Phidias is an object-oriented hypermedia database engine that incorporates a high level query/scripting language. This generalized system connects a wide variety of source information including text, sketches, 3d models, spreadsheets, photographs, vector graphics, etc. Everything in the database can be linked using user defined named links that can apply only in certain contexts or be computed. The 3d graphics hierarchy is also implemented entirely through the hypermedia, allowing objects to inherit properties and links and be acted on by the language.


Phidias has been in development since 1987 (History & Publications), and during that time has been used as the basis for a number of prototype applications including...

Phidias was developed as an architectural design tool by students under Prof. Ray McCall, at the University of Colorado, College of Environmental Design from 1987 thru 1995. Though our original domain was architectural design, the project evolved to encompass space habitat design and eventually we were funded through a three year NASA SBIR grant to incorporate the complete Man Systems Integration Standards, a MASSIVE volume of cross-linked text, graphic and video data. The SBIR database was completed in 1996 and futher funding from NASA allowed us to interface via templates to HTML and the web, which had become quite important. All funding for Phidias dryed up in 1997. Phidias has continued to serve the MSIS on this server freely ever since. This is still the only online MSIS, despite massive funding to reimplement our monumental but inexpensive efforts with 'Commercial Off the Shelf Software'. Your tax payer dollars hard at work!!

Phidias continues to serve NASA's Man Systems Integeration Standards Online. There are many glitches with the data, due to the chaotic nature of the source data... unfortunately NASA doesn't consider it worth paying a small amount to make small fixes and would rather pay large amounts to start from scratch and get nowhere while I continue providing for free what they paid for so long ago.

Contact Erik Johnson erik@edj.net for more information about Phidias or the online MSIS.