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Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > Annual Report on the Promotion of Science and Technology 2001 > Part1 Chapter2 Section3 4 | ![]() |
(Database) |
For dealing with new R&D, database plays an important
role enabling us to obtain research information promptly and easily.
In our country at present, relevant institutes are providing
database on diverse information of science and technology. Such database include
the JOIS which collects, processes and provides promptly and comprehensively
the information of science and technology, at home and abroad, The STN International
(The Scientific and Technical information network), organized by three information
institutes of the U.S., Germany and Japan.
(Network) |
Regarding the network for the communication of research information,
Japan has an Inter-Ministry Research Information Network (IMnet) for researches
and research support for national and public testing and research institutes,
Special Public Corporations, etc., as well as a Science Information Network (SINET),
which connects national, public and private universities across the country.
Structuring the infrastructure for the speedy use of massive information is under
way in collaboration with these networks.
Furthermore, together with the promotion of a plan, Super
SINET, to structure a research network of the world's highest speed (10 Gbps),
coupled with sharing, on high-speed network, of high-efficient computer database
that are dispersed in the country, we are challenging the issue of structuring
the ITBL, virtual research environment, in a bid to realize the research environment
of high-efficiency.
(Computers) |
Along with the progress of sophistication and complexity in
many fields of the most advance science and technology, such as life function
analysis, aircraft design, material design, air quality forecast, disaster prevention
science and technology, the supercomputers of sophisticated computing power are
becoming increasingly indispensable for R&D.
In Japan, we have the computer for Molecular Dynamics Machine
(MDM) developed by the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, and the gravitational
computer (GRAPE-6) developed by University of Tokyo. For the world's highest
effective speed of these computers, the Gordon Bell Award was given in November
2000 which is given to the computers of the world' highest speed. That demonstrated
Japan's technical potential in the purpose-specific computers.
Also as for the general-purpose computers, Japan has developed
the "Earth Simulator" which makes it possible to reproduce complex
phenomena of the global scale truly on the computer. This is expected to improve
simulation performance as much as about 1,000 times the conventional one.
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