A makeover of the JPL Millimeter and Submillimeter Spectral Line Catalog has begun. This process is intended to provide ‘single-line-access’ to users and virtual astronomy facilities through a server/query interface. In order to provide these users with the maximum amount of reliability and trace-ability, the database format (traditionally ascii-text files on an http/ftp server) has been expanded to include data and data-sources in a format where the measurement data is listed independently of the model predicted line information. This information, although still accessible through the source textfiles, is also compiled into a MySQL database. This methodology allows merging of measurement and prediction to be done at the meta-data level and gives the user quick access to the literature source. Several databases (inlcuding the NIST rest frequencies and CDMS) with common information are each following a common methodology outlined for unified access to users via a ‘virtual observatory’. Along with common formats, a special internet protocol, ‘Single-Line-Access-Protocol’ (SLAP) is to be instituted on the web-servers where these databases reside. This should enable the next generation of spectroscopic tools (i.e. atmospheric and astrophysical models) to be built on a flexible data layer which can access new database additions and changes without the need for localizing the information. Through the upgrade process we intend to update and improve the current listings of the JPL catalog, with an emphasis on the trace-ability of the data to its source literature. The advent of grand modeling tools that support ever larger projects has the potential of leaving the data sources long forgotten. We intend to vitalize and encourage the linking of spectroscopic observations to the fundamental laboratory spectroscopy that forms the foundation of remote sensing.

{"references": ["None given"]}

Session VI-4.