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NASA Technical Memorandum 108984 Modernization of the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Program G. Cotter, J. Hunter, and K. Ostergaard (NASA-TM-I08984) MODERNIZATION OF N93-19936 THE NASA SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION PROGRAM (NASA} 10 p Unclas G3/82 0150546 tI2B_O__B_I]A TECHNICAL INFORMATION

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The NASA Scientific and Technical Information Program mflizes a technology infrastructure assembled in the mid 1960s to late 1970s to process and disseminate its informationproducts. When this infrastructure was developed it placed NASA as a lead_ in processing ST[. The retrieval engine for the ST[ database was the f'trst of its kind and was used as the basis for developing commercial, oth_" U.S., and foreign governn_nt agency _tricval systems. Du.c to the combination of changes in user requirements capabilities readily available in the marketplace, effective or efficient methodology available. and the tremendous increase m technologxcal this infrastructure is no longer the most cost- Consequently, the NASA STI Program is pursuing a modernization effort that applies new technology to current processes to provide near-term benefits to the user. In conjunction with this activity, we are developing a long-term modernization strategy designed to transition the Program to a multimedia, global "library without walls." Critical pieces of the long-term strategy include suv.amlinmg access to sources of STI by using advances in computer networking and graphical user interfaces; creating and disseminating technical information in various electronic media including optical disks, video, and full text; and establishing a Technology Focus Group to maintain a current awareness of emerging technology and to plan for the future.

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INTRODUCTION The NASA Scientific and Technical Information (STI) Program is a combination of systems, functions, products, services, and information professionals that share the common mission of providing for the "widest practicable and appropriate dissemination" of information concerning NASA activities and research results(l) . The Program is geographically and organizationally dispersed across NASA Headquarters, each of the 13 NASA Research and Flight Centers, and service centers such as the Center for AeroSpace Information (CASD. The Program provides interfaces to and from other U.S. government agencies engaged in the collection and dissemination ofscientificand technicalinformationand toand from internationalaerospaceagenciessuchasthe EuropeanSpaceAgency (ESA). The Program'suser community includesNASA scientists,engineers,and managers; NASA contractors;otherU.S.governmentagenciesand theircontractors;U.S.industryand theacademic community; and theinternationalaerospacecommunity. Intotal,over7,000entitiesareregistered with the Program but sincemany of theseare actuallyregisteredat the intermediaryand organizationallevel,thenumber of end usersreachedby theProgram ismuch greater.For example, the number of registeredinternationalusersinJanuary 1992 was 700 althoughthe potentialend userpopulationderivedfrom theseregistrationscouldbe ashighas40,000m. A central inventory of all information products acquired by the Program is maintained m the CASI in the STI Database. Included are roughly three million NASA research reports and technical memoranda, conference proceedings, and journal articles within NASA's scope of interest. The STI Database is used to generate hard copy and online products such as the T_hnical Aerospace Reports (STAR) announcement series and the NASA REsearch CONnection (P,ECON3 online database.7 when developedinthe1960s,RECON positionedNASA as a leaderinonlinedisseminationof STI;theRECON retrievalenginebecame thebasisforothercommercialand governmentagency onlinesystems.In theinterveningyears,however,theNASA versionof thesystem was only upgraded in minor ways. Today RECON remains a command-driven bibliographicretrieval system. Users state that in addition to these capabilities, they need online access to the full text of published and other STI, improved ways to search this information, and capabilities for integraRng theresultsacrossdiverseformatsand sources.Inaddition,thehighlydistributedand diversified natureof the NASA usercommunity requiresthatwe begintotakeadvantageof advancesin computer systemsnetworkingin orderto deliverSTI directlyto individualend usersat the desktop.SeveralNASA usersurveysconductedsince1990validatetheserequirementso). At thesame time,therealityof continuallyshrinkingU.S. government budgetsrequiresus to develop a strategyforstreamliningour informationproductsand deliveringthem more cost effectively.We need to focus,forexample,on replacingselectedhard copy documents with electronicmedia inordertoreduceproductionand usercosts.And, we need toenhanceproduct accuracy,completeness,and the timelinessof deliveryto avoid the high costof research duplication and missedresearch opportunities. Page I

