Dynamics of the globular cluster system associated with M87 (NGC 4486). I.New CFHT MOS spectroscopy and the composite database

We present a comprehensive database of kinematic, photometric, and position al information for 352 objects in the field of M87 (NGC 4486), the central giant elliptical galaxy in the Virgo Cluster; the majority of the tracers a re globular clusters associated with that galaxy. New kinematic information comes from multislit observations with the Multi-Object Spectrograph (MOS) of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), an investigation that has ad ded 96 new velocities to and confirmed many of the earlier values in a pree xisting data set of 256 velocities published elsewhere. The photometry, con sisting of magnitudes and colors in the Washington (T-1, C - T-1) system, i s based on CCD observations made at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observa tory (CTIO) and the Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO). The composite da tabase represents the largest compilation of pure Population II dynamical t racers yet identified in any external galaxy; moreover, it extends to large r spatial scales than have earlier investigations. The inclusion of photome tric information allows independent study of the distinct red and blue subp opulations of the bimodal globular cluster system of M87. In a companion pa per we use this powerful data set to analyze the present dynamical state of the M87 globular cluster system and consider the question of its interacti on and formation history.