Abstract
The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) science specifications require operating the telescope for a 10-year survey of the visible sky with frequent revisits in multiple filters. During regular night operation, an o bservatory scheduler will be used to select fields to be observed on a cadence of one every 30 seconds. To maximize the survey efficiency, real time adjustments to the observation schedule will be assessed using input parameters like cloud cover. LSST is evaluating the use of infrared and optical all-sky cameras and satellite images to inform the scheduling process. Visible all-sky cameras are in operation at several observatory sites and routines have been developed to automatically quantify photometry in the images. A preliminary comparison between these all-sky images and contemporaneous satellite data has been made. The evaluation of techniques for cloud detection also includes an infrared all-sky camera that is expected to be deployed in mid 2007.
