Astrophysics Data System
The SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) is an online database of over 16 million papers developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on astronomy and physics. Abstracts are freely available for most articles, and fully scanned articles may be available in Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) and Portable Document Format (PDF). Hosted papers may be from peer reviewed and/or non-peer-reviewed sources. ADS is managed by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.
| Producer | Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (United States) |
|---|---|
| History | 1992 to present |
| Access | |
| Cost | Free |
| Coverage | |
| Disciplines | Astronomy and physics |
| Record depth | Index & abstract & full-text |
| Geospatial coverage | Worldwide |
| Links | |
| Website | ui |
Since its beginning in 1992, ADS is a powerful research tool that has significant impact on the efficiency of astronomical research. ADS also greatly reduces the time it used to or normally would take to complete literature searches, due to the fact it is customized specifically for astronomical needs. Studies have found that the monetary benefit to astronomy that ADS contributes is equivalent to several hundred million in US dollars every year (2005).
The SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) usage statistics can be used to analyze global trends in astronomical research due to it being used amongst astronomers worldwide. Those statistics revealed the direct correlation between both the number of astronomers and the amount of research an astronomer carries out and the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of the country from where the scientist is based.