Global Resource Information Research Articles

Technical Framework and Preliminary Practices of Global Geographic Information Resource Construction

Abstract. High-precision and real-time global geographic information data are fundamental and strategic resources in various fields such as safeguarding global strategic interests, studying global environmental changes, and planning for sustainable development. However, due to challenges related to ground control and obtaining reference information, the development of global geographic information resources faces significant hurdles in terms of geometric positioning, information extraction, and data mining. This paper starts with the characteristics of domestically produced remote sensing images and proposes a comprehensive technical framework centered around "uncontrolled geometric positioning, intelligent interpretation of typical elements, mining of multi-source data from abroad, and intelligent hybrid collection and compilation of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs)." The paper elaborates on the key technical challenges that need to be overcome and their corresponding solutions. It also outlines the development of relevant data products and production technical specifications. Multiple production-oriented software tools were developed, leading to the creation of a variety of data products in multiple types and scales, including global 30-meter land cover data, DEM data, core vector data, and more.

Information Technology in Activities of the World’s Leading Libraries and Their Use under Modern Communications

The aim of the article is to highlight the main trends in the development and implementation of information and communication technology in the library service system of the world’s leading countries. The research methodology is based on the integrated use of general scientific and structural-functional methods. To clarify the evolution of information and communication strategies in library practice, there is a social communication approach, special historical methods. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the comprehensive generalisation of new information and library services used in multiple countries. Conclusions. Among the priority tasks of foreign libraries, there is the creation of their e-products, development of search information strategies, solving problems of digitisation of documents, and introduction of innovative means of information. Leadership in the development of communication technologies belongs to US libraries, which in the 1970s implemented the first projects to inform the library process, digitise holdings and create e-libraries. Among European countries, information and communication technology is being intensively implemented in libraries of Germany, Sweden and Denmark. The concept of the machinery of information flows has developed rapidly in the East, especially in libraries in China, Japan and Korea. Ukraine is actively using international electronic databases to build its strategy for library informatisation. At this stage, the task is to create integrated global information resources based on corporate activities of libraries for the accumulation, storage and dissemination of information flows, and development of effective search engines and information services for users.

IMPROVING THE WEBSITE AS THE MAIN TOOL OF E-BUSINESS

The article defines the essence of e-business, identifies the main forms of trade transactions via the Internet. It is noted that e-business is directly related to information and communication technologies, focused on achieving a specific goal of the business entity, through information technology, and is a specific system. The main types and characteristics of websites as the main tool of e-business are identified: business card site, company website with product catalog, online stores, news search portals, information portals, web-sites of goods accounting, accounting. The main opportunities for using the website to run a business, which allows the company to create and deploy information resources of the organization, accelerate user access to information at any time, conduct advertising campaigns, integrate information resources with resources of suppliers, business partners and global information resources. We analyzed U.S. statistics that prove the value of a website, and say that 85% of people in the world conduct online research on a product or service before reviewing or buying it, and trust online reviews as well as personal recommendations, when As a result, businesses can lose 22% to 70% of potential customers, when placing negative articles on the first pages of search, and before deciding to work with the client, more than half of Americans searched for information on Google. Based on statistics, the most effective methods of improving the website were identified: measuring the effectiveness of the company’s website, improving visibility through search engine optimization, investing in search marketing, improving digital strategy, creating an online plan and personalization.

The Refined Gravity Field Models for Height System Unification in China

A unified height datum is essential for global geographic information resource construction, ecological environment protection, and scientific research. The goal of this paper is to derive the geopotential value for the Chinese height datum (CNHD) in order to realize the height datum unification in China. The estimation of height datum geopotential value usually depends on high-precision global gravity field models (GFMs). The satellite gravity missions of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Exploration (GOCE) provide high-accuracy, medium–long-wavelength gravity field spectra, but satellite-only GFMs are limited to medium–long wavelengths, which will involve omission errors. To compensate for the omission errors in satellite-only GFMs, a spectral expansion approach is used to obtain the refined gravity field models using the EGM2008 (Earth Gravitational Model 2008) and residual terrain model (RTM) technique. The refined GFMs are evaluated by using high-quality GNSS/leveling data, the results show that the quasi-geoid accuracy of the refined DIR_R6_EGM2008_RTM model in China has optimal accuracy and, compared with the EGM2008 model and the DIR_R6 model, this refined model in China is improved by 9.6 cm and 21.8 cm, and the improvement ranges are 35.7% and 55.8%, respectively. Finally, the geopotential value of the Chinese height datum is estimated to be equal to 62,636,853.29 m2s−2 with respect to the global reference level defined by W0 = 62,636,853.4 m2s−2 by utilizing the refined DIR_R6_EGM2008_RTM model and 1908 high-quality GNSS/leveling datapoints.

