Robin, that is exactly what I was thinking. The data in the FITS header would be read by the database, so potentially any of it could be used for searches to compile lists of spectra that could be viewed or downloaded.
The users would only have to enter data the once, in the fits header, and things like lat/long just once in their processing software. The data would probably be extracted and stored as fields within the database, an automated process. Ideally this would not be needed but to make the website responsive and quick this would almost certainly need to happen, though this would be invisible to users.
I’ve taken a quick look at FITS file formats and I need to spend some more time on it. The header is very straight forward, while the actual spectrum data more complex. There are options to build software to read the data from scratch or to use programs that already exist to do this instead. It would be very useful to make contact with the VdS spectroscopy group, so an introduction to any contacts would be most welcome. Knowing what has already been done and how could make the whole process of setting up a database and associated website much easier.
Thanks, Andy