National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Green Bank, WV 24944, USA
The Green Bank Telescope Monitor and Control software group adopted object-oriented design techniques as implemented in C++. The OO approach has lead to a fairly coherent software system and a fair amount of module (class) reuse. Many devices (front-ends, spectrometers, LO's, etc.) share the same software structure, and implementing new devices in the latter part of the project has been relatively easy, as is to be hoped with an OO design. One disadvantage of a long design phase is that it is hard to evaluate progress and to have much sense for how the design satisfies the real user needs. The OO process is only as good at the requirement specifications, and the process has had to deal with continually emerging requirements all though the analysis, design, and implementation phases. Large and medium scale test of the system in the midst of the implementation phase has required quite a bit of time and coordination effort. This has tended to inhibit progress evaluations.
object-oriented design, GBT, monitor and control, radio telescope