With over 300 specialized databases and a data volume of 82 billion bytes, the largest sci-tech databank in China after nearly 20 years' construction, was completed the other day in the Chinese Academy of Sciences. This is learned from the Computer Network Information Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CNIC, CAS) on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the online operation of China Science and Technology Network.

Since the China Science and Technology Network came into being as China's first Internet in 1994, the scientific database has provided people with data inquiry and data retrieval service via China Science and Technology Network. It has built over 40 websites successively, and there are more than 200 specialized databases that offer online services in China Science and Technology Network.

In 1982, Chinese Academy of Sciences officially put forward the construction project of the Sci-tech Database & Information System. Its purpose was to, by way of constantly developing techniques of computer, database and network, bring together the scattering specialized databases that accumulated from scientific researches for information sharing.

This project was started from 1986, and so far there are 45 research institutions taking part in the construction and service of the scientific database. By the end of last October, its total data volume reached 82 billion bytes, and among them the online data volume was up to 43 billion bytes.

(People's Daily May 9, 2004)