Abstract
There are two known approaches to astronomical observation: imaging observation, which acquires two-dimensional images of celestial objects spread over the celestial sphere, and slit spectroscopy, which acquires the spectra of electromagnetic waves passing through the long slit window. In both cases, the acquired data takes a two-dimensional form (two spatial dimensions in imaging observation and one dimension in space and one dimension in wavelength in slit spectroscopy). On the other hand, a technique, called Integral Field Spectroscopy (IFS), has recently emerged, which makes it possible to simultaneously acquire a two-dimensional image and the spectrum of celestial objects. IFS has become an indispensable technique for many large observatories because it eliminates the constraints of time and weather conditions.
Advanced Framework for Learning Astrophysical Knowledge (aflak) is a framework for astronomers to efficiently and intuitively analyze such surface spectral data. aflak is a visual programming environment (modular visualization environment), and astronomers can perform visual analysis by building a visual program consisting of nodes and links on the node editor interface. aflak performs necessary calculations from the connection relationship between nodes and links, and generates an image corresponding to the dimensions of the final result data. The output result is automatically updated when the astronomer changes the calculation parameter value of the node. With this function, astronomers can perform effective visual analysis by interactively fine-tuning parameter values while viewing the visualization results [IC-2], [IC-3]. Astronomers can also manage the provenance of the created visual program in detail [J-2].
In addition, aflak has macro function and bi-directional binding function. Macro is a function that realizes high-level processing by a single node by combining multiple nodes into one and creating a nested structure of the visual program. This information hiding can reduce visual clutter when the visual program becomes complicated. Bi-directional binding is a function that links the interaction handle generated for the output window and the value expressed in the visual program, and astronomers can directly operate the visual program from the visualization result. By comprehensively using these functions, astronomers are able to generate some astronomically useful two-dimensional maps such as equivalent width maps [J-1], [DC-3], velocity field maps [IC-1], [DC-1], and emission lines maps [DC-2] for the IFS data obtained by Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO (MaNGA) project in a survey called Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) to measure the exact brightness, position and distance of celestial bodies such as all-sky galaxies and quasars.
aflak is open source software, and you can download and install it on your local environment by using the GitHub link below.
Latest report on aflak
The latest report of this project was made at Data Science in Astronomy 2022 and 50th Symposium on Visualization in Japan.
For other achievements, please see the publications column.
Members
Members who still belong to the Fujishiro Laboratory have the Fujishiro Lab icon at the left of their names.
| Name | Affiliation | Web site |
|---|---|---|
| Malik Olivier Boussejra | Epigno Co., Ltd | |
 Rikuo Uchiki | Keio University | |
| Liyu Zhu | Keio University | |
| Yuriko Takeshima | Tokyo University of Technology | Laboratory page |
| Kazuya Matsubayashi | Kyoto University | Personal website |
| Makoto Uemura | Hiroshima University | Personal website |
Video
Publications
The underlined authors belong to or belonged to Fujishiro Laboratory.
Journals
- Malik Olivier Boussejra, Rikuo Uchiki, Shunya Takekawa, Kazuya Matsubayashi, Yuriko Takeshima, Makoto Uemura, Issei Fujishiro: “aflak: Visual programming environment with macro support for collaborative and exploratory astronomical analysis,” IIEEJ Transactions on Image Electronics and Visual Computing, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp.116―127, December, 2019, Online Journal.
- Malik Olivier Boussejra, Rikuo Uchiki, Yuriko Takeshima, Kazuya Matsubayashi, Shunya Takekawa, Makoto Uemura, Issei Fujishiro: “aflak: Visual programming environment enabling end-to-end provenance management for analysis of astronomical datasets,” Elsevier Journal of Visual Informatics, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp.1―8, March 21, 2019 [doi: 10.1016/j.visinf.2019.03.001].
Conferences/Symposiums
International conferences/symposiums
- Rikuo Uchiki, Malik Olivier Boussejra, Liyu Zhu, Yuriko Takeshima, Kazuya Matsubayashi, Makoto Uemura, Issei Fujishiro: “Accurate visualization of galaxy velocity field from three-dimensional integral field spectroscopy data,” in Proceedings of EuroVis 2020, Poster track, pp. 37―39, Online, May 25―29, 2020 [doi: 10.2312/eurp.20201123].
