HIPE (Herschel Integrated Processing Environment) is a software specifically prepared for Herschel data structure and types. It is an integrated framework for data retrieval, reduction and analysis of data acquired with the PACS, SPIRE and HIFI instruments. The Data Processing software, developed by the Instrument Control Centres, are integrated within HIPE. They are conceived as pipeline, that are organized in individual routines that operate on variables to create output variables. The Standard Pipelines are developed in Java and Jython (python over Java), are open source and they can be executed both through interactive interface (GUI) and in batch-mode (scripts).
The Standard Pipelines are used to populate the
Herschel Science Archive.
During the Herschel operations, as the Herschel telemetry timelines arrive to the Herschel Science Centre, the Standard Pipelines run automatically to remove instrumental effects and calibrate data, in order to produce Level 2 products. Raw (Level 0), processed data (Level 1, Level 2), calibration and auxiliary files are organized in wrapping data as an object called Observational Context, which is conceived to be directly manage by HIPE.
After the end of the operations, a bulk reprocessing of the data is performed for each software major release: all the data are reprocessed using new algorithms and new calibration data to improve the final products. The reprocessing starts form the level0 and generate the higher level:level 2 and, if applicable to the specific observations, level 2.5 / level3 (e.g. level 2.5 are cross scan combined observations for SpirePacsParallel mode and level3 are mosaic of observations from the same proposal for SPIRE photometer).