Prospects of Small Business Development in Russian Distribution Sector in the Context of Development of Communication Technology and Trade and Information Globalisation

The paper outlines research findings concerning the aspects and impact of the global environment for small, micro, individual, and family businesses and the self-employed engaged in the distribution sector. It also explores the potential of the information and communications sector for their online transformation. These findings allow the conclusion that internal and global information and communications resources combined with digital tools help to create conditions for a successful online transformation of small, micro, individual, and family businesses and the self-employed in the distribution sector on single digital platforms. This online transformation would help them avoid a direct competitive fight with major retail chains enjoying meaningful advantages in the online environment. One of the successful directions of online transformation for small, micro, individual, and family businesses and the self-employed in the distribution sector is the C2C market operating on global digital platforms.

Theories of information societies in the context of network identity

In the modern social philosophy the problem of determining the ontology of the social reality that followed the industrial society is topical as never before. Topicality and variability of the problem resulted in creating an abundance of theoretical concept of society, which often oppose. The article uses the notions of «information», «modern», «network» societies as equal, since having different methodological and research base, these categories come from the analysis of one and the same social phenomenon: formation and development of the new type society that is different from the industrial and post-industrial societies. Such a society features the increasing role of information, knowledge and information technologies, increase in the number of people engaged in information technologies, communications and manufacture of information products and services, creation of global information space ensuring the effective informational interaction between individuals via the access to global information resources, informational products and services, which in its turn brings up the problem of personality adaptation to the altered social and cultural environments. The article discusses the theories of M. McLuhan, A. Toffler and M. Castells as theorists of post-industrial society, who consider the communication technology as a decisive factor of the process of forming this or that social economic system. The authors analyze problems of network communities existence, their influence on a human and his identity in the context of these theories.

The Dynamics of Information Flows with the Key Terms Nanobio- or Bionano- in Global and Russian Information Resources

The Dynamics of Information Flows with the Key Terms Nanobio- or Bionano- in Global and Russian Information Resources

ANALYSIS AND COMPARISON OF SRTM3 DEM AND ASTER GDEM V2

Abstract. Global Geographic Information Resources Construction and Maintenance Renewal Project is in urgent need of digital elevation model worldwide. At present, the errors of ASTER GDEMv2 and SRTM3 DEM data widely used are unevenly distributed. In this paper, high-precision and high-resolution WorldDEM data are taken as true values, and flat areas in Turkey and alpine region in Nepal are selected respectively as two test areas A and B. The vertical accuracy of ASTER GDEMv2 and SRTM3 DEM data is verified and compared by using DEM elevation difference numerical analysis, spatial differentiation analysis, slope spectrum curve and other methods. The results show that the two digital elevation models in flat terrain conform to the nominal accuracy, and the vertical accuracy of SRTM3 DEM has an advantage, while the vertical accuracy of ASTER GDEMv2 in high elevation area with large terrain fluctuation is obviously higher than that of SRTM3 DEM , and the area of SRTM3 DEM data accuracy exceeding nominal accuracy is larger. On this basis, the applicability of the two kinds of DEM is analyzed. It is concluded that SRTM3 DEM data with better accuracy should be selected in low altitude plain areas, ASTER GDEM data with higher resolution should be given priority in hilly areas with complex terrain and high mountain areas with severe topographic fluctuations, and ASTER GDEM data can be used to supplement the uncovered areas of SRTM3 DEM。In addition, in areas with high vegetation coverage, the accuracy of the two data is greatly affected, which can be supplemented by ICESAT/GLAS and ICESAT2/GLAS data with strong vegetation penetration ability. The results can provide scientific basis and data support for global space information projects.