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BACKGROUND Beginning in late 1990, the pro.gram a_4opted and applied business, sys_mpla_. " _ methodologies to develop and refine a Strategic Plan _ ). Among me many oojecuves oennea m me vmn, xour are key to Program modernization: 1. Enhance the quality of our products and services through a focus on the customer 2. Enhance and improve access to STI resources for the user community 3. Increase the scope of and access to foreign source materials 4. Improve current operations In line with the fast objective, the Program reoriented its focus to the Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy of providing customers with products of value that meet their needs through continuous improvement of the production process. The Program was reorganized internally to support a proaetive user outreach function. A board of senior NASA scientists and managers, the STI Council, was formed to provide advice on user requirements and monitor Program progress. In the Spring of 1992, the Program established.a STI Technology Focus C_. up. composed of representatives from across the STI Program. This group is responsible for maintaining a current awareness of emerging technologies and developing recommendations on the application of the technologies to Program modemiz.ation. User inputs and technology surveys are being synthesized continually to identify and refine moderm_tion strategies for each of the critical Program objectives. A summary of current objectives and modernization strategies is presented in Table I on the following page. Page 2

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Table 1 NASA STI Program Objectives and Modernization Strategies OBJECTIVE MODERNIZATION STRATEGIES Provide for quality ement through a focus on • Develop user outreach function the customer • Establish formal mechanisms for user input and fvedtmk Enhance and improve access to STI •Ufit_eGraphicmlUser Interfaces (GUIs) • Provide applications and communications gateway • Develop value-added search tools • Implement full text search • Expand coverage of multimedia pmdacts • Surenr,hen inu'a-govmm'nt exchange agreements in In.me scope and access to foreign source materials • Expandsou e.xchangeagreements • Automate _ _on • Provide for world-wide connectivity Improve current operations • Upgrade s_pon _ems • Evolve electronic publishing, document exchange, THE MODERNIZATION APPROACH and distribution capabilities The Program's approach to modernization can be characterized as one of "evolutionary development." This approach is consistent with current U.S. Government policy and procedures designed m reduce the risk and cost of new system acquisition through the cautious, incremental building of system components. It emphasizes the use of already proven commercially available technology and other government developed or public domain products. Also emphasized is the use of standards to ensure the lowest cost migration path for future enhancements and to support the greatest potential for interoperability among and between system components. Central to the evolutionary approach is the use of prototyping for rapid fielding and testing of system components that can be re-engineered and reused in later versions based on lessons learned from prototype users. Since 1990, the STI Program has initiated several prototype projects that address modernization objectives. Four of these prototypes are discussed in the following section. While all of the prototypes are intended to demonstrate and test a long term concept with the user community, some of the prototypes may evolve into production systems. Table 2 provides a summary of modernization strategies, current projects and prototypes, and long-term concepts. Highlights of these are provided Page 3 in the following section.

