The Physical Sciences Data-science Service (PSDS), the successor to the National Chemical Database Service (NCDS), is now available to use.
You can register and try out the new service at https://www.psds.ac.uk. We want to ensure that no one loses access while the new service gets up and running, so we’ll keep the old NCDS site running for a short period of overlap. If you experience any problems with the new PSDS site, please report them to support@psds.ac.uk and use the NCDS as a fallback.
The 2019 Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) update is now available through the remote desktop. This release adds more than 57,000 new entries to the database (resulting in a total of more than 970,000) and updates CSD software to the latest versions.
Visit the CCDC site for more information on the release.
Some users may find that the desktop shortcuts have not been recreated properly. You can recreate them with the following steps:
– Navigate to Start > All Programs > CCDC
– Right-click on CSD System Software 2019 and click Open
– In the resulting window, select the shortcut you need (Ctrl+click to select more than one)
– Copy them (Ctrl+C)
– Click on the desktop, then paste (Ctrl+V)
The CSD remote desktop offer users of the Chemical Database Service the ability to log in remotely from any computer and use the majority of the software and features found in a local CSD installation. For more information, visit http://cds.rsc.org/about.asp and choose Cambridge Structural Database (CSD).
We are pleased to announce that, following the recent EPSRC renewal process for the National Chemical Database Service, the NCDS will be succeeded from 2019 by the National Physical Sciences Data-science Service (PSDS) as an EPSRC National Research Facility.
The new service, run jointly by the School of Chemistry at the University of Southampton and the Scientific Computing Department at the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), will expand on the current database provision to include modern data science techniques such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. Read more about the new service here: https://www.southampton.ac.uk/chemistry/news/2018/11/new-national-research-facility-psds.page.
The Royal Society of Chemistry, as existing host of the NCDS, will be working with Southampton and STFC to ensure a smooth transition and continuity of access for users of the data resources, and overlap is likely to extend into 2019 as the PSDS develops its platform.
Further details about the new service will be communicated when available.
Unfortunately we are no longer able to license the CRYSTMET database for access through the NCDS. Therefore the database will no longer be accessible from 1st July 2018.
CRYSTMET was previously included in the NCDS as part of CrystalWorks. The other databases accessible via CrystalWorks (Cambridge Structural Database, Inorganic Crystal Structure Database and Crystallography Open Database) are unaffected.
Following a successful Statement of Need process demonstrating the scientific impact of the existing National Chemical Database Service, EPSRC has issued a call for proposals for a National Physical Sciences Database Service. The full details of the call can be found on the EPSRC web site.
The deadline for proposals is 10th July 2018. It is expected that a decision on the award of the grant will be made by October 2018, with the new grant beginning on 1st January 2019.
The 2018 Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) update is now available through the remote desktop. This release adds more than 60,000 new entries to the database (passing the milestone of 900,000 total entries) and updates CSD software to the latest versions.
Visit the CCDC site for more information on the release.
The CSD remote desktop offer users of the Chemical Database Service the ability to log in remotely from any computer and use the majority of the software and features found in a local CSD installation. For more information, visit http://cds.rsc.org/about.asp and choose Cambridge Structural Database (CSD).
Our data deposition service is now live, representing part of our commitment in hosting the EPSRC National Chemical Database Service. Details are given below – we will add to this post to build up an FAQ. You can watch a demonstration video on YouTube.
What it is
The data deposition service allows researchers to upload research data in the form of chemical structures and associated experimental spectra, link them to relevant publications, and receive DOIs for these depositions to cite them elsewhere. While the community’s preferred use cases are yet to be determined, the initial focus is on raw spectral data to provide greater value to researchers and readers than traditional electronic supplementary information files.
How to access it and what it does
It’s available through the ChemSpider link on the NCDS site, which now gives the option to either search ChemSpider or deposit data (https://deposit.chemspider.com)
The workflow for a user is to:
Integration with ChemSpider
Any structure that is not already found in ChemSpider will be deposited when it is added to the repository. There is potential to strengthen these links with ChemSpider in the future, by exposing data from the repository directly on ChemSpider records or by expanding the new deposition route for other uses.
