Characteristics of scientific databases. Revision

The purpose of this paper is to examine the kinds of data and usage of scientific databases and to identify common characteristics among the different disciplines. Most scientific databases do not use general purpose database management systems (DBMSs). The main reason is that they have data structures and usage patterns that cannot be easily accommodated by existing DBMSs. It is the purpose of this paper to identify the special database management needs of scientific databases, and to point out directions for further research specifically oriented to these needs. We discuss the different types of scientific databases, and list the properties identified for them. Example applications are then analyzed with respect to the types of data and their characteristics, and summarized in two tables. Conclusions are drawn as to the preferable data management methods needed in support of scientific databases.