The Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) Decennial Report

TL;DR

This report reviews the developments and current status of the Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System over the past decade, highlighting improvements and future capabilities in data interlinking and full-text indexing.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive summary of ADS's evolution, current features, and proposes enhancements like semantic interlinking and full-text indexing for future support.

Findings

ADS has significantly increased literature accessibility for astronomers.

Recent developments include semantic interlinking of observations and datasets.

Plans for full-text indexing aim to further improve research capabilities.

Abstract

Eight years after the ADS first appeared the last decadal survey wrote: "NASA's initiative for the Astrophysics Data System has vastly increased the accessibility of the scientific literature for astronomers. NASA deserves credit for this valuable initiative and is urged to continue it." Here we summarize some of the changes concerning the ADS which have occurred in the past ten years, and we describe the current status of the ADS. We then point out two areas where the ADS is building an improved capability which could benefit from a policy statement of support in the ASTRO2010 report. These are: The Semantic Interlinking of Astronomy Observations and Datasets and The Indexing of the Full Text of Astronomy Research Publications.