The United States extremely large telescope program (US-ELTP) program platform: user services, data management, and science platform for ELT science

The United States Extremely Large Telescope Program (US-ELTP) is a joint effort of three organizations: the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) International Observatory (TIO), the Giant Magellan Telescope Corporation (GMTO), and the U.S. National Science Foundation National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NSF NOIRLab). The US-ELTP will provide US astronomers with access to observing and archival science with the GMT and TMT. A user services suite and integrated data management and science platform, the US-ELT NOIRLab Program Platform (NPP), is being developed by NOIRLab; its scope, conceptual architecture, and development progress are described here. The NPP leverages community best practices and lessons from existing and upcoming facilities such as the International Gemini Observatory, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, and the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) and is guided by inclusive and collaborative design principles to broaden access to GMT and TMT. The NPP will support the creation of proposal and observing programs, scheduling and execution of observations, data archival and automated data reduction, and exploratory data analysis. The system, its support, extensive documentation, and ample training will be guided by regular community surveys and interviews with a diverse range of community members, and, eventually, through usability testing based on prototypes and mockups.