The Wide-Field Plate Database (WFPDB) as a basic
source of data for the wide-field astronomical photographic plates
stored worldwide, is presented. The Catalogue of Wide-Field Plate Archives
comprises 476 plate archives with more than 2.4 million plates. The Catalogue
of Wide-Field Plate Indexes contains up to September 2011 the parameters of
563 600 plates from 133 archives with provided possibilities for data search,
quick plate preview with low resolution in JPEG files of some of the plates and
complete plate image with high resolution in FITS files upon request. The
technology developed in Sofia for plate digitization by commercial high-quality
flatbed scanners is presented, too. The Data Bank of Digitized Plate Images
contains images with low resolution for quick plate visualization and easy
online access, and with high resolution aiming photometric and astrometric
investigations. Links to online services and cross-correlation with journals
and other catalogues characterize the development to photographic plate
libraries.
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