ASDI PROTOTYPE DEMO

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MAST developed the Archived Synthetic Data Initiative (ASDI) prototype service to demonstrate how a broader synthetic data service might operate. The ASDI concept is based on different "Project Types" each focused on a particular astrophysical topic. Within each Project Type, there might be multiple datasets provided by one or more contributors, where each dataset begins as a contribution to MAST as a High Level Science Product (HLSP). The ASDI prototype dataset used was generated by the FOGGIE Collaboration, which included synthetic absorption spectra derived by ray-tracing through the gaseous halos of galaxy formation simulations. The synthetic absorption spectra were saved in FITS files containing a slew of other metadata that a user of these data may want to use as the basis to search for and refine as a list of useful products. The ASDI prototype used a VO Table Access Protocol (TAP) service to expose the metadata database ingested from these data products and to provide links to the pristine synthetic spectra. In addition, the ASDI prototype included a new MAST web service that enabled the user to create custom data simulations by applying the effects of resolution and noise.  Both the TAP and web prototype services have been decommissioned, but MAST learned a lot about how to support synthetic datasets during the project.