Russian ground-level detectors of cosmic ray observations as a part of the world wide network: History and development

The history of creation and development of the network of cosmic ray stations in USSR-Russia goes back to the difficult years of the Second War (1944-1945). The Russian neutron monitor network continuously operates at the present time, having developed from a mechanical means of registration into a modern electronic system for the collection and processing of data with the results presented in the Internet in real time. Along with the improvement of the equipment and different methods of data processing, strong scientific groups, and even Institutes have grown up at a number of stations. They carry out scientific investigations on the basis of neutron monitor network data and provide the conditions for operative and real time exchange of data.