INTERGLAD International Glass Database Ver. 6 is the latest glass information system1) by New Glass Forum (NGF) which was developed aiming the high trust of the user, completed in December 2004. Data on more than 240,000 glasses of different compositions are contained in the database. INTERGLAD Ver. 5 is designed to enable users to easily extract and use information suitable to their purposes. It also makes possible the design of glasses of new composition based on the collected data. The reliability of data improves every year. NGF expects that this new version will become a favorite medium for glass users and ultimately contribute to the development of the glass industry, the related fields and the science.

1. Main improvements to INTERGLAD Ver. 6
 More than 100 improvements, large and small, have been included in this upgrade. The main improvements are as follows:
1) No additional software installation required
It is no longer necessary to install the "Applet" version of the program in addition to the stand-alone version. This enhances ease of usage.
2) Retrieval has been sped up
The retrieval speed has been increased by from two to ten times or more by streamlining of the program.
3) Retrieval of minor components in multi-component glasses is more convenient
Data on minor components can be retrieved by inputting g-1h in the min% column of the composition window. This makes retrieval of minor components more convenient where, for instance, the component is assumed to be in the range 0-3%.
4) The physical properties prediction equation can better derive generalities
In prediction by regression analysis, by selecting a regression equation without constant, the generality of the physical properties prediction can be improved.
5) Retrieval results now consist of one source per line
The list of retrieval results has been reconfigured to show one source per line, enhancing convenience when many data are collected from the same source.
6) Mouse and window operation have been improved
Detailed and same-source windows can be displayed by double-clicking, and window size can be changed.
7) Selection of items in the transition window for ternary and X-Y plotting are more convenient
Item specification for X-Y plotting, selection of the three components for ternary plotting, and ternary plotting of all retrieved glasses is now easier.
8) Total minimum value of three components is now possible on ternary plots
Minimum value can be set so as to avoid plotting when the total value of three components is too small.
9) Thin-film glasses can now be retrieved according to substrate
Thin-film glasses can be retrieved according to the kind of substrate which controls its properties.
10) Program bugs corrected
All bugs discovered in Ver. 5 of the program have been corrected.
11) Data reliability improved
Mistakes made when INTERGLAD data were originally collected and input have been corrected, and the reliability of the data further improved.
12) Renewal of INTERGLAD server
INTERGLAD's server speed and network environment have been improved.


2. History of INTERGLAD
  Work for the realization of the INTERGLAD International Glass Database began in 1987, the year of the establishment of NGF, as part of NGFfs international contribution program. A group composed of a number of glass researchers at domestic universities and companies, with Dr. Itaru Yasui, Professor of the University of Tokyo, as leader, worked on the database project from system design to data collection for three years, with the cooperation of several major foreign glass companies and Dainippon Printing Company.
 A CD-ROM containing the database system was released in April 1991 as the worldfs first glass database2). The original collected data encompassed approximately 100,000 glass compositions, but the input of data continued, with the aggregate growing to 120,000 compositions in Ver. 2, issued in 1993, and to 150,000 in Ver. 3, issued in 1996.
 Until Ver. 3, the database could be run only under the MS-DOS operating system, using the CD-ROM. With Ver. 4, issued in 1999, it became possible to access the database by means of either CD-ROM or the Internet, using Windows, Macintosh and Unix operating systems coupled with browser software. The Toppan Printing Company developed the Internet method3). Further data were added to the Internet version every year, and the number of glass types reached 180,000 compositions by the autumn of 2000.
 The functioning was greatly enhanced with the release of Ver. 5 in 2001. Besides improvement of the registration function, data analysis, composition property prediction, and user data registration functions were added, resulting in a great improvement in both features and convenience. These developments were advanced with the support of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, in cooperation with Fujitsu Co.
 The current INTERGLAD Ver. 6 was developed from the end of 2002 to 2004 in cooperation with the Database Promotion Committee chaired by Prof. Rikuo Ota of Kyoto Institute of Technology and with the support of Mizuho Information & Research Institute, Inc., as part of NEDO's programme of Research and Development for Intellectual Infrastructure Creation and Technology Utilization.
 In the course of the project, high-reliability of both the data and system sides of INTERGLAD was the focus, with data systematically reviewed, and 2600 items corrected.
 The number of current contracts with NGF for INTERGLAD use extends to 267 sites in 27 countries, with the total number of users estimated at approximately 1,200. It is known that INTERGLAD has been used for the development of new kinds of glass, such as low dispersion glass4) and lead-free crystal glass5), patent surveys related to glass composition, research into glass properties, searches of the research theme in the field of new glass composition, and the development of new glass products, and thus that it has played an important role in the development of the glass industry and glass research around the world.
3. Outline of INTERGLAD Ver. 6
 The international glass database INTERGLAD Ver. 6 is an information system encompassing data on more than 240,000 glass compositions (including inorganic amorphous materials such as oxide glasses, non-oxide glasses, amorphous metals and glass-matrix composites, oxide melts and non-vitrified oxides), designed for a diversity of uses and purposes. Its main functions are three-fold:

1) Retrieval and analysis of glass data;
2) Prediction of properties and the design of glass compositions;
3) Recording of user data.

