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Session 91 - Working Group on Astronomical Software.
Oral session, Wednesday, January 17
Salon del Rey North, Hilton
The Strasbourg astronomical Data Center (CDS) has been created in 1972 with the following goals:
-- to collect useful data concerning astronomical objects, and available on electronic form, -- to improve them through comparisons, critical evaluations, and cross-identifications, -- to distribute the results to the astronomical community, -- to conduct scientific research using these data.
The concept of data center had to be extended in the context of the fastly growing number of on-line services of interest to astronomers: a key issue for the CDS is to help the users retrieving the data and information they need among the many possible sources.
We describe how the CDS works at providing a global perspective on astronomical data and information, with the help of recent technological developments.
The following items will be presented:
-- The astronomical catalogues -- The SIMBAD database of astronomical objects -- The ALADIN interactive sky atlas -- Bibliography and literature search (SIMBAD bibliography, abstracts of recent papers, Reference Dictionary of the Nomenclature of Celestial Objects) -- Yellow-Page Services (Star*s Family of Astronomy resources) -- The CDS WWW service.
