Introduction and Purpose of the Manual

This manual describes the web application used for creating observing schedules for the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA).  It is not intended to teach observing strategies and good observing practices. For that information, please refer to the Observational Status Summary (OSS), Guide to Observing with the VLA, and other VLA documentation. If you have any questions, please submit them to the NRAO Science Helpdesk.

An observing schedule is created using the Observation Preparation Tool (OPT) Suite*, a web application consisting of three separate tools that are used in conjunction.  The reader will be guided through the three tools and provided detailed information on how to create an observing schedule and how to submit it.

• Source Catalog Tool (SCT): define and select positions on the sky.
• Resource Catalog Tool (RCT): define and select hardware (receiver and correlator) settings.
• Observation Preparation Tool (OPT): define and create a sequence of scans.  A scan is a combination of an observing mode, a source, a resource, a time interval, and scan intent(s).

*The Observation Preparation Tool (OPT) Suite is a product of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory staff. The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) is operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), which is a facility of the National Science Foundation (NSF) operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI).

Abbreviations Used

When referring to the OPT in the remainder of this document, it is implicitly referring to the tool that creates a sequence of observing scans. On the other hand, when we refer to the OPT Suite, we specifically refer to the combination of tools consisting of the SCT, RCT, and OPT.

The use of the term '(re)source' is short-hand for the text "source and resource": the sentence applies to both source and resource. Similarly, using 'project (etc.)' allows us to avoid having to write "project, program block(s), scheduling block(s), and scan(s)" which otherwise would make sentences confusing. For program block and scheduling block we will use PB and SB, respectively, or blocks when we mean either or both.

We will also use PST (Proposal Submission Tool) and TAC (Time Allocation Committee), which have some interaction or influence on what goes on in the OPT Suite.