Memo CP-D/300=============
To: Distribution

5 June 1998

From: V.G. Pronyaev and O. Schwerer
Subject: Draft Summary of the 1998 NRDC Meeting

Please find below the draft of the meeting summary, conclusions and actions of the Nuclear
Reaction Data Centers' Meeting in Vienna, 11-15 May 1998. As requested, the conclusions arelisted separately from the actions, and explanatory comments were added in several cases.
Please notify NDS as soon as possible, but not later than 6 July 1998, of any corrections oradditions (or additional explanatory comments) you wish to suggest, by e-mail or fax. The fullmeeting report, including all status reports and some of the working papers, will be publishedlater this year as an INDC report.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------AGM on the Co-ordination of the Nuclear Reaction Data Centres
IAEA Headquarters, Vienna, 11 - 15 May 1998
Meeting SummaryI

Introduction

The IAEA Advisory Group Meeting on the Coordination of the Nuclear Reaction Data
Centres (NRDC) was held in the IAEA Headquarters on 11 - 15 May 1998. 21 participants
have presented 13 Data Centres from China, Hungary, Japan, Russia, Ukraine, USA, NEA
and IAEA. Practically all NDS staff took part or contributed to the meeting.
This meeting was one in a series of biennial Data Centres Coordination Meetings with a maintask to evaluate the results of the data centres cooperation in the maintaining and updating of
the common nuclear databases and providing full-scale and user friendly access to these
databases, to outline the priorities for future work taking into account the interest of eachcentre and to consider the technical matters of data compilation, exchange and dissemination.

II

Brief Minutes

The Meeting was opened by D. Muir (NDS).
R. Iyer, Head of the Division of Physical and Chemical Sciences welcomed the participants
on behalf of the IAEA. In his address, Dr. Iyer emphasized, that the user service have to beconsidered as a first priority in the nuclear data centres work. A wide use of new computer
technologies will simplify substantially the user's access to the nuclear databases.
C.L. Dunford (NNDC) and C. Nordborg (OECD/NEA) were elected as co-chairmen of the
Meeting.
The meeting agenda and schedule were adopted with minor changes. The status reports of thecentres were presented by the centres' heads.

