W0307
The Reciprocal Net—A Distributed Molecular Database.
User Interface Design and Implementation. John C. Huffman*, John C.
Bollinger*, John N. Huffman**, *Indiana Univ. Molecular Structure Center,
**Advanced Visualization Laboratory, Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN.
Web-based interfaces are being developed to provide easy
access to crystallographic data located on servers that participate in the
Reciprocal Net. Specific interfaces provide different views of the basic
crystallographic and molecular structure data depending on the needs of the
user. For the crystallography laboratory staff the system provides a laboratory
information management system interface that allows one to document and track
single crystal studies. The normal user interface provides access to basic
crystallographic information as well as a graphical interface that can be used
to generate figures suitable for publication. A third interface has been
developed that provides less technical information on selected molecules that is
suitable for use in educational settings, both formal K-12 and non-formal. Each
of the interfaces is designed using a common set of Java applets that allow the
user to view and manipulate the structures using most popular web browsers. The
systems are being designed so that they can easily be adopted by other
laboratories with a minimum of cost and effort. The Reciprocal Net is part of
the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) and is funded by the National
Science Foundation (NSF #0121699).