the "10 analysis questions"

[dnelson86]

If we asked users "what are the ten most important tasks you want to achieve with the data", we should aim to support the most commonly requested ones.

• "Quick inspection":
  • Show some of the meta data, the data dictionary structure, etc
• Plot a histogram of a field / calculate a reduction statistic.

Then there is a set which are specific for cosmological/galaxy simulations:

• Calculate a radial profile of some quantity centered on an object of interest.
• Calculate per halo reductions (i.e. summary statistics) from particle-level information.
• Make an image: projections and slices.
• Make a phase space diagram, e.g. 2D histogram (weighted by mass, or otherwise) of two particle-level quantities.
• For N simulations, compare them all easily. For instance, overplot them all on the same stellar mass function.

[dnelson86]

Moving the more difficult tasks to future issues.

This issue can be closed as soon as the last items can be easily computed with scida, with an example in a cookbook.