National Nuclear Data Center Web Enhancements for Modern Nuclear Data Dissemination

The National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is pivotal in disseminating comprehensive and authoritative nuclear data for research, education, and a wide range of applications. While publications such as Nuclear Data Sheets remain essential, the NNDC primarily disseminates nuclear data through the web. Recognized as a Public Reusable Research (PuRe) Data Resource by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science since 2021, the NNDC has prioritized the modernization of its online infrastructure to broaden global access to nuclear data. Web usage has grown dramatically, with retrievals increasing from about 5 million in 2021 to more than 12 million in 2024.

Ongoing modernization efforts have led to substantial enhancements across major tools and databases, including the Evaluated Nuclear Structure Data File (ENSDF), Nuclear Science References (NSR), NuDat, CapGam, and the Nuclear Wallet Cards. A key achievement includes the migration of ENSDF from a legacy 80-character fixed-width ASCII format to a structured, hierarchical JSON format, enabling improved data organization, enhanced adaptability, and compatibility with modern web technologies. NSR has also undergone a user interface update with improved export features. NuDat, which accounted for over 7 million retrievals in 2024, offers an interactive nuclide chart, allowing seamless navigation with zoom and pan capabilities. A 3D version of NuDat is under development, promising customizable and immersive visualizations of the chart of nuclides.

Beyond the web, the NNDC has expanded its reach to mobile platforms through the release of Android applications for CapGam and Nuclear Wallet Cards, with iOS versions in the pipeline. These apps were developed in collaboration with interns from the DOE’s Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships (SULI) program. The NNDC aims to continue building mobile tools alongside its web modernization initiatives.

These advancements highlight the NNDC's commitment to modernizing our web applications and services for the nuclear science community to improve the accessibility and usability of nuclear data.