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Unfortunately, the catalogue was down for a few days due to hardware and maintenance problems. Now it should be working again. It runs now on a different machine, so you probably will have to update your bookmarks: http://minerva.astro.physik.uni-goettingen.de/tpp/. If something does not work, please drop us a note. The demos are still off-line, they will be restored within the next days.
CVcat/TPP - the online catalogue on Cataclysmic variables
AstroCat blog: We have temporarily disabled the blog. Please look at the project home page for the latest news on AstroCat/CVcat.
The AstroCat/CVcat project
The aim of the AstroCat/CVcat project is to develop a general framework for the installation and maintenance of a new type of web-based interactive astronomical catalogues.
AstroCat-based catalogues are intended to hold information on the physical properties of astronomical objects of a specific class. Fine-grained sub-classifications can be applied in a convenient way. The key features are
- Interactivity: Registered users can contribute directly to the catalogue content by adding new objects, object properties, literature references, and annotations. The scientific quality control is carried out by a distributed editorial team. We achieve a high level of objectiveness by allowing for several catalogue entries per property.
- Up-to-dateness: Most classical astronomical catalogues are updated only in irregular and/or lengthy intervals. In AstroCat all changes will be made instantly visible to the users. To ensure the citability of the catalogue, we will provide a mechanism for restoring previous states of the catalogue content.
- Accessibility: AstroCat is designed to provide a powerful search functionality. Searches can be performed by object name, classification, certain properties or property ranges, and coordinates. Search results can be retrieved in several output formats, including XML, and be formatted in various user-definable styles.
Furthermore, AstroCat-based catalogues are designed to serve as a repository for reduced data from publications.
CVcat, the interactive catalogue on Cataclysmic Variables, will be the first application based on the AstroCat framework and is currently under development at the University Observatory Göttingen. We run a preliminary version of this catalogue, historically dubbed TPP, that is used by approx. 190 registered users. The contact person for scientific issues regarding CVcat and TPP is Boris Gänsicke.
For more information on the AstroCat/CVcat project, please consult our FAQ or contact the team.
top of pagePersons and partners
AstroCat is currently developed by members of the Stellar Astrophysics group, led by Prof. Stefan Dreizler, at the University Observatory Göttingen.
The project was initiated by Jens Kube (now Alfred-Wegener-Institut Potsdam), Boris Gänsicke (now University of Warwick), and Prof. Klaus Beuermann. The members of the core development team are Fabian Euchner and Alexander Pollmer.
The project is realized in collaboration with the Niedersächsische Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek. We receive funding by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft in the framework of Informations-Infrastrukturen für netzbasierte Forschungskooperation und digitale Publikation.
top of pageDocuments
For further information we provide you with some documents on our project:
- AstroCat/CVcat: A catalogue on Cataclysmic Variables based on a new framework for online interactive astronomical databases, proceedings of the ADASS XIII conference, astro-ph abstract [HTML]
- AstroCat/CVcat - a framework for web-based interactive astronomical catalogues, short contribution for the 2003 annual meeting of the German astronomical society [PDF], poster (DIN A4) [PDF]
- CVcat: An interactive database on cataclysmic variables, published in A&A, ADS abstract [HTML]
- an excerpt from our application for funding (in German language) [HTML]
- Description of the functionality to be provided in CVcat (slightly outdated) [HTML]
- Viewgraph of the data flow and encoding in AstroCat [GIF]
AstroCatML
AstroCatML is an XML dialect designed for the AstroCat/CVcat project. It is used to encode queries to the catalogue, the results to these queries, and the information on the catalogue structure required for the initial catalogue setup.
- the XML Schema for AstroCatML (in raw form)
- XML Schema Documentation for AstroCatML (created using the xs3p style sheet)
- some AstroCatML example documents: search_query.xml, result_list.xml, result_single_object.xml.
Demonstration
We provide a demonstration version of the upcoming CVcat which allows you to try some of the planned functionality prior to the official release of the new software. Please note that this version provides no interactivity yet, i.e., you cannot enter data. If you want to comment on the demo, please contact the CVcat team.
top of pageFAQ
Please consider to consult our collection of Frequently Asked Questions if you need more information on the project.
top of pageMiscellanea
- We sometimes ask for feedback from the community of TPP users via a poll tool. If you want to participate, please contact Fabian Euchner.