New directions in the centres work were discussed.
C.L. Dunford informed the participants about the process of reorganizing the activities of the
U.S. Nuclear Data Program. The main priority of the Program at present is the maintaining
and updating of the nuclear data bases with more attention to the integrity and the reliabilityof the nuclear data. The compilation and evaluation activity will be focused on data obtainedor needed for fundamental research (astrophysics, exotic nuclei, high-spin andsuper-deformed states). User-friendly modern and efficient access to the databases(including archives) is essential.
C. Nordborg (OECD/NEA) informed participants about continuing efforts of development of
databases on PC CD-ROM platform. This will include evaluted data library JEFF-3.0 andexperimental data library EXFOR integrated into one package and CINDA. Data for nuclear
safety and nuclear waste transmutation programs have the highest priority for compilation,
evaluation and dissemination.
V. Pronyaev (IAEA-NDS) informed participants that the NDS will continue to work on
providing the full-scale services to the users having different levels of access to the nuclear
databases through computer networks. NDS is going to put more efforts in the programmingof the online Web access to the databases and offline access to the all major databases on PC
platforms.
A quick review of the general actions of the last Technical Meeting was done. A few new
general actions were proposed and included in the list.
Customer services were discussed.
V. McLane informed that NNDC will continue to use the CD-ROMs only as media for data
distribution. Today's priorities and loading of the staff of the NNDC do not allow to do any
programme development work for nuclear databases on PC platform (CD-ROM or Hard
Disk). Part of the information for online user services was moved to a WindowsNT Server.
New BNL-325 online electronic book with plots of evaluated nuclear cross sections incomparison with the experimental data from EXFOR library will be published. Very recently
WWW overtook Telnet in the retrieval statistics.
C. Nordborg informed participants that all NEA-DB databases are in the Oracle DB with
online access through Web with registration of users. Telnet is no longer used for data
retrieval. The problems of consistency of updating of common databases were discussed, andactions to keep this consistency were formulated. The means of communication with users to
get feedback from them on online service performance were discussed
V. Pronyaev presented the NDS point of view on elements and definitions of user's retrieval
statistics. Different media and forms of accesses to the databases are used at present to fulfill
the user's request. It was decided to develop common standards on reporting of statistics ofretrievals.
The general situation with manpower in the cooperating data centres is stable, with arelatively small decline mainly due to reduction of typing work in a computer era. A newcontractual system which is now under discussion in the NEA-DB will probably bring morestability. Due to retirements a few new staff members will come to the NNDC. It is expectedthat more programme development work will be done in the NDS in the future.
A few proposals on tighter cooperation in the common programme development work wereconsidered. It will include regular exchange of information between the centres at the stagesof planning, designing and writing of the programmes supporting common databases. The
centres agreed that the distribution of the work between centres in database programmes
developing fields is determined mainly by the interests of each center. But tighter cooperationin this field and use of new programming tools may lead to the creation of common, platform
independent, computer programmes for maintaining and updating of nuclear data bases andproviding user's retrievals
A few new computer programme packages, data files, libraries and databases which haverelation to the common database programme development were presented and distributed
among participants.
CD-CINDA (CD-ROM database on WindowsNT PC platform programmed inOracle/SQL*Plus) was demonstrated by M. Kellet (NEA-DB). A Test version with 20 Mb
source data file had shown good performance. Work on decreasing of the access time will be
continued.
CD-ROM version of JENDL-3.2 Plots & Data prepared at JAERI was distributed. EXFOR
PC CD-ROM (Hard Disk) database on the WindowsNT platform programmed by J. Vamosi in
CodeBase/C was demonstrated by V. Pronyaev (NDS). The January 1998 version was
distributed to meeting participants for test and comments.
The outcome of Techical Sessions which considered mainly technical problems of
maintaining and updating the CINDA and EXFOR databases is summarized in the List of
Acttions and Conclusions of the Meeting.
The problems of descrepancies between different evaluated reaction cross section data anduse of the cross section shape systematics for threshold reactions was raised up by V.
Manokhin (CJD). The conclusion was to find the most appropriate form to collect and present
this information (possibly in a descrepancies file).
V. McLane (NNDC) informed participants on the development of the AstrophysicalDatabase in the U.S. and NNDC participation in this project.
The general problems of computer network performance for online access to the centres databases were discussed. V. Pronyaev (NDS) presented an analysis of the NDS database server
performance, based on real time transfer of the files from NDS Web server to different users
and a WAN monitoring system based on ping-ing several remote hosts and accumulating
statistics. It was shown that after upgrading of the shared line connecting IAEA with a WAN(to 1 Mbit/sec band width) the own user's connection with a WAN limits the transfer rate formany of our users. But the fast growth of traffic through the IAEA gates may lead again to thesaturation of the line.
C.L. Dunford informed participants about approach to the maintaining and updating of theevaluated nuclear structure data library. ENSDF will continue to be a main source forpreparing of specialized libraries on nuclear structure and decay data for most applications.
The mechanisms for more frequent updates of some components of the library without
revision of all data for a full mass-chain are under discussion at the meetings of the Nuclear
Structure and Decay Data Network.
It was agreed that the next Technical Meeting on the Coordination of the Nuclear Reaction
Data Centres will be held in Vienna in the May 1999 and the next AGM on the Coordinationof the NRDC can be held in June 2000 in Obninsk (Russia), still be coordinated with hostlaboratory. The national and specialized centres can be also considered as host centres forthese meetings in the future.

III

Meeting Conclusions, Actions and Recommendations.

III.1 Priorities in the NRDC network coordination
Recognizing that International, National and Specialized Data Centres have theirown tasks, priorities and current involvements, and that they use

different hardware platforms and computer software, the Meeting came to the conclusion thatthe following priorities in the Centres cooperative work can be formulated at present:
1. To continue the maintenance of the existing nuclear data bases, their updating
through the input of new data, improvement of existing information.
2. To improve customer service through the continuing development of online
access to nuclear databases and related information using the increased opportunities of theWorld Wide Web.
3. To continue the development of databases resident on the user's PC and their
updating from one of the Nuclear Reaction Data Centers via computer networks.
4. To improve efficiency in computer programme development by timely exchange
of information on plans and progress among the Centers.

III.2. List of Conclusions, Actions and Recommendations
III.2.1

Conclusions

Conclusions on the EXFOR/CINDA dictionary system
Because of the increasing number of measurements involving radioactive targets and beams
and reaction products far from stability, the usefulness of nuclide checking using the flags in
dictionary 27, needing all-too-frequent dictionary updates, was discussed.
C1

The CINDA flag in dictionary 27 is dropped. The flag for SF1 can beused instead.

