The new computer system of National Institute of Polar Research

Abstract

A new computer system was installed at the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) in December 1976. The fundamental criterion to construct the machine system is that useful application programs for scientific researches are available. The following criteria are also important because NIPR is the only one institute of cooperation for researching the polar sciences in Japan: 1) The possibility to establish a data bank system as a data center of polar researches in Japan. 2) The possibility to install an image processor system for using many purposes. 3) The possibility to install a document retrieval system. The computer system of HITAC M-160 II is chosen as the new system. The image processor unit was also installed. The data bank has the information of gravity, meteorology, geology, meteorites, biology and so on. The digital data of maps are also installed, and those are the maps of world, Japanese Islands, Antarctica, Ongul Islands, etc. The document tapes of Antarctic Bibliography are supplied by the Library of Congress, U.S.A.