Re: Unclear source data situation (original) (raw)

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On Viernes 10 Diciembre 2010 13:08:58 Noel David Torres Taño escribió:

Hello all:

I'm in the process of packaging kstars-data-extra-tycho2 ( http://mentors.debian.net/cgi-bin/sponsor- pkglist?action=details;package=kstars-data-extra-tycho2 ) and after long and detailed conversationw with original developer Mr. Akarsh Simha from KStars team, the point is as follows:

KStars distributes a file named deepstars.dat from its web. It is not part of the normal bundled KStars we have in Debian.

deepstars.dat is GPL as it is stated in http://edu.kde.org/kstars/downloads/knewstuff.xml and confirmed by Mr. Simha.

The data KStars team used was downloaded from now-offline NASA ADC, whose use policy can be seen today at http://web.archive.org/web/20070303235508/http://adc.astro.umd.edu/adc/ques tions_feedback.html#policies1

It mentions that data is in the Public Domain unless specified in the ReadMe file. The ReadMe can be visited today in http://web.archive.org/web/20060908122029/adc.astro.umd.edu/cgi- bin/adc/cat.pl?/catalogs/1/1259/ and seems to be the same than actually- available ReadMe at CDS: http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/myqcat3?I/259/

So, trusting all that, deepstars.dat is a GPL file based on PD data.

Doubt arises from the fact that Tycho-2 data was announced by Mr. Erik Høg et al in 2000 at Astronomy and Astrophysics (paper can be retrieved at http://www.astro.ku.dk/~erik/Tycho-2/letter.pdf) and published on 8 Feb. 2000 but its Guide (available at http://www.astro.ku.dk/~erik/Tycho-2/guide.pdf ) does not mention anything about licensing, and data available at CDS does not do it, neither. Mr. Høg has not answered me when I contacted him.

Moreover, data of the Tycho-2 catalog comes from observations by the Hipparcos mission of ESA, and we have no License statement from ESA, anyway.

As the package is to be sponsored and about to enter Debian, I would like clarification about this all, since we (Mr. Simha and myself) want to have this as clear as possible to avoid damages to both projects (Debian and KStars).

As a last resort, it would be possible to create a new deepstars.dat using only USNO NOMAD data (we have confidence that it is PD). It could be functionally equivalent for the program, but it will not be the Tycho2 catalog as users could expect.

many thanks

Noel kstars-data-extra-tycho2 (prospective) maintainer

P.S. Please maintain CC to Mr. Simha

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