C2

Dict.27 flags 13 and 14 are kept until a specific proposal is submitted.
(compare Action A21 below)

General conclusions on EXFOR
C3

The proposal of CP-C/239 (on Dates for the Year 2000) is modified.
It is provisionally adopted to introduce 4-digit years and 8-digit datefields, with padding by zeros if month and/or day are not known,
throughout EXFOR; where only the year is foreseen (EXP-YEAR), 4 digits
will be given.

C4

All TRANS tapes transmitted after 1 August 1998 must have all dates in
the new format. (See also Actions A51 through A53 below)

C5The "provisional" tapes 1267, C022, C025 (containing new polarization
quantities) are now considered official transmissions.

C6

Retrieving EXFOR by reference date: such a feature has very low
priority for NNDC, therefore need will be addressed by NDS.
(The "cut-off-date" offered in the NNDC and NDS online services, thoughsometimes misinterpreted in this way, does not offer this capability.)

Conclusions on proposed new dictionary codes

C7

It is agreed to keep the code 'SS' both in dict.31 and 34.
(Some concern had been expressed that using the same code, SS,
in two different contexts but both for polarization quantities, might
create confusion among compilers and users. However, since this reflects
the abbreviations commonly used in the literature, the above decision
was taken.)

C8

JET and MASSP are approved for Dict.21

C9

Data units B*KEV are approved for Dict.25.
(These units had been rejected earlier because of equivalence with
MB*MEV. Since other cases of equivalent units exist in the dictionary,and generally the units as given by the authors should be used
wherever possible, the above decision was taken.)

C10

PAR,COR,G/N is not approved. Instead, PAR,DA/CRL,G/N is introduced(Dictionary 36). (Compare Action A68 below)

C11

D-N14 is approved for Dict.19

C12

MSK/A is agreed for the journal 'Memoirs of the Faculty of Science,
Kyoto Univ., Series A'. (Dictionary 5)

Conclusions on CINDAC13The participants agree that general theoretical papers are covered in
NSR and that coverage in CINDA should be restricted to thosetheoretical papers associated with producing data files

C14

The text pages of the CINDA supplement book are reduced by omitting thehandbook section (which was increasingly difficult to keep up-to-date)and restricting the annex to the reference and lab tables.

III.2.2

Actions and Recommendations

General Actions

A1

NDS

Investigate whether KAERI is interested in joining the
network and, if so, invite them to submit an entry to
the Network document

A2

NDS

Update the Network document to include the Sarov andUkraine centres and any corrections to the othercentres' entries

A3

NDS

Send (now and in future) CINDA DBMS backups to VNIIEF,
and the same for ENDF (DBMS backup and Text libraries).

A4

CJD

Forward all future ENSDF, NSR and NUDAT update tapes(received from NNDC through NDS) to VNIIEF

A5Pronyaev Submit proposal on standards for retrieval statistics

A6

All

Comment on this proposal within one month after the
meeting

A7

NDS

Distribute final Standard on Reporting Nuclear Data
Retrieval Statistics within 2 months after the meeting

A8

All

Comment on implementation of this Standard at yourcentre within one month after receiving it

A9

Dunford

Provide NDS with text for NUDAT document

A10

NDS

Publish this as INDC report

A11

NDS

Update the CP memo distribution to include the
Ukrainian Nuclear Data Center (UkrNDC) and thecorrections as received at this meeting

A12

NDS

Make sure that all NDS documents have the correct fullname of CNDC (now: CHINA NUCLEAR DATA CENTER)

A13

NDS

Plan next technical meeting for May 1999 (3 days) in
Vienna and propose specific date in a CP memo

A14

Recomm.

Rotation of meeting sites beyond the four neutron
centers is recommended for future meetings.

Actions and Recommendations on Online Services and WWW
A15

Recomm.

A16

Recomm.

All centres maintaining Web pages are recommended to
introduce a complaint/suggestion button for users togive feedback on retrieval problems or inconveniences
Include the Citation Guidelines in Web and Telnet
services

A17

NDS

Put IAEA-NDS-0 (index of IAEA-NDS documents) on the
Web with high priority and inform centers by e-mailwhen completed

Actions on the EXFOR/CINDA Dictionary System
A18

McLaneSend new dictionaries to NDS including all flags andnumerical equivalents

A19

Schwerer Check old Actions 7-13 (of 1997 meeting) after
receiving the new dictionaries and programs from NNDC.

A20

NDS

Keep the 'particle considered' (SF7) entries in
dictionary 36 until all centers can use the dictionary
wildcards.

A21

McLaneSubmit proposal for modification of Dict.27 use flags
before the next meeting.

A22

Schwerer When adding new dictionary codes, take care of flags
and numerical equivalents in consultation with
V. McLane.

