StarGuides gathers together all practical data available on associations, societies, scientific committees, agencies, companies, institutions, universities, etc., more generally organizations, involved in astronomy and space sciences. Many other types of entries have also been included such as academies, bibliographical services, data centres, dealers, distributors, funding organizations, Internet service providers, journals, manufacturers, meteorological services, national norms and standards institutes, parent associations and societies, publishers, software producers and distributors, and so on.
Besides astronomy and related space sciences, other fields such as aeronautics, aeronomy, astronautics, atmospheric sciences, chemistry, communications, computer sciences, data processing, education, electronics, engineering, energetics, environment, geodesy, geophysics, information handling, management, mathematics, meteorology, optics, physics, remote sensing, and so on, are also covered when appropriate.
Currently more than 6,200 entries from about 100 countries have been selected. The information is given in an uncoded way for easy and direct use. For each entry, all practical data available are listed: city, postal and electronic-mail addresses; telephone and telefax numbers; URLs for WWW access; foundation years; numbers of members and/or staff; main activities; titles, frequencies, ISS Numbers and circulations of periodicals produced; names and geographical coordinates of observing sites; names of planetariums; awards, prizes or distinctions granted; and so on.
The entries are listed alphabetically in each country. An exhaustive index gives a breakdown not only by different designations and acronyms, but also by location and major terms in names. Thematic subindices are also provided as well as a list of telephone and telefax national codes.
The basic philosophy of these directories is to provide practical data which one seeks always to have at one's disposal. They have proved over the years to be not only valuable auxiliaries for improving national and international relationships, but also efficient tools for helping laypersons and public bodies to contact organizations easily.
These directories have taken advantage of the experience gained with each successive edition, especially in the development of techniques for collecting, verifying and treating the data. To compile a directory of real value is indeed quite a different venture to just reproducing and distributing, with comments of greater or lesser interest, data collected indiscriminately from all available sources (including the World-Wide Web). If professional file construction techniques are necessary, they cannot spare the extensive background, unrewarding and very careful work which is indispensable for the compilation of a valuable directory.
The definition of a very well profiled and adapted questionnaire, the homogenization of the data collected and the maximum reduction of the respondents' biases are all points that must be satisfied, often with the help of the most modern communication means. The continuous political evolution of the world has also to be taken into account. The information is provided in StarGuides `bone fide'. The best is done to keep track of the modifications happening and to implement them as soon as they are confirmed or recognized by the international community.
When compiling StarGuides and StarBriefs, one cannot but be impressed by the very broad spectrum of disciplines to which astronomy and related space sciences are linked, and by the very large variety of techniques applied in these fields.
The successive editions of the directories give fairly accurate global pictures of the active organizations in the fields covered. Their sequence testifies the sometimes rapid evolution of scientific interests, of data collecting and handling techniques, as well as of communications in the broad sense. Quite of few national facilities have also been restructured along the past years.
Go to the StarHeads page.