WDC ACTIVITIES IN JAPAN
The original World Data Center (WDC) system was created in the International Geophysical Year (IGY) era (1957-1958) by the Special Committee for the IGY (CSAGI) to archive and distribute data collected through observational programs planned in the era. The first group of WDCs was established in the United States (WDC-A), Russia (WDC-B), Europe (WDC-C1), and the Asia-Oceanic region (WDC-C2). In the IGY era, the WDC for Airglow, the WDC for Cosmic Rays, the WDC for Geomagnetism, the WDC for Ionosphere, and the WDC for Nuclear Radiation were created in Japan as C2 centers. In the 1960s, the WDC for Solar Radio Emissions and the WDC for Solar-Terrestrial Activity (renamed the WDC for Space Science Satellites) were created. In the 1980s, the WDC for Aurora was founded as the 8th WDC in Japan. The WDC for Nuclear Radiation, which was operated by the Japanese Meteorological Agency, was closed in 2007. A list of current WDCs in Japan is given in the table shown below. The International Council for Science (ICSU) has decided to create the World Data System (WDS) in 2009 by combining the data and information structures of the WDC (World Data Center) and the FAGS (Federation of Astronomical and Geophysical Data-Analysis Services). Seven WDCs in Japan, mentioned above, are supposed to be incorporated within the WDS.
Reference
T. Watanabe, WDC Activity in Japan, 2008, Data Sci. J., Vol. 24, Sep., 2009.