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TABLE 2 NASA STI Modernization Strategies, Current Projects and Long Term Concepts MODERNIZATION CURRENT STRATEGY PROJECTS LONG TERM CONCEPTS STI Users Group, Bulletin Permanent electronic-based NASA User Fcedback/OulJeach Functions NASA Boards, Consolidated HELP Desk, ST[ Users Group User Surveys, Customer Satisfaction Metrics, STI Awareness Campai_ GUI, Gateway Interfaces, Value-Added NAM Prototype Search Tools i= ii Enterprise-wide milomble GUI, Gateway(s) to all required =oteces, both internal and external Full Text Search/Multimedia FTS Al_ves Evaluation; RECON replacement/migratimto Nonprint Cataloging Project FTTuuage document retrieval; Extended search capabilities Electronic Publishing Eleclronic Publishing Prototype; Full life cycle electronic acquisitions_ ASTRO/CD Prototype publishing, and ¢fisseminafion; optical i archivins ,, i Expansion of Coverage NTC Interface,Exchangeagreement Expan¢_ source¢in=casedga=way enl=ncements Worldwide Connectivity Coun_-by-counu'y au:essand sharedp'w.essing connectivity for Global STINetwork elecu'onic document exchange Automatic Translation SYSTRAN Evaluation Prototype Full life cycle support for translations,minimizing human intervention I i Support Systems Upgrade Downsizing; selected operational teqxise-wide MIS, integration with upgrades and pmce imlxovemenls; operational OCR Prototype CURRENT PROJECTS AND LONG TERM User Outreach/Feedback Functions CONCEPTS The past two years have seen the implementation of several new user input and feedback mechanisms including a consolidatedcentrallylocatedHELP desk;severaluser sm'veys;monthly customer satisfactionreviews;more extensivequarterlyfunctionalreviews with each of theNASA user installations;and the initiationof a NASA Users Group. The current users group concept involves the formation of specialdisciplineor technology-based focus subgroups thatserve as forums for the evaluationof current products and for the generation of requirements for new products. The most striking thing that our users and potential users tell us about their needs is the requirement for a greater awareness of the Program's offerings. In response, we have implemented an extensive user awareness campaign that includes the use of Conference exhibits, pamphlets, video,and othermedia. Many of these materialsare also included in the orientation package presented to every new NASA employee. Continued expansion of thisawareness will require more proactive one-on-one contact with our user community, in particular,with the scientistsand engineerswho manage criticalNASA Page 4 programs and projects.

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The easy flow of information to and from our users depends on expanding access capabilities such as global E-mail, electronic bulletin boards, and online point-of-sale evaluauon forms. These capabilities must be made available at the desktop along with the products that are used on a daily basis and are delivered over commonly used networks such as the Internet. In the long term, we see these capabilities made available through the evolution of prototypes such as the NASA Access Mechanism fNAM) described below. GUIs, Gateway Interfaces, and Value-Added Tools Implementation strategies for providing graphical user interfaces (GUIs), gateway communications, and other value-added tools are combined in the NAM prototype. The prototype was developed using the results of an initial analysis of researcher requirements at three NASA instatlations. Beta testing of the prototype at eight NASA installations in the Fall of 1992 will be used for fm'ther refinement of the product. A snapshot of the NAM main menu is contained in Figure 1. The menu's first push button option, on the left, provides access to the three databases frequently used by the NASA user community: RECON, STN Inspec, and STN Math. Also provided under this first option is a database locator tool that assists users in identifying the best of the available sources. Other main menu options provide access to the NASA Aerospace Research Information Network (ARIN); Email access; a peer locator tool; bulletin boaxd access; and access to utilities and information networks such as WAIS, USENET news, and an electronic version the the NASA Phone Book. Figure NAM Prototype options al t 1 Main Menu Ds_t Sources [mall Peer Locater BulleUn Board IRillUe8 .J m J.. NAM databasesearchscreenssupporttheentryofsearchparametersand thepresentationofresults withina Windows-based presentationformat. Assistanceisprovidedforthreelevelsof user expertisealongwithtoolsforviewing,extracting,and savingretrievedinformation. NAM is being developed in a multi-vendor platform environment. The product design emphasizes modularity and the use of applications and communications standards that will provide for migration to additional platforms. On the applications level the OSF/Motif tool kit is used for the GUI and the Standard Query Language (SQL) is used for database functions; the screen formats ar X-Windows based. The communications tool kit is written in PERL application language and is TCP/IP based. Page 5

