Exploration towards the design of an end-to-end simulation framework

Establishing an end-to-end instrumental signal chain simulator framework for SKA1, capable of generating data with a representative set of instrumental corruptions, will be required for the development and testing of SKA1 workflows. Simulated data will be needed to generate raw data inputs for SKA1 workflows so that they can be developed and tested in a consistent, well understood, and reproducible way.

Unlike any current solution, this SKA1 end-to-end simulation framework should make it relatively easy to obtain and/or generate representative SKA1 data sets on local development workstations as well as on standard integrated test facilities where larger scale deployments and integration tests of the SKA1 software will be performed.

• Carry out a spike and produce a skeleton report (in the form of a confluence page) to propose an initial high-level design for an end-to-end instrumental simulation framework for SKA1.
• This should attempt to address what an end-to-end framework might consist of and what steps would be needed to develop it. Initial set of questions to consider:
  • What are the different simulation data products required by SKA1
  • What are the different steps required to generate SKA simulated data products
  • List of current tools / codes that might be used
  • What are the expected / desired / existing interfaces between stages and tools in end-to-end simulations of identified each data product
  • An assessment of the expected infrastructure requirements for running end-to-end simulations based on current tools.
  • What needs to be developed in terms tools and infrastructure