We facilitate open access to the alert data by making it available through multiple channels and in multiple formats. Our cloud-based broker is flexible and modularized, with access hooks at multiple stages of the pipeline so that users can access the data at any stage from raw to processed, value-added, and/or filtered. We provide the data in two formats: live alert streams (filtered and unfiltered) and long-term databases. Our filtering options include both predefined filters (based on our object classifications and basic properties of the raw data) and custom, user-defined filters to support analysis by advanced users.
Our Google cloud implementation also makes it easier for users to create, deploy, and manage their analysis pipelines in astronomy's big-data era. Users have access to Google's scalable, high-performance compute resources at the location of the data eliminating the need for individual users to manage the bandwidth and storage resources and complicated server environments required for sophisticated analysis of large datasets.