- Malik Olivier Boussejra, Shunya Takekawa, Rikuo Uchiki, Kazuya Matsubayashi, Yuriko Takeshima, Makoto Uemura, Issei Fujishiro: “aflak: Visual programming environment with quick feedback loop, tuned for multi-spectral astrophysical observations,” in Proceedings of Astronomical Data Analysis Software & Systems (ADASS) XXVIII, Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Series, Short paper track, Vol. 523, pp. 245―248, College Park, Maryland, United States of America, November 11―15, 2018, DL.
- Malik Olivier Boussejra, Kazuya Matsubayashi, Yuriko Takeshima, Shunya Takekawa, Rikuo Uchiki, Makoto Uemura, Issei Fujishiro: “aflak: Pluggable visual programming environment with quick feedback loop tuned for multi-spectral astrophysical observations,” in Proceedings of 2018 IEEE Scientific Visualization Conference (SciVis), Short paper track, pp. 72―76, Berlin, Germany, October 21―26, 2018 [doi: 10.1109/SciVis.2018.8823788].
Domestic conferences/symposiums
- Rikuo Uchiki, Yuriko Takeshima, Kazuya Matsubayashi, Makoto Uemura, Issei Fujishiro: “Visualization of galactic structures by differential topology analysis for integral field spectroscopy,” in Proceedings of the 50th Symposium on Visualization in Japan, Kogakuin University (Hybrid), GS2-3:1―GS2-3:6, August 8, 2022.
- Rikuo Uchiki, Malik Olivier Boussejra, Liyu Zhu, Kazuya Matsubayashi, Yuriko Takeshima, Makoto Uemura, Issei Fujishiro: “Accurate visualization of velocity fields of multiple galaxies using a visual analysis framework for three-dimensional integral field spectroscopy data,” in Proceedings of the 48th Symposium on Visualization in Japan, Online, September 24―26, 2020.
- Liyu Zhu, Rikuo Uchiki, Malik Olivier Boussejra, Kazuya Matsubayashi, Yuriko Takeshima, Makoto Uemura, Issei Fujishiro: “Visual analysis of emission lines from astronomical objects using modular visualization environment,” in Proceedings of the 48th Symposium on Visualization in Japan, Online, September 24–26, 2020.
- Rikuo Uchiki, Malik Olivier Boussejra, Kazuya Matsubayashi, Yuriko Takeshima, Makoto Uemura, Issei Fujishiro: “AFLAK: Equivalent width map generation with modular visualization environment,” in Proceedings of The Astronomical Society of Japan 2019 Spring Annual Meeting, Hosei University Koganei Campus, Koganei, Japan, March 14―17, 2019, Abstract (in Japanese).
- Malik Olivier Boussejra, Shunya Takekawa, Rikuo Uchiki, Kazuya Matsubayashi, Yuriko Takeshima, Makoto Uemura, Issei Fujishiro: “aflak: Visual programming environment for spectral data analysis,” in Proceedings of Space Science Informatics Symposium FY2018, JAXA Sagamihara Campus, Sagamihara, Japan, February 15, 2019 [JAXA Repository] (in Japanese).
Awards
Domestic awards
- Rikuo Uchiki, Issei Fujishiro：”Advanced Framework for Learning Astrophysical Knowledge (AFLAK),” The 34th Visualization Society of Japan Award (Technical Award), The 51st Symposium on Visualization in Japan, August 8, 2023.
Presentations
- Rikuo Uchiki: “Visualization of galactic structures by differential topology analysis for integral field spectroscopy,” Data Science in Astronomy 2022, The Institute of Statistical Mathematics (Hybrid), b06, October 4, 2022.
- Issei Fujishiro, Rikuo Uchiki: “aflak: A visual programming environment for visual analysis of astronomical multispectral data – concept, system, and applications,” The 4th Visualization Workshop, Online, February 19, 2021.
- Issei Fujishiro, Malik Olivier Boussejra, Rikuo Uchiki: “aflak: Visual programming environment for visual analysis of integral field spectroscopy data,” in Proceedings of Integral Field Units Meeting, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Mitaka, Japan, October 29―30, 2019, Slide (in Japanese).
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A):