Useful links for proposal planning and preparation for Cycle 1 (weblinks):

• ALMA Science Portal (Primary access point for science users to ALMA,
  and to register for proposal submission and submit tickets to the Helpdesk)

• Call for Proposals (Announcement of the ALMA Cycle 1 Call for Proposals)

• Capabilities (Information on antennas, receivers, array configurations, correlator capabilities,
  observational modes and calibration)

• Proposal Preperation (Brief step-by-step overview on how to propose for observing time with ALMA)

• Proposers Guide (Detailed description on how to propose for observing time with ALMA)

• Technical Handbook (Comprehensive description of the Cycle 1 setup of ALMA)

• Observing Tool (OT) (ALMA Observing Tool (OT) Java application used for the preparation and submission of
  ALMA Phase I (observing proposal) and Phase II (telescope runfiles for accepted proposals) materials.)

• Sensitivity Calculator (For the calculation of the necessary integration time for a given sensitivity)

• Proposal Template (LaTeX file that can be used to prepare the science and technical justification of an ALMA proposal)

• Helpdesk (Provides help for proposal preparation and a knowledgebase)

• Splatalogue (Database for astronomical spectroscopy)

• Science Verifiaction Data (Currently available science verification data)

• ALMA data archive (Information on the ALMA data archive)

• CASA (contains links to all relevant CASA documents, tips & tools, download and installation)

Documents useful for proposal planning and preparation for Cycle 1 (direct downloads):

1. ALMA Cycle 1 Proposers Guide (Contains all pertinent information regarding the ALMA Cycle 1 Call for Proposals)

2. Technical Guide (ALMA Technical Handbook providing a comprehensive description of the Cycle 1 setup)

3. Early Science Primer (Introduction to interferometry and how to use ALMA during Early Science)

4. OT Quickstart (A Quick Start Guide for using the Observing Tool)

5. OT User Manual (Describes how to use the Observing Tool for preparing ALMA proposals)

6. OT Reference Manual (An in-depth description of the Observing Tool)

7. Splatalogue QuickStart Guide

8. Cheat Sheet: ALMA Cycle 1 capabilities

9. Cheat Sheet: Lines observable simultaneously

10. Proposal writing tips (by English editor Lucy Brasser)

11. Proposal writing tips (Tips on how to write a good proposal by ASIAA Director, Prof. Chu.)

12. Writing a good ALMA proposal (Advice on writing a good ALMA proposal by ASIAA Director, Prof. Chu.)

13. More documents

OT video tutorials for Cycle 1 (direct downloads):

1. A brief overview of the OT (.mov, 68 MB)

   This video will give you a general overview of how the OT works, its layout and the various tools and features that it includes. It will also introduce you to Science Goals: these are used to capture the scientific content of your proposal and are ultimately used to run the observations at the telescope.

2. Creating a proposal in 10 easy steps (.mov, 78 MB)

   If you are just interested in being given the quickest possible introduction to the OT, with the basic steps required to submit a proposal described, then this is for you.

3. The spectral setup (.mov, 84 MB)

   To help you choose which spectral lines and continua to observe, the OT includes a number of specialised tools. These include a Spectral Visual Editor (which provides a graphical view of your spectral setup) and a spectral line picker that interfaces to the NRAO's Splatalogue (spectral line database). These, as well as various other aspects of the spectral setup interface, are explained in this video.

4. The spatial field setup (.mov, 56 MB)

   ALMA allows you to observe multiple individual pointings around a source position or to define a rectangular mapping region from which a mosaic can be formed. This process is facilitated using a Spatial Visual Editor which links to various image servers, as well as allowing you to upload your own FITS files. The capabilities of this tool are described in this video.

ALMA Cycle 1 Capabilities:

For a complete overview of the cycle 1 capabilities, please refer to this link.