Construction of Automatic Collecting and Providing System of Environment Data via Computer Network and Its Usage in School Education

目前的项目（名为CatRace）的目的是通过计算机网络收集学校记录的环境数据，并在互联网的WWW页面上提供，用于教育目的。1996年4月1日，日本鹿儿岛县的几所学校开发了廉价的连续记录和自动数据传输系统，每30分钟的温度数据在网页（http: //www-rk.edu.kagoshima-u.ac.jp/catrace/）上公开。1997年以后项目的主要进展如下：(1)由于数据库系统的建立，提供各种形式的数据成为可能。介绍了该项目的专用数据服务器，包括数据库管理系统和web服务器。这使得最近的气温图表可以作为网页标题的一部分显示，并根据用户的选择提供各种平均数据（数字和图形）。(2)添加观测点和其他类型的数据。1998年，一所学校因人员更换而停止录音，而两所学校加入了该项目。从1998年9月起，作者所在院系的气压数据已在网页上提供，其用户界面与温度数据相同。结果表明，现有的数据库系统很容易增加观测点或新类型的数据，作者计划在不久的将来将该项目推广到更广泛的领域。这些数据已经用于信息处理练习和科学课程，随着计算机网络在所有学校的建立，这些数据将得到更广泛的使用。

The aim of the present project (named as CatRace) is that environmental data recorded in schools are collected via computer network and are provided in the WWW page of the internet for educational purpose. The cheap systems for continuous recording and for automatic data transfer were developed and placed in a few schools in Kagoshima prefecture (Japan), and the temperature data of every 30 minutes were available for public use in the web page (http : //www-rk.edu.kagoshima-u.ac.jp/catrace/) since April 1st, 1996.The main progress in the project after 1997 is the followings :(1) It becomes possible to provide various forms of the data owing to the database system.An exclusive data-server for this project was introduced with a database management system and a web-server. This enabled to display the recent temperature graph as a part of the title of the web page, and to provide various averaged-data (both numerical and graphical) in response to the users' choice.(2) The observation points and the other kind of data are added.In 1998, one school stopped the recording due to the change of the staff, while two schools joined in the project. From September 1998 the air-pressure data at the author's faculty has become available on the web page, with the same user interface as the temperature data. It was shown that observation points or new type of data are easily added in the present database system, and the authors are planning to extend the project to wider area in near future.The data are already used in the exercises of information processing and the classes of science, and will be used more commonly as the computer network is established in all the schools.