The ALADIN X-Window interface is the testbed for further developments. It is currently only distributed for the Unix Solaris operating system. Interested potential users should contact CDS for details.
ALADIN X includes a procedure for source extraction. The current mechanism will soon be replaced by SExtractor (Bertin & Arnouts [1996]).
While the first level astrometric calibrations are given by the digitizing machines, a second level is being developed that will allow the user to recalibrate the image with a new set of standards taken, for example, from the Tycho Reference Catalogue. The photometric calibrations (surface and stellar) will eventually also be performed within ALADIN, by using the Guide Star Photometric Catalogs (GSPC I and II; Ferrari et al. [1994]; Lasker et al. [1988]).
Users will thus be able to work on the details of local astrometric and photometric plate calibrations in order to extract the full information from the digitized plates.
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