  The INTEGRAL satellite is an observatory-class gamma-ray telescope due for
launch in early 2002. It comprises two main instruments, one optimised for
imaging (IBIS) and the other for spectroscopy (SPI). The PICsIT telescope is
the high energy (150 keV - 10 MeV) plane of the IBIS imager and consists of 8
individual modules of 512 detection elements. The modules are arranged in a 4 x
2 pattern, while the pixels are in a 16 x 32 array. This layout, which includes
a dead area equivalent to one pixel width between each module, together with
the event selection procedure, which (in standard mode) does not allow the
identification of coincidences between separate modules, leads to a
non-uniformity of the background which is significantly different for
single-site events and for multiple energy deposits. Other sources of
background variations range from the separate low energy detector, situated
immediately above the PICsIT plane, to the large mass of the SPI telescope at a
short distance to one side. The algorithms for performing all the imaging and
spectral deconvolution for PICsIT are currently being produced for delivery to
the INTEGRAL Science Data Centre. In order to maximise the information which
may be extracted from the PICsIT data, we have designed a prototyping
environment which consists of a GUI to a highly structured and modular set of
procedures which allows the easy simulation of observations from the data
collection phase through to the final image production and analysis.
