//# mainpage.dox: doxygen description of casa package
//# Copyright (C) 2005
//# Associated Universities, Inc. Washington DC, USA.
//#
//# This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
//# under the terms of the GNU Library General Public License as published by
//# the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your
//# option) any later version.
//#
//# This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
//# ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
//# FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU Library General Public
//# License for more details.
//#
//# You should have received a copy of the GNU Library General Public License
//# along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation,
//# Inc., 675 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
//#
//# Correspondence concerning AIPS++ should be addressed as follows:
//#        Internet email: aips2-request@nrao.edu.
//#        Postal address: AIPS++ Project Office
//#                        National Radio Astronomy Observatory
//#                        520 Edgemont Road
//#                        Charlottesville, VA 22903-2475 USA
//#
//# $Id: mainpage.dox 19988 2007-02-28 10:34:10Z Malte.Marquarding $

namespace casa {

///
///   \mainpage casacore
///   
///   The <a href="http://casacore.googlecode.com">casacore</a> package
///   contains the core libraries of the old
///   <a href="http://aips2.nrao.edu">AIPS++/CASA</a> package. This split
///   was made to get
///   a better separation of core libraries and applications.
///   <a href="http://casa.nrao.edu">CASA</a> is now built on top of casacore.
///   
///   The system consists of a set of layered libraries (packages) which can 
///   be seen best on the <a href="modules.html">Modules page</a>.
///   <br>
///   A <a href="http://www.python.org">Python</a> binding to the
///   libraries has been made which is called
///   <a href="http://pyrap.googlecode.com">pyrap</a>. The documentation
///   of the pyrap packages can be found
///   <a href="../../../pyrap/docs/index.html">here</a>.
///   
///   The main features of AIPS++/CASA are:
///   <ul>
///   <li>\ref scimath : N-dim functions with auto-differentiation and linear or non-linear
///   fitting.
///   <li>\ref tables : Table data system supporting N-dim arrays with advanced querying.
///   <li>\ref measures : Values in astronomical reference frames using
///    physical units (<a href="group__Quanta__module.html">Quanta</a>).
///   <li>\ref ms : MeasurementSets for storing data in the UV-domain.
///   <li>\ref images : N-dim images in world coordinates with various analysis operations.
///   </ul>
///   Casacore <a href="../notes/notes.html">notes</a> describe
///   some parts of the system in more detail.
///      
///   Casacore consists of the following subpackages:
///   <table border=0>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__casa.html">casa</a></td>
///   <td>
///   Core modules:
///   N-dim <a href="group__Arrays__module.html">arrays</a>,
///   <a href="group__Quanta__module.html">quanta</a>,
///   <a href="group__OS__module.html">OS</a>,
///   <a href="group__IO__module.html">IO</a>,
///   <a href="group__Logging__module.html">logging</a>,
///   and various other classes.
///   </td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__scimath.html">scimath</a></td>
///   <td>
///   Mathematical modules
///   N-dim <a href="group__Functionals__module.html">functionals</a>,
///   linear/non-linear
///   <a href="group__Fitting__module.html">fitting</a>,
///   and <a href="group__Mathematics__module.html">miscellaneous</a>.
///   </td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__tables.html">tables</a></td>
///   <td>
///   Database-like <a href="group__Tables__module.html">tables</a> with advanced
///   query language
///   (<a href="../notes/199.html">TaQL</a>).
///   </td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__measures.html">measures</a></td>
///   <td>
///   Quantities with <a href="group__Measures__module.html">references frames</a> 
///   and their <a href="group__TableMeasures__module.html">persistency</a>.
///   </td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__lattices.html">lattices</a></td>
///   <td>
///   Memory- or disk-based N-dim arrays
///   (<a href="group__Lattices__module.html">lattices</a>) with masking,
///   regions, expressions, and math.
///   </td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__fits.html">fits</a></td>
///   <td>
///   A C++ interface on top of
///   <a href="http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/software/fitsio/fitsio.html">cfitsio</a>.
///   </td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__ms.html">ms</a></td>
///   <td>
///   The data format for visibility data as described in
///   the <a href="../notes/229.html">
///   MeasurementSet definition</a>.
///   </td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__derivedmscal.html">derivedmscal</a></td>
///   <td>
///   Derived MeasurementSet quantities (like hourangle) that can be
///   used as virtual table columns or as TaQL user defined functions.
///   </td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__meas.html">meas</a></td>
///   <td>
///   TaQL user defined functions to handle measures. It supports all
///   conversions for epochs, positions, and directions.
///   </td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__msfits.html">msfits</a></td>
///   <td>
///   Mapping of MeasurementSets to/from FITS.
///   </td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__coordinates.html">coordinates</a></td>
///   <td>
///   Coordinates for astronomical images.
///   </td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__components.html">components</a></td>
///   <td>
///   Sky components (point sources, gaussians, etc.)
///   </td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__images.html">images</a></td>
///   <td>
///   N-dim <a href="group__Images__module.html">images</a> with masks,
///   coordinates, and history.
///   </td>
///   </tr>
///   </table>
///
///   Detailed build instructions are given on the 
///   <a href="http://code.google.com/p/casacore/wiki/BuildInstructions">
///   casacore</a> pages.
///   <br>When using a specific casacore package, it is useful to know
///   the package dependencies when linking a program. They are as follows:
///   <table border=1>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__casa.html">casa</a></td>
///   <td></td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__scimath.html">scimath</a></td>
///   <td>casa</td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__tables.html">tables</a></td>
///   <td>casa</td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__measures.html">measures</a></td>
///   <td>tables scimath casa</td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__lattices.html">lattices</a></td>
///   <td>tables scimath casa</td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group_fits.html">fits</a></td>
///   <td>measures tables scimath casa cfitsio</td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__ms.html">ms</a></td>
///   <td>measures tables scimath casa</td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__derivedmscal.html">derivedmscal</a></td>
///   <td>measures tables scimath casa</td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__meas.html">meas</a></td>
///   <td>measures tables scimath casa</td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__msfits.html">msfits</a></td>
///   <td>ms fits measures tables scimath casa cfitsio</td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__coordinates.html">coordinates</a></td>
///   <td>fits measures tables scimath casa wcslib cfitsio</td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__components.html">components</a></td>
///   <td>coordinates fits measures tables scimath casa wcslib cfitsio</td>
///   </tr>
///   <tr>
///   <td><a href="group__images.html">images</a></td>
///   <td>components coordinates fits measures tables scimath casa
///      mirlib wcslib cfitsio</td>
///   </tr>
///   </table>
///   <a href="http://www.atnf.csiro.au/computing/software/miriad">mirlib</a>
///   is distributed and built as part of casacore.
///   <a href="http://www.atnf.csiro.au/~mcalabre/WCS">wcslib</a> and
///   <a href="http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/software/fitsio/fitsio.html">cfitsio</a>
///   are external packages that have to be installed before building casacore.

}
