Using the National Information Infrastructure for Social Science, Education, and Informed Decision Making

Abstract

The United States has aggressively embarked on the challenging task of building a National Information Infrastructure (NII). This infrastructure will have many levels, extending from the building-block capital stock that composes the telecommunications system to the multitude of higher tier applications hardware and software tied to this system. This "white paper" presents a vision for a second- and third-tier national information infrastructure that focuses exclusively on the needs of social science, education, and decision making (NII-SSEDM). NII-SSEDM will provide the necessary data, information, and automated decision support and educational tools needed to help this nation solve its most pressing social problems. The proposed system has five components: data collection systems; databases; statistical analysis and modeling tools; policy analysis and decision support tools; and materials and software specially designed for education. This paper contains : a vision statement for each component; comments on progress made on each component as of the early 1990s; and specific recommendations on how to achieve the goals described in the vision statements. The white paper also discusses how the NII-SSEDM could be used to address four major social concerns: insuring economic prosperity; health care; reducing crime and violence; and K-12 education. Examples of near-term and midterm goals (e.g., pre-and post-year 2000) are presented for consideration. Although the development of NII-SSEDM will require a concerted effort by government, the private sector, schools, and numerous other organizations, the success of NII-SSEDM is predicated upon the identification of an institutional "champion" to acquire and husband key resources and provide strong leadership and guidance.