Assessment of the Contribution of Online Information Resources in Open Distance Learning Mode to the Development of Lifelong Learning in South-West, Nigeria

Global information resources and sophisticated technology have accelerated the availability and utilization of Online Information Resources (OIR) in the Open Distance Learning environment. The study examines the contributions of OIR to Open Distance and Lifelong Learning in relation to three purposively selected dual-mode institutions in South-West Nigeria. A sample of 425 open distancelearners was purposively selected from three (3) dual-mode institutions and three (3) study centres from the only single-mode university in Nigeria. The finding shows that OIR contributed significantly to both Open Distance and Lifelong learning. The finding highlights the increased desire for continued learning and the suitability of the OIR in enhancing learning and ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education. This, nevertheless, suggests that government should ensure the implementation of the vision of free Wi-Fi in public spaces.

Grammar aspect of English and German acquisition in Russian medium

Bilingualism and multilingualism in education has become a reality in the modern multi-cultural world. In recent years, there have been numerous studies proving benefits from bilingual and multilingual approaches in education. Proficiency in second or third languages has many benefits starting from excellence in academic studies and easier access to global information resources and ending with personal awareness of cultural diversity of the world and global mobility. There is overwhelming evidence that English and German are the most popular languages chosen for the Unified State Exam in a foreign language in Russia. The study shows that a worthwhile investment of time and effort into grammatical aspect of language acquisition is of great value. The research is based on the data collected in an experiment involving 38 senior students of gymnasium 6 in Ivanteevka (Moscow Region, Russia). The result of the experiment proves the efficiency of the translanguaging approach to teaching English or German grammar. The successful formation of grammar skills in oral and written speech is based on the comparative analysis of the languages (L1, L2, L3). The mistakes which were predetermined by the differences in grammatical features of the target languages were eliminated by laying emphasis on developing mostly productive rather than reproductive skills. The cognitive exercises used the experiment enlarged the students` meta-disciplinary knowledge and helped them to master analytical skills. By comparing cultural, linguistic and social phenomena existing in L1, L2 and L3 the experimentees came to realize their belonging to the global community and the necessity of application of their language skills to successfully function as an equal member of this community. This approach could be widely used in comprehensive schools in the Russian Federation, adding to the positive effects on intellectual growth and enhancing students` linguistic, emotional and personal development.

The Library as a Form of Cultures Communication

Introduction. The increased interest to the history of book cultures, cultural linkages, and expanding international contacts between libraries has led to the search for new models for book and cultural exchange. Library as a social institution is one of the important elements of society, integrated into its socio-political, ideological and valuable structure. In addition to cultural historical documents it provides socially meaningful information to various segments of the population, is engaged in archiving of information, identify its importance and validity. Thereby satisfying the diverse needs of the meaningful information becomes a mediator between knowledge and society, between author and reader. Changes in the political, social and spiritual spheres, impact on activities of libraries. The study of the communicative practices acquires special importance. International cooperation can be attributed to forms of cultural interaction, as example it can be the exchange of not only books but also of information technology.Methodology and sources. Methodologically, the work is based on cultural-historical and socio-philosophical analysis of the research literature.Results and discussion. Library is considered as a medium of intercultural communication as a form of relationship cultures. Its main function is to preserve and promote the cultural diversity, the development of ethnic and national traditions of the society. Libraries are a form of cultural and information exchange. Therefore, the information approach needs to be supplemented with socio-philosophical and culturological approach, considering the library as a form of interrelation of cultures. Their reorganization on this basis will facilitate the formation of intellectually and culturally educated humanity, which will solve the conflict peacefully through dialogue and cooperation. The result of this research is the understanding of the role of libraries in the extension and development of the world communities in the Search for optimal ways of meeting the reader and the book, effective methods of development of texts contributes to the solution of problems of intercultural communication.Conclusion. Globalization and digitization are changing the ways of communication, reading and understanding the information. Increase diversity of resources stimulate interest in selfeducation and distance learning. Currently, the role of libraries in the document-information processes, archiving and reporting. They become an effective platform for self-learning and online learning. The reader perceives a book together text and visual forms, using as a search tool of information and interactive technology, and various Internet resources. In addition, libraries are focused on international cooperation and cultural dialogue. The organization of visiting exhibitions, creation of global information resources, book presentations and publishing projects promote the cultural heritage and book collections.

