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We present a description of the design and usage of a new synoptic pipeline and data base model for time series photometry in the VISTA Data Flow System (VDFS). All UK Infra-Red Telescope Wide Field Camera (UKIRT) data and most of the VISTA main survey data will be processed and archived by the VDFS. Much of these data are multi-epoch, useful for finding moving and variable objects. Our new data base design allows the users to easily find rare objects of these types amongst the huge volume of data being produced by modern survey telescopes. Its effectiveness is demonstrated through examples using Data Release 5 of the UKIRT Deep Infrared Sky Survey (UKIDSS-Deep Extragalactic Survey (DXS) and the Wide Field Camera standard star data. The synoptic pipeline provides additional quality control and calibration to these data in the process of generating accurate light curves. We find that per cent of stars and per cent of galaxies in the UKIDSS-DXS with mag are variable with amplitudes mag. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UKIDSS Galactic Plane Survey (GPS) is one of the five near-infrared Public Legacy Surveys that are being undertaken by the UKIDSS consortium, using the Wide Field Camera on the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. It is surveying 1868 deg2 of the northern and equatorial Galactic plane at Galactic latitudes in the J, H and K filters and a ∼200-deg2 area of the Taurus–Auriga–Perseus molecular cloud complex in these three filters and the 2.12 μm (1–0) H2 filter. It will provide data on sources. Here we describe the properties of the data set and provide a user's guide for its exploitation. We also present brief Demonstration Science results from DR2 and from the Science Verification programme. These results illustrate how GPS data will frequently be combined with data taken in other wavebands to produce scientific results. The Demonstration Science comprises six studies. (1) A GPS- Spitzer-GLIMPSE cross-match for the star formation region G28.983−0.603 to identify YSOs. This increases the number of YSOs identified by a factor of 10 compared to GLIMPSE alone. (2) A wide-field study of the M17 nebula, in which an extinction map of the field is presented and the effect of source confusion on luminosity functions in different subregions is noted. (3) H2 emission in the ρ Ophiuchi dark cloud. All the molecular jets are traced back to a single active clump containing only a few protostars, which suggests that the duration of strong jet activity and associated rapid accretion in low-mass protostars is brief. (4) X-ray sources in the nuclear bulge. The GPS data distinguishes local main-sequence counterparts with soft X-ray spectra from nuclear bulge giant counterparts with hard X-ray spectra. (5) External galaxies in the zone of avoidance. The galaxies are clearly distinguished from stars in fields at longitudes . (6) IPHAS-GPS optical–infrared spectrophotometric typing. The versus diagram is used to distinguish A–F type dwarfs, G dwarfs, K dwarfs and red clump giants in a field with high reddening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The First Data Release (DR1) of the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) took place on 2006 July 21. The UKIDSS is a set of five large near-infrared surveys, covering a complementary range of areas, depths and Galactic latitudes. The DR1 is the first large release of survey-quality data from the UKIDSS and includes 320 deg2 of multicolour data to (Vega) , complete (depending on the survey) in three to five bands from the set ZYJHK, together with 4 deg2 of deep JK data to an average depth . In addition, the release includes a similar quantity of data with incomplete filter coverage. In JHK, in regions of low extinction, the photometric uniformity of the calibration is better than 0.02 mag in each band. The accuracy of the calibration in ZY remains to be quantified, and the same is true of JHK in regions of high extinction. The median image full width at half-maximum across the data set is 0.82 arcsec. We describe changes since the Early Data Release in the implementation, pipeline and calibration, quality control, and archive procedures. We provide maps of the areas surveyed, and summarize the contents of each of the five surveys in terms of filters, areas and depths. The DR1 marks completion of 7 per cent of the UKIDSS seven-year goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper defines the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) Early Data Release (EDR). UKIDSS is a set of five large near-infrared surveys being undertaken with the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope Wide Field Camera (WFCAM). The programme began in 2005 May and has an expected duration of 7 yr. Each survey uses some or all of the broad-band filter complement ZY JHK. The EDR is the first public release of data to the European Southern Observatory (ESO) community. All worldwide releases occur after a delay of 18 months from the ESO release. The EDR provides a small sample data set, ∼50 deg2 (about 1 per cent of the whole of UKIDSS), that is a lower limit to the expected quality of future survey data releases. In addition, an EDR+ data set contains all EDR data plus extra data of similar quality, but for areas not observed in all of the required filters (amounting to ∼220 deg2). The first large data release, DR1, will occur in mid-2006. We provide details of the observational implementation, the data reduction, the astrometric and photometric calibration and the quality control procedures. We summarize the data coverage and quality (seeing, ellipticity, photometricity, depth) for each survey and give a brief guide to accessing the images and catalogues from the WFCAM Science Archive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]