European Space Information System
Encyclopedia
The European Space Information System (ESIS) project was initiated in 1988 as a service for homogeneous access to heterogeneous databases on the network. At the time, DECNET
, EARN and Bitnet were the main academic links. The project pre-dated the World Wide Web, which immensely pushed technology in 1993 to allow homogeneous access to data.
Initially, the ESIS project was to link databases of the European Space Agency
together with centres of excellence that included the Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg
and its SIMBAD
service, the European Southern Observatory
and the Canadian Astronomical Data Centre (CADC), as well as the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
for Space Physics data
The outcome of the project yielded a set of applications to browse catalogues, access images, spectra and lightcurves, as well as access to bibliographic information. The main astronomical missions that influenced ESIS at the time were the Hubble Space Telescope
, EXOSAT
and IUE, while Space Physics was mainly focused on the Cluster mission
.
Having been a pioneer project in its days, many of the original concepts used then (such as catalogue browsing, searching in an area of the sky) were later embedded in other astronomical data services worldwide. ESIS provided the building blocks and the prototypes to what is today being implemented in the Virtual Observatory projects, such as the Astrophysical Virtual Observatory
.
The greatest success of ESIS was the transfer of its Catalogue Browser to the CDS, which later became better known as the VizieR
Catalogue Service.
DECnet
DECnet is a suite of network protocols created by Digital Equipment Corporation, originally released in 1975 in order to connect two PDP-11 minicomputers. It evolved into one of the first peer-to-peer network architectures, thus transforming DEC into a networking powerhouse in the 1980s...
, EARN and Bitnet were the main academic links. The project pre-dated the World Wide Web, which immensely pushed technology in 1993 to allow homogeneous access to data.
Initially, the ESIS project was to link databases of the European Space Agency
European Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
together with centres of excellence that included the Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg
Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg
The Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg is a data hub which collects and distributes astronomical information. It was established in 1972 under the name Centre de Données Stellaires...
and its SIMBAD
SIMBAD
SIMBAD is an astronomical database of objects beyond the Solar System...
service, the European Southern Observatory
European Southern Observatory
The European Southern Observatory is an intergovernmental research organisation for astronomy, supported by fifteen countries...
and the Canadian Astronomical Data Centre (CADC), as well as the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory is one of the national scientific research laboratories in the UK operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council . It is located on the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus at Chilton near Didcot in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom...
for Space Physics data
The outcome of the project yielded a set of applications to browse catalogues, access images, spectra and lightcurves, as well as access to bibliographic information. The main astronomical missions that influenced ESIS at the time were the Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. A 2.4 meter aperture telescope in low Earth orbit, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared...
, EXOSAT
EXOSAT
The European X-ray Observatory Satellite , originally named HELOS, was operational from May 1983 until April 1986 and in that time made 1780 observations in the X-ray band of most classes of astronomical object including active galactic nuclei, stellar coronae, cataclysmic variables, white dwarfs,...
and IUE, while Space Physics was mainly focused on the Cluster mission
Cluster mission
Cluster II is a space mission of the European Space Agency, with NASA participation, to study the Earth's magnetosphere over the course of an entire solar cycle. The mission is composed of four identical spacecraft flying in a tetrahedral formation...
.
Having been a pioneer project in its days, many of the original concepts used then (such as catalogue browsing, searching in an area of the sky) were later embedded in other astronomical data services worldwide. ESIS provided the building blocks and the prototypes to what is today being implemented in the Virtual Observatory projects, such as the Astrophysical Virtual Observatory
Astrophysical Virtual Observatory
The Astrophysical Virtual Observatory Project conducted a research and demonstration programme on the scientific requirements and technologies necessary to build a VO for European astronomy...
.
The greatest success of ESIS was the transfer of its Catalogue Browser to the CDS, which later became better known as the VizieR
VizieR
The VizieR Catalogue Service is an astronomical catalog service provided by Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg.The origin of the ViZieR Catalogue Service dates back to 1993 as the ESA European Space Information System Catalogue Browser...
Catalogue Service.