GumTree Project FAQ
From GumTree
What is GumTree?
GumTree is an open source multi-platform scientific workbench for performing scientific experiments under a distributed network environment. It provides an easy-to-use graphical user interface for instrument data acquisition, online or offline data visualisation and analysis. The aim of GumTree is to provide an highly Integrated Scientific Experiment Environment (ISEE), allowing interaction between different components within the workbench. GumTree is being adapted to several instrument control server systems including TANGO, EPICS and SICS, with a simple-to-extend model for software developers. Current developments include acquisition, control and analysis on neutron and synchrotron beamlines. In the future it will be extended telescope control and other scientific instruments with distributed hardware.
Adapting GumTree on a particular instrument requires special customisation to fit the scientific workbench to its instrument ecosystem. Customisation of GumTree can be achieved by adding new plug-ins to the existing GumTree application. In a broader sense, the common base of GumTree is a generic platform which provides all the necessary infrastructure to realise the ISEE concept for the scientific instrument. This platform, known as the GumTree Platform, is built and modelled upon an award-winning Java based universal platform called Eclipse. The GumTree Platform consists of an Eclipse Rich Client Platform (RCP) application, and an application framework for handling data exchange, experiment life cycle, device control (via distributed control system e.g. TANGO), application accessibility, data visualisation, and data analysis. All services from the platform can be extended and modified to suit any particular scientific instrument. A developer adds a GumTree workbench (or RCP based GumTree application) which integrates all services provided by the GumTree Platform. The GumTree Platform encourages developers to encapsulate the knowledge of an experiment method or procedure in the workbench.
