Report on the Astronomical Data Service in China

Baltic Astronomy, vol. 6, 211-215, 1997.

REPORT ON THE ASTRONOMICAL DATA SERVICE IN CHINA

Guo Hongfeng and Ke Darong Beijing Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, P. R. China Received July 15, 1996.

Abstract. We describe the history and status of the Beijing Astro- nomical Data Center and the World Data Center D for Astronomy. We also outline the general data service of the Beijing center and collaboration with other data centers, as well as our plans for setting up an astronomical resource-sharing system based on a workstation and several microcomputers. Key words: data services - databases

1. BEIJING ASTRONOMICAL DATA CENTER

The Beijing Astronomical Data Center (BADC), located in the Beijing Astronomical Observatory (BAO), Chinese Academy of Sci- ences (CAS), was founded in 1987. At that time Prof. Li Qibin was appointed as the director of the Center. The main tasks of the Center are collecting astronomical data and documentary information for the use of Chinese astronomers, adding Chinese astronomical data to the world astronomical data system, the exchange of data with other data centers and providing the necessary facilities and software for the retrieval of data. In 1987 we started publishing the Chinese Astronomy Abstracts (CAA) journal. The CAA compiles mainly astronomical articles published in various books and periodicals by Chinese astronomers with the aim of providing reference information for the researchers in our country. In 1992, we started setting up the CAA Database on a microcomputer. It is now available for Chinese astronomers. 212 Guo Hongfeng and Ke Darong

In 1985, we started to subscribe the Astronomy and Astrophysics Monthly Index (AAMI), which is published by the Olivetree Asso- ciates in the USA, and the Astronomy and Astrophysics Abstracts (AAA), which is published by the Fach-Informations-Zentrum (FIZ) in Germany. A documentary database system based on the AAMI and the AAA was established in 1991. Each year about 150 people use this database. In 1989, the BADC signed a contract with the Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) and became a branch of the CDS, like the astronomical data centers in India, Argentina, Russia, USA, Germany and Japan. The BADC collects data from CDS for Chinese astronomers and it offers data obtained by Chinese astronomers to CDS in exchange. Since 1989 more than 500 catalogs of astronomical data have been transferred from the CDS. Most of the data are stored on magnetic tapes and have been dis- tributed to observatories, universities and institutes throughout the country. We have also sent to CDS six catalogs of astronomical data, which have already been incorporated into the CDS catalog: the Chi- nese Geodetical Stars Catalogue (Working Group of GCPA, 1992a), the General Catalogue of Stars With the System of Photoelectric Astrolabes (Working Group of GCPA, 1992b), the Second General Catalogue of Stars Observed With the Photoelectric Astrolabes (Lu Lizhi 1992a), the Fourth Preliminary Catalogue of Stars Observed With the Photoelectric Astrolabe (Lu Lizhi 1992b), the Catalogue of Membership for 43 Open Clusters (Zhao & Tian 1995) and the Catalogue of Double Galaxies in the South Galactic Cap (Zou et al. 1989). Since 1990, our Center has received visiting researchers from the Netherlands, USA, France, Romania and Germany as well as dele- gations of WDC-B and WDC-A, thereby strengthening the friendly relationship between the BADC and the data centers all over the world.

2. WORLD DATA CENTER D FOR ASTRONOMY

World Data Center (WDC) D was established in September 1988, and it is run by the Chinese National Committee for WDC. WDC-D is a comprehensive center covering the following nine disci- plines: WDC-D for oceanography, WDC-D for meteorology, WDC-D for seismology, WDC-D for geology, WDC-D for renewable resources and environment, WDC-D for astronomy, WDC-D for glaciology and Report on the astronomical data service in China 213 geocryology, WDC-D for geophysics and WDC-D for space sciences. All data stored in WDC-D relates to Earth environmental sciences. The WDC-D for astronomy and the BADC are different names of the same organization supported both by the CAS and the BAO. We are responsible for collecting astronomical data for WDC-D. The astronomical data related to Earth environmental sciences stored in the WDC-D for astronomy include solar geophysics, astrometry and celestial mechanics. In 1995, in cooperation with the Shanghai Observatory and the Purple Mountain Observatory, we completed a microcomputer version of a database system including these three types of data. It is available for Chinese astronomers and will soon be connected to the Internet for on-line service.

3. THE NATIONAL COMPUTING AND NETWORKING FACILITY OF CHINA (NCFC)

The NCFC was founded in 1994 and is connected to the Internet via a 64 Kbps leased line. The NCFC consists mainly of three sub- networks - the network of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS- net, about 30 CAS institutes in Zhong Guancun district joined this network), Peking University network (PUnet) and Tsinghua Univer- sity network (TUnet). The BAO joined the NCFC network at the end of 1994. It has become extremely convenient for us. We have transferred much data from the CDS or other data resources on the Internet. We can also enter the SIMBAD database to retrieve data. In addition to answering queries with our own data service facility, we frequently retrieve data from the Internet and offer them to users by e-mail or on a tape, floppy disk or as hard copy. In 1994 CAS initiated a project with the aim of establishing a large scale sci- entific database consisting of many subdatabases on various subjects, including an astronomical subdatabase. Its Chinese version is now available for NCFC users at the address http : //orange. cnc .ac.cn (159.226.2.24).

4. FUTURE PLANNING AND SUGGESTIONS

A SPARC station 20 has been installed in BADC since June 1996. This workstation, together with several microcomputers, has been connected to the Internet. A simple WWW Homepage has been established at the address http : //bade. bao. ac. en (159.226.63.50). 214 Guo Hongfeng and Ke Darong

We plan to develop an anonymous FTP service and an astronomical data sharing system. This work will involve the following stages: 1) Establishment of a new data service system on the workstation which will incorporate all kinds of data available in Β ADC, 2) Compilation of the data obtained by Chinese astronomers and stored at several observatories to extend our country's data resources and make them accessible to the world, 3) Regular retrieval of the general astronomical data and documentary information issued by the main astronomical sources on the Internet and the establishment of an international achievement database as a common source for astronomers throughout the country, . 4) Tracking and inspecting the data resources on the Internet, setting up an astronomical resource distribution database which will store the necessary information about the data retrieved, such as the type, content, size, address, etc. This database can be used as a reference for users to browse data resources, 5) To open a window for introducing BADC, BAO and other observatories in our country to the outside world, to show their research work, plans and development goals, etc. so that the development of Chinese astronomy will be known all over the world, 6) Starting a free column for astronomers and researchers that would allow them to undertake academic discussion, publish their research results, issue news and make known their demands and suggestions, etc. The main goal of BADC is to assist astronomers in their research work and to provide them with an advanced, economical, practical and shared data service environment. We hope that it will encourage national and international communications and promote the development of astronomy in our country. Finally, we suggest the astronomical data centers to copy the stored astronomical data on CD-ROMs and to send them out to other data centers for subsequent storage and use. In some cases it is more economical and convenient for research work. Although the establishment of the information highway has accelerated communications and made research data readily available, the high network expenses due to a considerable amount of astronomical data have created financial difficulties for astronomers in developing countries. Report on the astronomical data service in China 215

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. We would like to express our grati- tude to Prof. C. Jaschek and Prof. M. Crézé, the former directors of the CDS, and the CDS staff for their kind help and collaboration.

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