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Evolutionary enhancements to NAM could include the capability to alter the user interface to the needs of specific user subgroup s , the ability to perform graphics-based searching such as chemical structuresearching,and theabilitytovisualizenumericdataobtainedremotely. A long-term strategy is to expand the application of the GUI and gateway technology developed underNAM toprovideeasy-to-use,uniform,and seamlessinterfacestoallNASA STI Program component and externalpartnersystems. Full Text Search and Multimedia The long term concept for this modernization strategy is to.replace the era'rent RE.CY)N system wi._ aco y a ble alt a ve thatwin.p rmitgration. m ab p textdocuments withembedded imagesand linkstoomer mcam tgrapmcs,waco, ariaaumo). • STI Technology Focus Group isnow evaluatingtherequiredtechnologywithan eye towards supportingextended searchingcapabilitiesas well (forexample, fuzzy searching,concept searching,and naturallanguage). A CD-ROM prototype,AerospaceScientificand TechnicalResearchon CD-ROM (ASTROICD), providesan interimalternativeto theuse of the RECON back file.The firstversionof this prototypecontainsbibliographiccitationsoftechnicalreportsand journalarticlesaccessionedin_ theNASA inventorydatabasefrom 1988 to 1992. The prototypeisbeingreleasedtoselecteo NASA userswho willevaluatetheproductandparticipateinitsrefinement A supporting project is underway at NASA CASI to develop proced .m'es and policy.for the catalogin.g, labeling, packaging, and storing of multimedia mate.ri."als. An..tmmedia_ result of ¢ project will be the production of a central catalog of NASA aumo ana waco materials, l:urrenuy these materials are stored and distributed by each of the NASA Centers individually. Electronic Publishing The Program's long-term objective in the area of electronic publishing is to implement a full l_rogram-widelifecycledocument management systemthatlinks_stributeddocument creation teswithcenwaliz distribution,administration,and archivingserwces.A first-phaseprototype designed to evaluate this concept is underway at NASA Headquarters, tCASI and two of the NASA Research Centers. The prototype makes use of commercial off-the-shelf turnkey technologyinterfacedtoexistinglocalareanetworksanddesktoppublishingequipment. Prototype evaluation results will be used in 1993 to define migration requirements, document retrieval,and databasesysteminterfacesaswell as implementationphasing. Expansion of Coverage The objectiveof expanded coverage isbeing achievedthroughseveralprojectsdesignedto strengtheninformationexchange agreementsand to develop new arrangementsfor sharing common processingsuchasdocument management, .mm_au.'on,.andca.mloging:..Anex.am_ of such an arrangementisa coo.¢rativeprojectwlm me i_a.non_1.ran..slatmnsi.;cnter.i_), a clearinghouse located at the Library of Congress, mat p.rovmes_ngus.n..guagewanstaU_s technical reports,journalarticles,confc_ncepapers,ano.paten..Ine..it-rog1"amm..es translationsavailablethroughtheNTC, theNTC prowdes N_A .wlm regumr upOatesto. e clearinghouses catalogof holdings.The NTC .records.areloadedintotheNASA STI umon catalogthatisaccessibleatallNASA installationsmrougn me _ system. In the international arena, the Program has been working with its partners in Australia, Canada, and Israel, and with ESA, to strengthen and improve information exchange processes o_. Page 6

