Abstract
In a medical research environment, the integrity of a computer data file system is of the utmost importance. Data collected in a specific experiment may be irreproducible and may have to be collected over long periods before trends are analysable. Further, the research personnel are often inexperienced in computer techniques and do not wish to be concerned with the intricacies of operating systems and the hardware when storing or retrieving information. This paper describes the design objectives and implementation techniques of a system for filing data and programs as developed by the ACME Facility ( Advanced Computer for MEdical Research) at the Stanford University Medical Center. ACME is a real-time, time-shared system in which the user enters programs through a typewriter terminal or retrieves them from his file for immediate execution. Data may be collected in a real-time mode from laboratory instruments, analysed and selected or summarised, and filed in permanent storage under the control of the researcher's program. The filing routines were written with several criteria in mind: ease of use, reliability, speed of operation, flexibility, and maintainability. The techniques used to achieve a balance of each of these criteria are described. The ACME file system has been operational for two and a half years. The experience gained is presented by discussing several applications to specific projects and by summarising statistically the types and efficiency of usage of the available storage space. Some concluding remarks are made regarding hardware and software developments which should ease the application of computer filing systems to medical research.
Published Version
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