SAMP, the Simple Application Messaging Protocol: Letting applications talk to each other
It addresses interoperability issues for astronomers using diverse tools, but is incremental as it builds on existing communication standards within the Virtual Observatory context.
The paper tackles the problem of enabling communication between specialized data analysis tools in astronomy by introducing SAMP, a hub-based protocol, which is now widely used in desktop and web-based applications for astronomical data exchange.
SAMP, the Simple Application Messaging Protocol, is a hub-based communication standard for the exchange of data and control between participating client applications. It has been developed within the context of the Virtual Observatory with the aim of enabling specialised data analysis tools to cooperate as a loosely integrated suite, and is now in use by many and varied desktop and web-based applications dealing with astronomical data. This paper reviews the requirements and design principles that led to SAMP's specification, provides a high-level description of the protocol, and discusses some of its common and possible future usage patterns, with particular attention to those factors that have aided its success in practice.