CARTA—Cube Analysis and Rendering Tool for Astronomy: A Tool for Big Imaging Data

Abstract Data generated by modern telescopes continues to grow rapidly as a result of these instruments’ advanced capabilities, including wide-field imaging with high angular and spectral resolution. The resulting image cubes are often too large for end users to download and analyze on local desktop computers efficiently. Consequently, it is essential to provide visual analytics tools that can access these large data cubes remotely while enabling efficient and responsive local visualization. The Cube Analysis and Rendering Tool for Astronomy (CARTA; https://cartavis.org ), presented in this paper, addresses this challenge. CARTA employs a client–server architecture: data processing is handled on the server side, while the client runs in the user’s local web browser to render images and analysis results. This design minimizes data transfer, reduces latency, and enables seamless interaction with massive image cubes without the need for remote rendering. The paper outlines CARTA’s implementation, including its architecture, deployment modes, interfaces, and codebase. It also provides an overview of its core features and analytics tools for different types of astronomical data. A long-term development plan for advanced features is also discussed.