AstroCat – A Web-based interactive astronomical catalog
Stefan DreizlerInstitute for Astrophysics
Georg-August-University, Göttingen&
Ralf StockmannGoettingen State and University LibraryGoettingen Digitization Centre (GDZ)
CNI Spring 2006 Task Force Meeting
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
Outline
• Introduction• Motivation• AstroCat• CVcat• Demo• Connecting scientists and libraries
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
Astronomical Catalogs - History
• First catalog by Hipparchos (180-125 b.Chr.) 1022 stars (position and brightness)
• Continued by Ptolomäus and numerous astronomers into modern times
• Argelander (1799-1875) all (northern) visible stars, a survey using a 10 cm telescope (22000 objects) variable stars
• Catalog by Messier (1730-1817) nebulous objects not to be confused with comets (107 objects)
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
Astronomical Catalogs - Present
• Today: 6453 catalogs listed e.g. @ Strasbourg Astronomical Data Center
• Bibliographic data base with 4.6 M entries @ Smithsonian/NASA Astronomical Data Center
• Preprint Server, e.g. astro-ph @ arXiv
• Several Virtual Telescope Projects, e.g. MAST (Multi Mission Archive at Space Telescope)
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
Motivation for interactive catalogs
From data to paper
• Raw data Data Archive• Reduced data Data Archive ?• Derived quantities• Publication Bibliographic Archive
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
TRIPP
Current and Future Challenges
• Dedicated survey telescopes
• Larger CCD cameras
• E.g. Pan-STARRS with few Tbytes/night
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
Motivation for interactive catalogs
From paper to (meta-)data
• Statistical analysis of available data• Planning of observations
• Data base query of derived quantities
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
Requirements
• Complete• Error free
• Up to date• citable
• Catalog from the community for the community Web based Interactive
• AstroCat provides a platform for the implementation of such catalogs
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
Technical details
• Linux• PostgreSQL• PHP5• XML (AstroCatML)
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
The Team
• Original Idea: Boris Gänsicke, Jens Kube (Institute for Astrophysics, Göttingen)
• Movement towards a more general project in library context: Klaus Beuermann (IAG), Elmar Mittler (State and University Library Göttingen)
• Design and definition: Fabian Euchner, Alexander Pollmer
• Extended phase: Stefan Dreizler, Ralf Stockmann
• Implementation CVcat: Fabian Euchner, Alexander Pollmer, Boris Gänsicke (now: Univ. of Warwick)
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
CVcat – a catalog of cataclysmic variables
Pspin=833 sec
Input: What’s known
• Astronomical coordinates• Object name(s) general astronomical• Brightness• Classification
• Stellar parameters CV special• System parameters
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
Output: CVcat provides …
• Query by– Name– Coordinates– Classification– Object properties
• Returns – List of objects (in user definable formats)– Overview of properties for all objects
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
Community involvement in CVcat
• Unregistered user: everybody– Query the data base
• Registered user: about 200– Add properties and new objects– Add comments
• Editors: a few– Guarantee correctness– Massive data input
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
Addresses
• AstroCat.org • CVcat-demo• CVcat.net
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
Query by object name
Result
Result
Result
Query by classification
Result
Query by properties
Query by properties
Query by properties
Result
Query by properties
Result
Output list
Add Object
Result
Add property
Add property
Result
Result
Connecting scientists and libraries
• Interesting aspects for librarians:– Long-term citation of dynamic web-pages
change history / logfile
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
Connecting scientists and libraries
• Interesting aspects for librarians:– Collaborative work spaces– Supporting infrastructure for knowledge management
and sense-making
• Adopt tools for other astronomic objects– Provide a portal
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
EZOOLO – Early Zoological Literature Online
• Provide free access for all scientists to the old zoological literature
• Literature is digitized in image format by the SUB Göttingen (Göttinger Digitization Centre)
• Collaborators have the right to enter data directly into the database
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
RMC – Rise of Modern Constitutionalism
• Create a scholarly edition of all constitutions that were part of the rising tide of modern constitutionalism between 1776 and 1849
• Offering both digitized images and fulltext• Supported by more than 30 contributors
responsible for the constitutional documents within their regional and topical area of specialization
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
RMC – workflow
• Minimal standard in text editing: Microsoft Word• Fully automated workflow:
– M$ Word macro (incl. “submit button”)– Upload to RMC-Server and conversion into Open Office
XML– XSLT-script to transform the text into TEI (Text
Encoding Initiative), well defined, well structured, well tagged (indices)
– Upload to web server
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
RMC – workflow
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
RMC – workflow
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
RusDML - Collaborative metadata production
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
• Russian Digital Mathematical Library• Access to the most important Russian language
journals from 1866 to the present• Collaborative metadata production• Multilingual (Russian, English, German)
RusDML - Collaborative metadata production
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
• Russian Digital Mathematical Library• Access to the most important Russian language
journals from 1866 to the present• Collaborative metadata production• Multilingual (Russian, English, German)
RusDML - Collaborative metadata production
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
RusDML - Collaborative metadata production
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
RusDML - Collaborative metadata production
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
RusDML - Collaborative metadata production
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
RusDML - Collaborative metadata production
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
RusDML - Collaborative metadata production
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
RusDML - Collaborative metadata production
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
RusDML - Collaborative metadata production
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
• Web based• Open source (Java)• UTF-8 coding• Enabling mass production of “high-value”
metadata
Connecting scientists and libraries
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
Connecting scientists and libraries
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
Connecting scientists and libraries
Interactive Catalog
Introduction
Motivation
AstroCat
CVcat
Demo
Libraries
Thank you
Addresses
• http://www.animalbase.de/• http://134.76.160.151/rmc• http://tool.rusdml.de• http://dms.rusdml.de/• http://gdz.sub.uni-goettingen.de/en/index.html
