iSEDfit uses Bayesian inference to extract the physical properties of galaxies from their observed broadband photometric spectral energy distribution (SED). In its default mode, the inputs to iSEDfit are the measured photometry (fluxes and corresponding inverse variances) and a measurement of the galaxy redshift. Alternatively, iSEDfit can be used to estimate photometric redshifts from the input photometry alone.

After the priors have been specified, iSEDfit calculates the marginalized posterior probability distributions for the physical parameters of interest, including the stellar mass, star-formation rate, dust content, star formation history, and stellar metallicity. iSEDfit also optionally computes K-corrections and produces multiple "quality assurance" (QA) plots at each stage of the modeling procedure to aid in the interpretation of the prior parameter choices and subsequent fitting results. The software is distributed as part of the impro IDL suite.

simqso generates mock quasar spectra and photometry. Simulated quasar spectra are built from a series of components. Common quasar models are built-in, such as a broken power-law continuum model and Gaussian emission line templates; however, the code allows user-defined features to be included. Mock spectra are generated at arbitrary resolution and can be used to produce broadband photometry representative of a number of surveys.

FastSpecFit models the observed-frame optical spectroscopy and broadband photometry of extragalactic targets using physically grounded stellar continuum and emission-line templates. The code handles data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Survey, which is amassing spectrophotometry for an unprecedented 40 million extragalactic targets, although the algorithms are general enough to accommodate other upcoming, massively multiplexed spectroscopic surveys. FastSpecFit extracts nearly 800 observed- and rest-frame quantities from each target, including light-weighted ages and stellar velocity dispersions based on the underlying stellar continuum; line-widths, velocity shifts, integrated fluxes, and equivalent widths for nearly 40 rest-frame ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared emission lines arising from both star formation and active galactic nuclear activity; and K-corrections and rest-frame absolute magnitudes and colors. Moreover, FastSpecFit is designed with speed and parallelism in mind, enabling it to deliver robust model fits to tens of millions of targets.

desitarget selects targets for spectroscopic follow-up by Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). The pipeline uses bitmasks to record that a specific source has been selected by a particular targeting algorithm, setting bit-values in output data files in a number of different columns that indicate whether a particular target meets specific selection criteria. desitarget also outputs a unique TARGETID that allows each target to be tracked throughout the DESI survey. This TARGETID encodes information about each DESI target, such as the catalog the target was selected from, whether a target is a sky location or part of a random catalog, and whether a target is part of a secondary program.