2026-11-05 –, Banquet Hall
A major obstacle in time-domain and multi-messenger astronomy is the high entry barrier caused by a fragmented follow-up ecosystem. While separate tools exist for alert brokering, telescope triggering, and data reduction, investigators must navigate disparate software interfaces, limiting the speed of rapid follow-up campaigns. Addressing this coordination gap requires a unified, end-to-end framework.
To solve this, Gemini/NOIRLab has built the Gemini Observation and Analysis of Targets System (GOATS). This single web application consolidates the entire workflow into a responsive chain: as new targets are ingested, Target-of-Opportunity (ToO) observations are automatically triggered via the new Gemini Program Platform (GPP), data are automatically retrieved from archives, and data reduction is performed directly in-browser with live status updates. GOATS further includes lightweight image analysis tools and features to publish final data products to external services, enabling researchers to transition swiftly from initial alert to calibrated data. This workflow was exercised in a live end-to-end demonstration driven by real Rubin alerts, with ToOs submitted to Gemini North and South, and other NOIRLab facilities.
This presentation will cover the primary components, architecture, and practical challenges of engineering this multi-service workflow. I will discuss key elements, which include a browser extension designed to convert alerts into targets, the adaptation of a CLI/Python data reduction pipeline into an interactive web UI, the infrastructure for streaming progress from long-running tasks, and programmatic integration with the GPP. I will also outline ongoing efforts to bring interactive, in-browser data visualization and analysis into the same unified workflow. Ultimately, GOATS simplifies a complex landscape into a dependable platform, lowering the barrier to rapid follow-up so scientists can focus on research rather than tool integration.
Miguel Gómez is the GOATS Lead Engineer at Gemini Observatory (NSF NOIRLab) in La Serena, Chile, where he leads development of an end-to-end platform for time-domain and multi-messenger follow-up. His work spans the full stack, from web interfaces to the integration of data reduction pipelines and observatory services into a single unified workflow.