NOMAD - more than a simple sequencer

NOMAD is the new instrument control software of the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL). A highly shareable code among all the instruments' suite, a user oriented design for tailored functionality and the improvement of the instrument team's autonomy thanks to a uniform and ergonomic user interface are the essential elements guiding the software development. NOMAD implements a client/server approach. The server is the core business containing all the instrument methods and the hardware drivers, while the GUI (Graphical User Interface) provides all the necessary functionalities for the interaction between user and hardware. All instruments share the same executable while a set of XML configuration files adapts hardware needs and instrument methods to the specific experimental setup. Thanks to a complete graphical representation of experimental sequences, NOMAD provides an overview of past, present and future operations. Users have the freedom to build their own specific work-flows using intuitive drag-and-drop technique. A complete drivers' database to connect and control all possible instrument components has been created, simplifying the inclusion of a new piece of equipment for an experiment. A web application makes available outside the ILL all the relevant information on the status of the experiment. A set of scientific methods facilitates the interaction between users and hardware giving access to instrument control and to complex operations within just one click on the interface. (authors)