Toward Fine-Grained, Privacy-Preserving, Efficient Multi-Domain Network Resource Discovery

Multi-domain network resource reservation systems are being deployed, driven by the demand and substantial benefits of providing predictable network resources. However, a major lack of existing systems is their coarse granularity, due to the participating networks’ concern of revealing sensitive information, which can result in substantial inefficiencies. This paper presents Mercator, a novel multi-domain network resource discovery system to provide fine-grained, global network resource information, for collaborative sciences. The foundation of Mercator is a resource abstraction through algebraic-expression enumeration ( i.e. , linear inequalities/equations), as a compact representation of multiple properties of network resources ( e.g. , bandwidth, delay, and loss rate) in multi-domain networks. In addition, we develop an obfuscating protocol, to address the privacy concerns by ensuring that no participant can associate the algebraic expressions with the corresponding member networks. We also introduce a super-set projection technique to increase Mercator’s scalability. We implement a prototype Mercator and deploy it in a small federation network. We also evaluate the performance of Mercator through extensive experiments using real topologies and traces. Results show that Mercator 1) efficiently discovers available networking resources in collaborative networks on average four orders of magnitude faster, and allows fairer allocations of network resources; 2) preserves the member networks’ privacy with little overhead; and 3) scales to a collaborative network of 200 member networks.

Review of the AVERT, a Global Information and Education on HIV and AIDS Resource

Avert.org, the website of the Avert charity, is a global information and education resource on HIV and AIDS which sets the standard for HIV/AIDS consumer health websites. Its general flow sets the stage for an easy to use and accessible resource. The site strives to be inclusive, non-biased, and filled with nothing but the best, evidence-based information about the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Their outreach extends to consumers, educators, and professionals, and is a solid source for any age group, population, or region.

Supporting 21st Century Taxonomy and Society Through Collaborative Cataloguing of the World's Species

Biological sciences have for more than 250 years depended on the nomenclatural system established by Carl Linnaeus to assign names to the world's species. These names can be considered to be a pre-digital effort to associate species, as key biological concepts, with globally unique identifiers. All sciences and all other human endeavours that relate to biological organisms have depended on this system to enable international communication and connect essential knowledge for taxonomy, conservation, agriculture, pest and disease management, trade and many other fields. Unfortunately, the scale and complexity both of life on earth and of the continued efforts by taxonomists to describe the millions of species on earth have prevented subsequent Linnaeus' followers from attempting to deliver a comprehensive catalogue of named species. Instead, many millions of names have been published throughout a vast and disconnected multilingual literature. Experts studying particular groups of organisms are likely to be familiar with the history of naming for their species of interest, but the dream of a fully interconnected naming system has remained elusive. In the last 25 years, major efforts have sought to address this need by assisting experts in collating the scattered information on scientific names and organising it in a consistent way. Most significantly, Species 2000, working in partnership with the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), has led development of the Catalogue of Life (CoL). CoL is the most comprehensive and authoritative global index of species currently available. It consists of a single integrated species checklist and taxonomic hierarchy. The Catalogue holds essential information on the names, relationships and distributions of over 1.8 million species. This figure continues to rise as information is compiled from diverse sources around the world. However, CoL is still far from complete, with several important megadiverse groups mostly lacking. Additionally, some segments of the Catalogue require major work to resolve synonymy or to incorporate recent names. As a result, there is still no complete checklist of the world's species. Recognising the important role and efforts of many others that are aligned with this vision, including the existing nomenclatural databases (IPNI, Index Fungorum, ZooBank, etc.), other significant international checklist initiatives (especially WoRMS and World Flora Online) and many regional and national checklist databases (some with official status within national regulations), it is clear that a more collaborative model is needed to accelerate completion of this global catalogue. The benefits from achieving this will be significant, reducing wasted efforts in repeated databasing of the same core information on names and species, maximising the benefits from contributions of taxonomists and others to improve coverage and completeness, offering confidence to researchers and to data infrastructures in interpretation of all scientific names, facilitating community discussion and assessment of divergent perspectives on species classification, and providing a framework for documentation and communication of information on biogrography, species traits and interactions, conservation status, etc. In particular, the global information resource and national versions should be complementary and all products should benefit equally from new additions and corrections. Likewise relevant experts should be empowered to contribute freely to maintaining and improving this critical biodiversity data infrastructure. Achieving these goals will require innovative tools and community models that enable the international taxonomic community to contribute their expertise efficiently and ensure that information entered is never lost, only improved. This session is to refine this vision and contribute to planning for a comprehensive collaborative taxonomic catalogue.

