###What is Spectral Workbench?

[SpectralWorkbench.org](https://spectralworkbench.org) is a web based application to collect, archive, share, and analyze spectral data, especially from Public Lab [DIY spectrometers](/wiki/spectrometer).                                                                                                                                                            

With it, you can:

* connect your USB [Desktop Spectrometry Kit](/wiki/desktop-spectrometry-kit-3-0)
* scan and save samples
* wavelength calibrate your spectrometer
* compare and analyze scans
* download CSV data for offline analysis
* view others' data and discuss
* find similar data in [a database of over 60k spectra](https://spectralworkbench.org/stats)

No download is required -- just a web connection. The Chrome browser works best, but most standard-compliant browsers are supported. It is possible to use from an Android smartphone, preferably with the Firefox browser.                                                                                                                                             


###Links

* [Learn to use the software](/wiki/spectral-workbench-usage)
  * Learn about the [available tools](/wiki/spectral-workbench-tools)
  * Learn about [Calibration](/wiki/spectral-workbench-calibration)
  * Learn about the [Snapshots system](/wiki/spectral-workbench-snapshots)
  * Learn about the [Operations system](/wiki/spectral-workbench-operations)
* [Spectrometry in general](/wiki/spectrometer)
* [Applications & uses](/wiki/spectral-analysis)
* [Construction](/wiki/spectrometer-construction)
  * [Desktop Spectrometry Kit](/wiki/desktop-spectrometry-kit-3-0)
  * [Foldable Mini-Spectrometer](/wiki/foldable-spec)
* [Troubleshooting](/wiki/spectral-workbench-help)
* [API Docs](/wiki/spectral-workbench-api)

****

##Development##

The codebase is available at https://github.com/jywarren/spectral-workbench. The server is written in Ruby on Rails, and the capture interface is mostly jQuery, jQuery Mobile, Canvas, and the HTML5 getUserMedia() API.

The software is in need of a great deal more work, so if you are interested, please get involved! A great place to start is the "plots-dev" mailing list for software developers: http://publiclab.org/wiki/developers

###Local development

Some folks have been setting up their own copy of Spectral Workbench. This can be a bit tricky for those new to Ruby on Rails, but is a really helpful first step if you're interested in contributing to the code. YvesAD went through the whole process, written up here: https://github.com/jywarren/spectral-workbench/issues/206 but he also posted a step-by-step install guide here: https://gist.github.com/YvesAD/5520784