What’s next
We know there are a lot of features that could be added, but we are keen to get this initial version out and then build on it via user feedback. We see the ability to deposit research data more directly into ChemSpider as an important building block for the future.
Who to contact
Please contact cds@rsc.org if you have any questions or feedback.
The February 2017 Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) data update is now available through the remote desktop. This release added 18,092 new entries to the database and updated CSD software to the latest versions.
(This update was delayed by other maintenance work on the remote desktop. Normally updates are applied as soon as they are released by CCDC.)
The CSD remote desktop offer users of the Chemical Database Service the ability to log in remotely from any computer and use the majority of the software and features found in a local CSD installation. For more information, visit http://cds.rsc.org/about.asp and choose Cambridge Structural Database (CSD).
We’re gathering evidence of the National Chemical Database Service’s scientific impact to ensure UK academia’s continued access to these important resources – and we need your help.
The National Chemical Database Service is supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council on the basis that it meets a community need: access to specialist databases that enable research in chemistry and related fields. As part of EPSRC’s routine review of mid-range facility provision, we are preparing an application (called a Statement of Need) to justify continued support of the NCDS after 2017. While we will collate the application on behalf of our Advisory Board, it represents the views and needs of the UK scientific community, so your input is vital to its success. You can help us ensure that all of UK academia retains access to the NCDS resources in the following ways:
What is a Statement of Need?
A Statement of Need details the scientific community’s need for a particular facility, service or piece of equipment, and gives evidence demonstrating how that facility enables high-quality science and offers value for money. For the NCDS, this means that we need to show examples of how access to NCDS resources underpins high-quality research in the UK.
Each Statement of Need is reviewed by experts in the field, and then prioritised by an EPSRC panel based on the reviewers’ comments. This prioritisation determines which facilities will be funded.
The purpose of the Statement of Need process is to determine whether or not to continue funding the NCDS, not to decide if the Royal Society of Chemistry should continue to host it. If funding is continued, a tender process in 2018 will determine which organisation will run the service in the future.
What is a mid-range facility?
The NCDS is an EPSRC mid-range facility; EPSRC funds these services to academia at a national level because it’s more cost-effective and efficient than individual institutions paying for the same service. Most mid-range facilities provide access to expensive equipment and specialised expertise that would be difficult for any one institution to support. Rather than being based around a particular scientific technique, the NCDS is a virtual facility, providing access to a number of key chemical data resources for all UK academics. In addition to the cost savings achieved by negotiating database subscriptions at a national level, the mid-range facility model allows us to provide centralised user support and training.
Our Advisory Board
| Peter Scott | Advisory Board Chair, Professor of Chemistry, University of Warwick |
| Isaac Abrahams | Senior Lecturer and Consultant to the X-Ray Diffraction Facility, Queen Mary University of London |
| Morgan Alexander | Professor of Biomedical Surfaces, University of Nottingham |
| Simon Coles | Professor of Structural Chemistry, University of Southampton and Director, UK National Crystallography Service |
| Linda Humphreys | Science Faculty Librarian, University of Bath |
| Niall Mac Dowell | Senior Lecturer of Energy and Environmental Technology and Policy, Imperial College London |
| Richard Whitby | Professor of Organic Chemistry, University of Southampton |
| Joseph Wright | Lecturer in Energy Materials, University of East Anglia |
| Talit Ghaffar | Physical Sciences Manager, EPSRC |
Complete our questionnaire or contribute some details about you use of the NCDS.
The National Chemical Database Service recently held two webinars about the functionality of ACD/I-Lab, one of the resources available free to all UK academics via the NCDS.
These videos are now available to watch on our YouTube channel:
Webinar 1: NMR Predictions and drawing tools
Webinar 2: PhysChem, ADME and Tox prediction, and Name generation
Thanks to Dimitris Argyropoulos for hosting these and explaining the capabilities of ACD/I-Lab.
