Polar Data Center
With recent rapid improvement and development of technology of earth observation by satellites and ground observation networks both in the Arctic and the Antarctic, a large quantity of observation data are brought about every day in the field of polar science. The processing and utilization of these data is an important issue to promote polar science. Our mission is twofold: scientific data management and management of information infrastructure.
All scientific data provided by the Antarctic programs should be available freely on the basis of the Antarctic Treaty Article 3 Clause 1s(c). Based on the spirit of the Treaty, member countries were requested to establish the National Antarctic Data Centre (NADC) in the 22nd Antarctic Treaty Meeting of 1998, and the Polar Data Center is NADC in Japan.
About the aurora data, in particular, we administer the World Aurora Data Center. In addition, we are in charge of archive and analysis of earth observing satellite data, seismological and crustal movement data around Syowa Station. Secondary, we are managing various information infrastructures such as: (1) a mainframe and a work station system, (2) network systems of domestic and related facilities such as Syowa Station and (3) earth observing satellite data reception facilities
Science Data Base
Polar Data Center has significant task responsible to archive and deliver the digital data obtained at bipolar region. The summarized information of all archived data (metadata) is offered via Internet from the ‘polar science data library system (POLARIS)’ not only to collaborative researchers but also to general interests (URL; http://polaris.nipr.ac.jp/~dbase/). The compiled metadata include several kinds of observed data, such as long-term monitoring, short-term project, corrected by both Arctic and Antarctic regions particularly by JARE. More than 100 metadata were accumulated at moment on May 2007.
The Science Data Base provided by Polar Data Center has tight collaboration with the Arctic / Antarctic Master Directories in the Global Change Master Directory (AMD/GCMD) of NASA, as one of the chief contribution to National Antarctic Data Center (NADC) requested by Joint Committee of Antarctic Data Management (JCADM) of SCAR. The guideline of data policy from Polar Data Center was documented in February 2007, on the basis of requirements for setting up NADC as recommended by JCADM.
Science Data Flow Diagram
The World Data Center (WDC) for Aurora
The World Data Center (WDC) for Aurora was established in 1981 in the National Institute of Polar Research, following a recommendation from the WDC panel of ICSU (International Council of Scientific Unions). The Center collects basic data, primarily optical observation data, regarding the auroral phenomena in the Antarctic, as well as collects materials relating to current trends in auroral research. The WDC organizes these materials and data for publication. The principal data are films from all-sky camera photography taken since IGY, as well as geomagnetic data, aurora imagery, and auroral particle data from the DMSP, NOAA, Akebono, and other satellites. The Center has an air-conditioned data archive (floor area: 84 m2) for long-term data storage. The Center is also open to the public. In addition to looking at the data, visitors can copy, arrange, edit, and analyze the data using reader printers, all-sky camera film data processors, optical video disks, general purpose workstations, etc. The data can also be accessed via the internet. The Center publishes a data catalog explaining the materials and facilities. This catalog is available in Japan and overseas. The Center’s public website can be found at http://polaris.nipr.ac.jp/~aurora/.
Example of the data accessible from Home Page of WDC for Aurora.
Left : Summary plot of the all-sky TV data.
Right : Temporal evolution of the aurora, magnetic variation, and CNA.
Computer System and Network
Our center system includes the polar science supercomputer system and the polar science integrated data library system. The polar science supercomputer system supports large scale data analysis, visualization and simulation on polar science and the polar science data library system is dedicated for gathering, accumulation and distribution of the observation data in polar region.
Gigabit network with 1000BASE-SX network is built in the institute and each laboratory is connected with the high speed local area network. Cooperating researchers in universities and research institutes can access our center system via the Science Information Network (SINET).
In Syowa Station, high speed network infrastructure is also deployed since 1997. This network supports wide variety of activities in Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition in the Syowa Station. In 2005, dedicated satellite communication system is installed in Syowa Station and is utilized for wide variety of research activities and public relations.
Intelsat Satellite Link Between Syowa Station and Japan
NIPR and the Antarctic Syowa Station are networked via a 1 Mbps Intelsat satellite link. The buildings within Syowa Station are connected by an ATM-LAN (155 Mbps) network. Web access is possible from anywhere in the Station. Researchers in Japan can remotely control observational equipment at Syowa Station via the satellite link. This function is important for conducting local observations from overseas stations.
NIPR network
Radome and shelter for the Intelsat antenna
Multipurpose Satellite Data Receiving System
Since the S/X band satellite data receiving station opened in 1989 as the first such station in the Antarctic, it has continuously received data from many earth observation satellites including the EXOS-D Aurora Observation Satellite, the MOS-1/lb (Marine Observation Satellite-1), the ERS-1/2 (European Remote Sensing Satellite), the JERS-1 (Japanese Earth Resources Satellite), and the ADEOS-2 (Advanced Earth Observing Satellite). The high reception capabilities of the station have also been used for VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry) tests and for tracking NASA and JAXA rockets. In addition, in 1997, an L/S band satellite data receiving system was added to receive data on a regular basis from NOAA and DMSP satellites.
