The Data Reduction Expert

Increased access to very large astronomical databases, the use of large format detectors and other developments in observational astronomy have the potential to overwhelm the capacity of most astronomers to analyze data unless new approaches to data reduction are found. This paper reports the initial progress in creating an expert system to assist in the reduction of scientific data. This system, called Draco, takes on much of the mechanics of data reduction, allowing the astronomer to spend more time understanding the physical nature of the data. Draco works in conjunction with existing data analysis systems such as STSDAS/IRAF and is designed to be extensible to new data reduction tasks.