INTEGRAL AO-20 Proposal Generation Tool (PGT)

 

System requirements
Installing PGT
PGT documentation
Installation FAQ

The current version of PGT is 20.0 (2 March 2022).

Proposals (XML format) that were generated with a previous version of PGT (from AO11), can be opened with this new version of PGT. Please contact the ISOC helpdesk at inthelp@sciops.esa.int if you want to open one of your old proposals, generated during AO1, AO2, ..., AO10.

System requirements

PGT has been installed and tested on the following operating systems:

  • Linux
  • Mac OS X
  • Solaris
  • Windows

You must have at least JRE (Java™ Runtime Environment) version 1.8 to install and run the PGT software. You can download the latest version of the JRE here:

Windows, Linux or Solaris: http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp

Apple Mac OS: Mac OS X comes with java preinstalled.

Other OS: Try visiting the Web Site of the producers of your operating system and searching for "java" - this usually does the trick.

Installing PGT

There are two ways to install PGT:

 

MANUAL INSTALLATION
(recommended)		 AUTOMATIC INSTALLATION
(only if you have Java™ Web Start installed)

Step 1: Download (Save as...) PGT-install.jar

Step 2: Start the installer.
If you are using Windows:
Open the PGT-install.jar file by double-clicking on it.

For other operating systems:
Start the installer from the command line:
   java -jar PGT-install.jar
(you must be in the same directory as the PGT-install.jar file).

See the FAQ if you experience problems.

Launch the PGT installer with Java™ Web Start using the following link:

Install PGT using Java™ Web Start

More information about Java™ Web Start can be found here.

 

PGT documentation

Documentation on the PGT can be found in the AO20 Observation Tools Software User Manual, which can be downloaded here. You should also consult the Help function in the PGT application.

Note especially that there is a new Data Rights panel to define for which sources in the field the proposer wants to claim data rights already.

Installation FAQ

More FAQ about using PGT can be found here.

Q: The installer tells me that the installation directory could not be created. How can I solve this?
A: You must have the correct access rights in order to create the installation directory. Example: if you want to install PGT in /home/johndoe/ISOC-PGT you must have write-access for /home/johndoe
Q: I have installed the PGT software. Now how do I run it?
A: If you're using Windows, the PGT installation software will by default create a shortcut on your Windows desktop and in the Start menu, that you can use to start PGT. For other operating systems (but for Windows as well), you can run the PGT by using the PGT start-up script which can be found in your PGT installation directory. You have selected the PGT installation directory during the installation process.

Windows: The PGT start-up script is called: pgt.bat (double-click or start from the command line)
Other operating systems: The PGT start-up script is called: pgt. It can be run by changing to the installation directory and typing ./pgt
Q: I get error messages while importing a proposal from a previous AO.
A: Proposals that were generated with a version of PGT up to AO-6 were stored in a binary format and cannot be opened with this version of PGT. Since PGT version AO7 and thus, in the current AO (AO-20), proposals are saved as a XML file, which you will be able to use in future AOs. If you want to edit a proposal prior to AO-7, please contact the ISOC helpdesk inthelp@sciops.esa.int to provide you with the proposal in XML format.
Q: How do I find out if (and which version of) Java is installed on my system?
A: To find out the version of Java that is installed on your system, type the following at the command line:

java -version

If Java is not installed, it will give you an error that the command could not be found. If Java is installed, the output would be something like:

java version "1.8.0_20"

Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_20-b26)

Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.20-b23, mixed mode)
Q: How do I get to the command line in Windows?
A:
  • On the taskbar at the bottom of your screen, click Start, and then click Run.
  • Type cmd
Q: Windows won't open the PGT-install.jar file. What should I do?
A: Make sure that you installed Java correctly. (see also next question)
Q: Windows opens the PGT-install.jar file but nothing happens. What is wrong?
A: When you install Java, it will register itself to open JAR files when you double click on them. However, there are some other programs (most of them are compression utilities like e.g. PowerArchiver) which will do the same. So, your system could open the PGT-install.jar file with a program other than Java.
There are three ways to solve this:
  1. Don't open the PGT-install.jar file directly. Instead: go to the command line and type:
    java -jar PGT-install.jar (you must be in the same directory as the PGT-install.jar file)
  2. Re-install Java. In most cases this will restore the fact that JAR files should be opened with Java.
  3. Restore the file association manually. See here for more information.