driven?
There is no other way...!

The problem with the design is that all the knowledge is fragmented, so I do not precisely know what goes where with regards to the planning.

Off course the different varieties can be different URIs, it makes NO SENSE not to do that.

Lets add use cases instead, do we have more?

Eric PA2EON identified the with to also upload and store data, but I do not agree that this should be part of the system. It is the satellite teams responsibility to gather the data, for example, FUNcube warehouse or Delfi-C3 RASCAL database.

let me add the customers to the lines as I see it. In this case with community I mean for public viewing on a website or list. Viewing with an app would be applications, and digesting the list with a tracking program would also be applications.

• Dcarr alike satellite status reporting - customer: IARU, community, applications
• Overview of active satellites including frequencies and modulation types - customer: IARU, community, applications
• IARU coordination data - customer: IARU, community
• Machine readable output for software - customer: applications
• Tracking app on website - customer: community
• list of decoders / modems etc - customer: community
• list of central warehouses - customer: community, applications?

So the three main "output models" are

• machine readable (for this there is the XML thread)
• Human readable, various websites
• IARU coordination website - only accessible for officials

Human readable is just another form of machine readable with presentation added to it.

The meat is really in defining the database scheme, the JSON and XML schemes. After that, the actual coding is not so much of a problem.
When I think about it....maybe designing a database is not blindingly obvious to everyone, but it is to this group, as this forum is specifically set up for discussing the software models.

Keep in mind that gluing things together is not design

Wouter

[pa3weg]

Do you want this to return TLE data?

No, that requires special licensing from space-track. I do not want to go through this. Recoring the catalog number is enough. then the ingestion end can pair with the TLEs

[pa9tv]

.

[pa9tv]

Human readable is just another form of machine readable with presentation added to it.

xml with xslt is an easy option here.

The meat is really in defining the database scheme, the JSON and XML schemes. After that, the actual coding is not so much of a problem.
When I think about it....maybe designing a database is not blindingly obvious to everyone, but it is to this group, as this forum is specifically set up for discussing the software models.

Space engineering is a quite formal compared to extreme programming. And to be honest, the data problem looks easy to solve. How do you feel about release early, release often?

BTW: XML does allow correction of schema mistakes, i.e. backward compatibility, with optional elements in the definition. Together with clear communications to the customers about the time the deprecated elements will be removed, can allow us agility, with practical testing in the software clients.

[pa9tv]

if we do not succeed in getting traction via this forum, we could actively seek contact with the application developers, write them personally and conducting some interviews with them.

[pa3weg]

Well, we got at least a couple here already, so we are in good company.

With high chances I missed someone:

Simon HB9DRV/G4ELI wrote Ham Radio Deluxe (now maintained by an US company) and SDR-Console, amongst others
DK3WN is building lots of decoders and responsible for the satblog and is in the IARU coordination panel
Dave built the FUNcube warehouse and wrote the predict4java port and is maintaining the AmsatDroid satellite tracker for android
Martijn PB0NER is writing a complete shack automation and control suite from scratch, as he explained
Terry PD3T co-wrote the amsat-nl mission status client with me
Graham G3VZV is maintaining the IARU "database"

And I am just trying to keep the discussion to the point and build satellites ;)