(1) Collected data
 The INTERGLAD data set is mainly composed of glass compositions and properties, drawn from four sources: data compendia, scientific journals, patents and company catalogues. Original data assembled by NGF are also included.
 Names of authors of papers in the scientific journals, data indicating glass-forming regions, and figures have been newly added to the collected data. Data on glass-forming regions in which only a single boundary exists are now also registered by Ver. 6. Information of precipitated crystals in glass-ceramics, raw materials for sol-gel processes, substrates of thin-film glasses, glass preparation methods, heat treatment conditions, and methods for determining properties have also been added.
 The latest data will be posted to the Internet version twice a year, while posting errors caused when collecting INTERGLAD data from the various sources will be corrected as soon as discovered.

(2) Retrieval of data and visualization of results
 The data and information needed by users can be easily extracted using more than 1,500 key words or IDfs arranged hierarchically. Making to visible by the X-Y plot, the ternary plot, and the distribution analysis of data can be facilitated.
 The retrieval and the analytical function contain the following content:

1) Data on commercial glasses can be extracted from sources other than catalogues;
2) Detailed descriptions can generally be displayed in the retrieved results listings;
3) Grouped data from a given data source can be shown in the same table;
4) Relations between two arbitrarily chosen variables from among glass constituents and properties can be plotted on X-Y charts;
5) Property data can be displayed on ternary plots of chemical composition;
6) Unit conversions as well as arithmetic operations on compositions and properties are possible;
7) The calculation value by the additivity equations can be compared with fact data;
8) The appearance frequency for each glass element can be shown for groups of glasses having specified properties.

(3) Prediction of properties and design of glass composition
 INTERGLAD employs two approaches to forecasting glass characteristics:

1) Additivity equations: A property of a glass having a specified chemical composition is calculated using an additivity equation selected from a list of equations assembled from papers carried in scientific journals;
2) Multiple regression analysis: The relationship between the chemical composition and each property of a glass can be derived by means of multiple regression analysis of the property values of retrieved glasses, with prediction made possible using the derived relationship6). Two kinds of equation, with and without constant,7) are available.

Values predicted through regression analysis can be compared with measured values on an X-Y chart. Glass compositions that fulfill all conditions of three properties can be searched for by trial and error on the screen. It is also possible to display a designed composition on a ternary plot and to compare positions within the glass-forming range.

(4) Recording of user data
 Users of INTERGLAD can incorporate their own data in the INTERGLAD system and make full use of the integrated data set. The importation of data is also possible by a simple import method. User data are stored in the personal computer and the computer operated using the installed program; no security problems arise because the data is not externalized, even when the personal computer is connected to the Internet.

(5) Convenient Help system
 INTERGLAD Ver. 6 incorporates the following Help provisions so that anyone may readily operate the system:
1) Help balloons: Help balloons are attached to every key element on the screen;
2) User's manual: Full instructions for the use of INTERGLAD can be accessed on-screen;
3) Explanations of terms: Various glass terms and their meanings are directly accessible on-screen;
4) Methods of measurement: The methods of measuring property values can also be referred to on-screen.
4. Data reliability
 The reliability of the data assembled in INTERGLAD is entirely dependent on the original data sources -- data books, scientific journals, patent applications and catalogues. Based on the premise that erroneous data can be readily identified by comparison of a number of data, NGF did not specifically examine each datum in INTERGLAD. However, obviously problematic data is deleted, and each data will be divided from the one with low reliability to the high one according to reliability in the future.
 Every effort has been made to provide accurate data in INTERGLAD. However, values, data, and information contained in this database cannot be guaranteed for accuracy or for freedom from errors or omissions. The use of INTERGLAD for any purpose is at the usersf own risk. We disclaim any liability for loss, claims or damages resulting from its use.
References
1) T. Iseda, Y. Iwasa, S. Yoshida, T. Kawasaki, Proc. XX-ICG (ICG, Sept. 2004) pp.07-029
2) Y. Suzuki, American Ceramics Society Bulletin, 70 (1991) p.219
3) T. Saitou, H. Oguro, T. Fukami, T. Iseda, Proceedings of the Japan Society of Information and Knowledge , May 1999, p.63
4) M. Fukuoka, H. Kinoshita, S. Noda, Y. Morita, J. Ceram. Soc. Jap., 110(2002), 1073
5) H. Satha, M. Remram, J. Simons, Proceedings of the International Symposium on Glass Problems (ICG, Sept.1996) p.193
6) I. Yasui, F. Utsuno, American Ceramics Society Bulletin, 72 (1993) p.65
7) F. Utsno, H. Inoue, I. Yasui, S. Tsuboi, T. Iseda, Proc. XX-ICG (ICG, Sept. 2004) pp.07-030
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