Matrix: the Green Bank Observatory dataflow application framework

The software model of the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) is a collection of instruments that are frequently modified or updated. Subsets of these instruments are combined for monitor and control, realtime servo control, or data processing. To better manage the complexity of this dynamic system, Green Bank Observatory (GBO) software developers created a dataflow application framework, called Matrix, which allows them to use common code for disparate activities. This paper describes Matrix application components, provides several examples of how the framework is used at the GBT, and details how others can obtain the framework.