The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory

Swift Quick-look Data

Swift Data Processing

Swift Data processing is performed at the Swift Data Center (SDC) at GSFC.

The SDC is responsible for pipeline processing of Swift data, turning spacecraft telemetry into higher level science products and data files for the end user. The SDC creates FITS files from the Level 0 telemetry files delivered from the Mission Operations Center (MOC). These FITS files contain image data and event data from the BAT, XRT and UVOT. These files then flow through the basic processing pipelines for each scientific instrument, resulting in calibrated images, cleaned event lists, and, when possible, light curves and spectra for the GRB afterglow candidate. See Swift Data Processing Overview for a description of the SDC processing pipeline.

The SDC then distributes these products to the science team and the community via the SDC Quick Look Facility.

The SDC organizes the Swift data from a particular observation into a series of directories based on the type and source of the data.

After one week, the processed data and science products are delivered by the SDC to the HEASARC for long term archiving. Data will also be sent to the Data Center at Leicester University and the data center in Italy. The SDC will create and maintain a database of results for community access through the World Wide Web. The SDC is based on similar efforts for the ROSAT, ASCA, and RXTE missions.

Swift Data Flow Diagram

Diagram of steps in Swift Data Processing