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World-wide Connectivity The near-term approach to achieving connectivity between the STI Program and its international partners is based on developing country-by-country arrangements for selected electronic functions such as document exchange and Email. The long-term concept, refexred to as the "Global STINET." awaits the adoption of international data and communication standards and other technology that will permit the interoperability of and access to multinationalSTI databases. Automatic Translation The strategy for the Program's automatic translation project is to reduce the extent of labor intensive activity required for translatingforeign STI and to speed the distribution of the product to the end user. In a fLrst step prototype addressing this strategy, we adopted the U.S. Air Forcedeveloped SYSTRAN system for translating Russian, German, and French STI documents. Although some benefits have been realized, the prototype requires considerable human intervention, especially for pre- and post-translation processing. Further evolution of the prototype awaits commercial development of extensions to support these processes. CONCLUSION The previous two years have given rise to early development of STI Program modernization concepts and first phase prototypes for testing these concepts to. Central to the effort has been the strengthening of user outreach and feedback functions that allow us to focus on the customers and their needs. It is now possible to define measurable near-and long-term tactics to achieve our modernization goals. The next step in the process is to develop a working modernization plan that will guide our evolution to the target concept of a "library without walls." REFERENCES 1 The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, As Amended, 1983, U.S. Government PrintingOffice, Washington, D.C. 2 Holloway, K.; Voglewede, K., NASA Scientific & Technical Information Program, User Services Plan, 1992, The NASA Scientific and Technical Information Program, Washington, D.C. 3 Rosen, Robert, Final Report of the Scientific and Technical Information Committee, 1992, NASA Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology, Washington, D.C. 4 Scientific & Technical Information Program, A Strategic Direction, 1991, The NASA STI Program, Washington, D.C. 5 Scientific & Technical Information Program, International Aerospace Information, 1991, The NASA STI Program, Washington, D.C. 6 Sepic, Ron, Prologue to the Future, 1991, The NASA STI Program, Washington, D.C. Page 7

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REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form ARxoved OIVB No. 0704-0188 3.REPORT _ AND DATES CO_ I.AGENCY USE ONLY (L_bhmk) I 2. REPORT DATA MARCH 1993 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM I 4. 'ITH_ AND $UWITTLE 5. FUNDING NITMBELS Modernization of the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Program 6.AU'mOR(S) G. Cotter, J. Hunter, K. Ostergaard AND ADD1_S(ES) 8.RMING ORGAN.ATION 7. PERFORMING ORGA/ClZATION NAMES) NASA ST! Program REPORT NUMBER In SPONSOPJNG/MONrTOIUNG AGENCY ). SPONSOPJNG/MONITOPJNG AGENCY NAM]) AND ADDRF,SS(BS) ADMINISTRATION REPORT NUMBER NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE WASHINGTON, DC 20546 1I.SUPPL.EMI_ARY NOTES 12L DISTRIBUTIONIAVAILABILFrY S'rA_ UNCLASSIFIED - UNLIMITED SUBJECT CATEGORY 13. AI_TRACT (.,mx_um 200 words) TM-108984 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE The NASA Scientific and Technical Information Program utilizes a technology Infrastructure assembled In the mid 1960s to late 1970s to process and disseminate its information products. When this Infrastructure was developed It placed NASA as a leade in processing STI. The retrieval engine for the STI-databm was the first of its kind and was used as the basis for developing commercial, other U.S., and foreign govemrnent agency ratdeval systems. Due to the combination of changes In user requirements and the tremendous increase in technological capebilitlas readily available in the marketplace, this infrastructure is no longer the most cost-effective or efficient methodology available. Consequently, the NASA STI Program is pursuing a modernization effort that applies new technology to current processes to provide near-term benefits to the user. In conjunction with this activity, we are developing a long-term modernization strategy designed to transition the Program to multimedia, global "library without walls. = Critical pieces of the long-term strategy Include streamlining access to sources of STI by using advances in computer networking and graphical user interfaces; creating and disseminating technical Information in various electronic media including optical disks, video, and full text; end establishing a Technology Focus Group to maintain a current awareness of emarglng technology and to plan for the future. 4. SUBJECT TERMS rnodemization, information, electronlc media 17. SECURITY (7_ASSn_CATION OF REI_RT OF THIS PAGE 15. NIJMBER oF PAGES 16. PRI(B CODE 20.LIMrrATION OF AB-KACT 19.SF.CURITY (I.ASSIFICATION 18. _ C_A_IFICATION oF ABSTRACTUNCLASS UNCLASS UNCLASS UNLIMITED