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Import/Export Information

Equipment lists (.equip) and Session lists (.obsses)

These sets of data can be exported to and imported from native Deep-Sky Planner files. This feature is useful for storing data outside the database and for exchanging data between installations.The format of these files is based on XML. Check the Schema folder beneath your product installation folder if you wish to understand the structure of these files.

Observing log data (*.obslog)

Observing log data can also be exported to and imported from Deep-Sky Planner native format files. Observing log data includes equipment, session and observation information. The native format is also XML based.

In addition to the native file format, Deep-Sky Planner can also import and export data in other formats. Deep-Sky Planner uses XSL transforms to convert data from one format to another. Deep-Sky Planner uses the transform processor AltovaXML 2009 which supports XSLT2.0. This means that you can compose transforms yourself that use XPath 2.0.

OpenAstronomyLog Support

oal

Deep-Sky Planner supports import and export of observation documents stored in the OpenAstronomyLog (OAL) v2.1 base schema. The imaging extension is also supported. Other extensions are not supported.

Deep-Sky Planner does not currently support import or export of target list documents stored in OAL v2.1 schema.

The OpenAstronomyLog project is located at http://groups.google.com/group/openastronomylog

Special Notes for OAL2.1 documents

Import into Deep-Sky Planner

▪Date and times are converted to universal time (UTC) and refer to the Greenwich Standard Time time zone.

▪Observations that fail to reference a site are omitted.

▪A session is generated for observations that fail to reference a session. The generated session refers to the site of the observation and the date of the observation (UT).

▪The language attributes are not retained.

▪Naked-eye observations may be imported with an instrument type of binoculars. Field of view and exit pupil calculations are accurate.

▪The only target information that is retained is name. Deep-Sky Planner does not support target lists specified in OAL.

▪Objects in observations may be matched with objects in the catalogs. Object designations consist of a catalog abbreviation (case insensitive) and an object number. Currently, Deep-Sky Planner does not match common names with objects in the catalogs because a common name can match multiple cataloged objects. You can learn more about matching object designations in Object Designation Lookup Engine.

Export from Deep-Sky Planner

▪Object designations include a space between the catalog abbreviation and the object number: i.e., NGC 7000 is exported, not NGC7000.

▪Object designations include mixed case abbreviations following the recommended catalog acronyms published at Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS.)

▪Location Method is not stored.

▪Rating is not stored. The rating element in OAL is defined only for deep-sky observations. This rating value assumes context defined by Deep-Sky Liste; the rating element in Deep-Sky Planner pertains to any type of observation target, and the value has no implied context.

▪No weather data is stored.

▪The only sky conditions data that are stored are Seeing - Antoniadi, Darkness - Limiting Mag (NELM) and Darkness - Mag/Square Arcsecond.

▪No attached images are stored.

▪No attached media files are stored

▪No project links are stored.

Import/Export Information

Import/Export Information

Equipment lists (*.equip) and Session lists (*.obsses)

Observing log data (*.obslog)

OpenAstronomyLog Support

Special Notes for OAL2.1 documents

Equipment lists (.equip) and Session lists (.obsses)