Last Update: 08/20/2008
The AI-SIG web site is a shared resource for all members of the AstroImagers special interest group of the Orange County Astronomers. Members are encouraged to share images, tutorials, presentations, programming tools, and other imaging-related information. The home page of the site is also designed as a convenient departure point for other related information, including weather forecasts and links to other OCA resources.
When you go to the home page location at http://www.oc-aisig.org, you’ll see that it’s divided into four basic sections: an image library, a document library, an area for announcements and forum activity, and a section relating to shared files. I’ll describe these further in the following sections.
There are generally at least eight photo albums, organized on the basis of object type (clusters, galaxies, etc.) or intended use (“Calendar Project”, new images, etc.). Each album has member-submitted images for that object type. The gallery software we’re using is quite rich, so you can view images at multiple resolutions, add and review comments and descriptive text, and of course, add images of your own. The Gallery is accessible in view-only mode to anyone, but you will need an account on the site in order to submit images of your own. If you wish to send image links for viewing by non-members, you can do so without their needing an account. To get an account for yourself, please send me an e-mail at bw_msg01 at earthlink dot net telling me what you want your user id and password to be. Once that is done, please read the image upload instructions located at http://oc-aisig.org/site_info/Gallery_Upload_Instructions.htm. This document is linked from the home page, so you don’t need to save the link. I’m generally online with e-mail access all the time, so account set-up is typically done quickly.
The document library contains a growing list of shared documents contributed by SIG members or by others who make presentations at SIG meetings. This area of the home page uses a basic, read-only mechanism that provides direct access to a set of files on the server, with options to either ‘open’ or ‘download’ those files. I maintain the organizational structure for this section of the site so members don’t submit content to it directly – they do so indirectly through a different section of the home page (discussed later).
If you click on the link for either ‘Tutorials’ or “Observing Target Information’, you’ll see an example of the file-based interface. This gives you a quick means for selecting a file and either opening it directly or downloading it to your computer – just click on the little ‘down arrow’ icon to the left of the file name in the table. While the feature set is limited, this interface is very easy to maintain and gives members access to files without getting tangled up in FTP interfaces.
This section of the home page is pretty straightforward. It includes a link to our Yahoo forum, thus providing a convenient means to move over there for discussions. There’s also a quick link to the monthly meeting agendas, using the file-system style of access discussed earlier.
The fourth section of the home page is devoted to collaborative file sharing, either for specific group projects such as our ongoing series on Photoshop image processing; or for any other purpose. The first link – ‘File downloads for image processing sessions’ – provides an easy means for viewing and downloading files for the classes. The remaining three links provide a general file sharing mechanism. The instructions for uploading a file, including the associated restrictions on file types and sizes, can be viewed by clicking on the link to ‘General file upload instructions.’ Please read this before you attempt to upload your first file. Also, remember that you won’t use this mechanism if you simply want to share images – use the image library (photo gallery) to do that. To upload a file for other sharing purposes, just click on the link to ‘Upload a new shared file’ and fill out the form fields. You will need to log in first, as discussed in the instructions. Uploading large files can be problematic, especially if your internet provider restricts file upload speeds. If you have trouble, just let me know and I’ll give you an alternative way to get the job done. Finally, the link to ‘Access shared files’ gives any registered user a read-only/download view of all files stored in the shared directory; but these files are not available to guests. I monitor this directory fairly closely, and I may move things into the ‘Document library’ area as needed. Obviously, I’ll notify the contributor of a file before I move it.
If you have problems or questions about using the site, please e-mail me at the usual address, bw_msg01 at earthlink dot net. I’d also be happy to hear any suggestions you have for improving the site.
Have fun!
-- Bruce Waddington