Actions on CINDA
A23

Neutron centers and all interested: within one month after the meeting,send feedback on the proposal for CINDA 2000 to
V. McLane (see memo CP-C/234 of May 1997, also
reproduced in the 1997 meeting report)

A24

NNDC

Propose implementation plan and schedule for CINDA 2000

A25

LammerInform NNDC within one month on any CINDA programs
unique to NDS

A26

NNDC

Provide NEA-DB with translation capability from CINDA
to CINDA-2000 format

A27

NNDC
NEA-DB

Complete the CINDA 2000 programs within a year after
this meeting.

A28

LammerInvestigate which specific theoretical quantities
Pronyaev should be added for CINDA-2000

A29

LammerSend introductory pages of CINDA (if possible inelectronic form) to NEA-DB for inclusion in CD-CINDA

A30

NEA-DB

Send test version of CD-CINDA to other centres

A31

All

Send feedback on the test version of CD-CINDA to NEA-DB
within one month after receiving it and inform NEA-DBof the number of final copies needed

A32

NEA-DB

Distribute final version of CD-CINDA to centres

A33

Lammer(old #69 continuing) Distribute the list of "who iscovering what for CINDA" to other centers

A34

Neutron centers

Give feedback on the CINDA coverage list (WP11) toLammerA35

DunfordIntroduce a COPY option for CINDUP

A36

NEA-DB(old #85 modified) Send ORACLE design specification
developed at NEA for CINDA and EXFOR to NNDC, NDS and
CDFE

A37

McLaneSubmit the necessary changes for the CINDA field in
Dictionary 27 to use the old CINDA codes forelements > 100 as long as this is neededA38

Kellett
CJD

Specify to NDS the number of copies needed for CINDA-99
by 1 October 1998

A39

CJD

Send addresses of recipients of CINDA books to NDS (sothat part of the books can be mailed directly from
Vienna)General Actions on EXFOR

A40

McLaneMake the EXFOR Basics Manual available online in
PostScript

A41

All

(Old #14 continuing) Send comments and corrections on
the "EXFOR Basics" manual to McLane

A42

McLane(Old #15 modified) Add example entries (or one brief
complete entry) to the "EXFOR Basics" manual

A43

McLaneAdd a one-page dictionary to Basics Manual, listing
the most commonly used quantities

A44

McLaneComplete Exfor Manual update and poste it for the othercentres

A45

McLaneSend EXFOR check program and DANIEL dictionaries to
NEA-DB

A46

NNDC

Send all EXFOR programs and the complete library to CNDC

A47

NDS

From now on send incremental EXFOR updates (TRANS)
to CNDC

A48

McLane(Old #24 continuing) Make a benchmark test of TEST-EXF

A49

McLane(Old #44 modified) If time becomes available,
investigate the possibility of including separate
index lines for the ELEM/MASS formalism in theindexing program.

A50

McLaneCorrect EXFOR processing codes to properly treat cases
where KT is given in place of an average incident
particle energy (factor 3/2)

A51

McLaneSend the revised EXFOR retrieval code (introducing
4-digit years) to NDS

A52

NDS

Retrieve the complete EXFOR library using NNDC's new
retrieval code and distribute on CD-ROM so that all
centers will have the complete library with 4-digit
years. Inform the centers by e-mail which were thelatest TRANS files included. The CD-ROM will containseparate files for each area (1,2,3,4,A,B,C, etc.)

A53

All

Send all TRANS tapes to be included on this CD-ROM to
NDS before 1 October 1998.

A54

McLaneDistribute the new EXFOR and dictionary programsby 1 August 1998.

A55

All

Correct entries requested in CP-D/297 (or send
information on which TRANS correction was transmitted
if done already), or explanation in case of
disagreement with memo CP-D/297.

A56

McLaneRetrieve all occurrences of He-5 (and other illegal
reactions) in EXFOR and request retransmission

Actions on EXFOR coding rules and dictionary codes
A57

McLaneVarlamov(Old #19 continuing) Provide LEXFOR entry for energy
spectra of particle pairs and PAR,SIG,P/T

A58

McLaneUpdate Lexfor page on thick target yields taking into
account the conclusion (#29) of the 1997 NRDC meeting(Memos CP-C/224 and CP-C/233 with the modification that"thick target yield per unit time" is coded TTY,,DT
instead of TTT).

A59

Lammer(Old #37 continuing) Check existing codes for fission
quantities for possible overlap with the case of memo
CP-C/209 and existing EXFOR entries for necessary
revisions.

