Understanding and using the Fermitools

The Fermi Science Support Center (FSSC) provides information, documentation, and tools for the analysis of Fermi science data, including both the Large-Area Telescope (LAT) and the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM). The data analysis tools (named Fermitools) can be installed via the conda package manager on both Linux and MacOS systems. An overview document, the Cicerone, provides details of the Fermi mission, the science instruments and their response functions, the science data preparation and analysis process, and interpretation of the results. Analysis Threads provide the user with step-by-step instructions for many different types of data analysis: point source analysis - generating maps, spectra, and light curves, pulsar timing analysis, source identification, and the use of python for scripting customized analysis chains. The reference manual gives details of the options available for each tool. We present an overview of the structure of the Fermitools and documentation, and how to acquire them. We also provide information on the software and distribution system changes that are included in the most recent Fall 2018 release of the Fermitools