A60

Lammer(Old #38 modified) Reply to intems 1 and 2 of memo
4C-4/57 (codes PR,NU,FF and PRE,FY/DE for dictionary 36)
and propose solutions for the remaining questions onentry 40420 in a CP memo.

A61

CJD
Lammer(Old #39 modified) Agree on modifications for entry
40420 and retransmit

A62

Lammer(Old #49 continuing) Revise the LEXFOR entry on fissionproduct yields and submit a proposal on the coding ofmass yields as a CP memo with information on
corresponding measurements.

A63

CAJaD

Submit proposal on redundant coding in EXFOR for
discussion at the 1999 meeting

A64

McLaneProvide expansion for lab codes 1USATTU, 1USACBF

A65

McLaneClarify questions on dictionary 27 changes raised inmemo CP-D/291

A66

McLaneSubmit LEXFOR entry on use of RCL and RSD in SF7

A67

Chukreev

Provide examples supporting the proposal in memo
CP-A/79 (item 1) (see also related memo CP-A/89) for
decision at the next meeting

A68

NEA-DB

Retransmit subentry 20220.007 using the new REACTION
introduced at this meeting (PAR,DA/CRL,G/N) and check
whether correction of DATA headings is necessary.

A69

McLaneProvide more information on the proposal containing'PN' (prompt neutrons) in REACTION SF7 (memo CP-C/235)

A70

NEA-DB

Check the incorrect report code mentioned in 4C-3/389
and retransmit entry 22357

A71

McLanePropose clarification of the definiton of gamma-ray
abundance in LEXFOR.

A72

Maev

Submit proposal (including Lexfor entry) for
self-indication ratios.

A73

McLaneCheck code AXX for REACTION SF8 (submit dictionary
addition or retransmit entry C0138)

A74

McLaneChange LEXFOR to allow both units PC/FIS and NO-DIM for
total delayed nu-bar.

Actions on Neutron Data
A75

CJD

Complete conversion of EXFOR

8000 series by end of 1998

A76

NEA-DB

Look into status of EXFOR 6000 series

Actions on CPND
A77

NDS

(Old #59 modified) On the comparison of theLandolt-Bornstein CPND compilation with EXFOR: include
this topic on the agenda of the 1999 NRDC meeting(comparison to be done once the CPND bibliographic data
are included in CINDA-2000)

A78

CAJaD

Investigate whether the Landolt-Bornstein CPND
compilation can be made available to the CPND centersin computerized form.

A79

CAJaD

(old #61 modified) Complete correction of EXFOR area B
file by the time of the 1999 NRDC meeting.

A80

NDS

(old #62 continuing) Distribute the corrected area B
file after the corrections by CAJaD are completed.

A81

CPND centers

Go through Chukreev's list of duplications (WP 12) andagree with the respective other centres on which entry

to delete.
Actions on Photonuclear Data
A82

Varlamov(replacing old #52) Check main reference and EXFOR
coding of the entry originally transmitted as 22242(containing photonuclear data and possibly a newpolarization quantity)

A83

Varlamov

The photonuclear bibliography and other CDFE files are
now available from the CDFE web site; CDFE toinvestigate including search options in the
bibliography.

Actions on Evaluated Data Libraries
A84

Manokhin

Send Russian Dosimetry File (RRDF-96) to NDS

A85

All centers
concerned(Old #75 continuing) Compile and maintain a list of
known errors in the evaluated libraries for which they
are responsible and make this list available to theusers of the online service.

A86

All centers
concerned(Old #76 modified) Document the parameters being used
for producing pointwise cross sections including thecode name, version number and input deck.

A87

Recomm. All(Old #77 continuing) All centers responsible for
evaluated data libraries should try to make thedocumentation available online.

Post-meeting secretaries notes.
These notes are outside of the meeting Agenda and prepared by the Scientific Secretary. The
aim of these notes is to keep proposals which may help in better preparation to the next
coordination meeting.
2 hours for computer demonstration session have to be reserved. The centres have to beapproached before the meeting on possible contribution in this session. New big screen
demonstration equipment has to be used.
2 hours for session of the bilateral contacts has to be reserved advance in a meeting shedule.
All the problems of bilateral relations may be discussed in free contacts between centres
representatives during this session.
2 hour session on physics issues staying behind new priorities in data compilation andevaluation has to be reserved. Regular contacts with meeting participants at the stage ofpreparation of Agenda will allow the Scientific Secretary to have better understanding of theinterests of each center in presentation on each topic. Each topic of Agenda has to have atleast one presentation with an overview of of the problem and proposals for solution.