Cost Efficient and Low-Latency Network Service Chain Deployment Across Multiple Domains for SDN

With the fast development of Internet, network traffic rapidly grows and the size of Internet scale gradually becomes bigger. It brings serious challenges to Network Service Chain (NSC) deployment across multiple domains which are managed by different network operators and service providers. It is difficult for each server in the multi-domain network to obtain a global topology view and available resource information of other domains. Meanwhile, there exist various operational strategies for different network operators and service providers in the multi-domain network. How to optimally deploy NSCs in a multi-domain network to realize cost efficient and low latency service provisioning is challenging. To this end, in this paper, we study the problem of NSC deployment across multiple domains. Specifically, by leveraging Software Defined Networking (SDN) architecture, we present a novel service deployment framework to deploy Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) in the multi-domain network in a cost efficient and low latency method. Then, we establish a multi-objective optimization model with the target of minimizing end-to-end delay, service cost and operational cost with the constraints of resource allocation and VNF dependency relationships. Furthermore, we design a novel heuristic NSC deployment algorithm to solve the optimization model. In the proposed heuristic algorithm, VNF dependency relationship based NSC processing workflow optimization method and Dijkstra algorithm based NSC deployment adjustment method are presented to optimize delay and cost. Finally, extensive simulations demonstrate that the proposed heuristic deployment algorithm is efficient and outperforms comparison algorithms in terms of end-to-end delay, service cost and operational cost.

Создание базы данных ценных природных территорий для муниципальных и региональных ГИС на примере Вологодской области

Preservation of biological diversity is one of the most important conditions for sustainable development and rational nature management. To solve a set of problems related to the study and conservation of biodiversity, it is proposed to use the geoinformation approach as a specific synthesis and integration of cartographic, landscape, population and ecosystem approaches. GIS technology allows you to combine extensive descriptive information with cartographic objects; use multi-layered multiscale information not only in research, but also in environmental and nature-use tasks. The global trend in the study of biodiversity and the dynamics of ecosystems is the creation of global information resources by combining databases, software packages for analysis and modeling into a single information environment, which allows for comprehensive research, scientific forecasting and making informed management decisions for the rational use of natural resources. One of the priority directions of the international programs of the world biodiversity research (the VI/22 Forest Biological Diversity Convention, 2001) is associated with the study of rare species that are an important link in the conservation of biological diversity and the main indicator of anthropogenic change in the planet's ecosystems. Inventory of the diversity of rare species and reliable methods for assessing their condition are necessary for the creation of Red Books, Pas’ Inventories and identification of the representativeness of the existing network of PAs, organization of scientifically based environmental ratings of regions and countries. Currently, in connection with the threat of the disappearance of the “Red Data Book” species, spatial analysis and monitoring of the effectiveness of measures taken to conserve biodiversity within the framework of national strategies is needed. The relevance of the topic of the presented work is conditioned by the necessity of systematization and generalization of the accumulated material on the variety of valuable habitats and rare species of the Vologda region for presenting it in an accessible format using modern geoinformation technologies.

Using ORCID, DOI, and Other Open Identifiers in Research Evaluation

An evaluator’s task is to connect the dots between program goals and its outcomes. This can be accomplished through surveys, research, and interviews, and is frequently performed post hoc. Evaluation is hampered by a lack of data that clearly connect a program with its outcomes and, in particular, by ambiguity about who has participated in the program and what contributions they have made. Manually making these connections is very labor-intensive, and algorithmic matching introduces errors and assumptions that can distort results. In this paper, we discuss the use of identifiers in evaluation -- for individuals, their contributions, and the organizations that sponsor them and fund their work. Global identifier systems are uniquely positioned to capture global mobility and collaboration. By leveraging connections between local infrastructures and global information resources, evaluators can map data sources that were previously either unavailable or prohibitively labor-intensive. We describe how identifiers, such as ORCID iDs and DOIs, are being embedded in research workflows, how this is affecting data availability for evaluation purposes, and provide examples of evaluations that are leveraging identifiers. We also discuss the importance of provenance and preservation in establishing confidence in the reliability and trustworthiness of data and relationships, and in the long-term availability of metadata describing objects and their inter-relationships. We conclude with a discussion on opportunities and risks for the use of identifiers in evaluation processes.

Automatic detection of cohorts in the haystack of academic publications

IntroductionDiscovering suitable datasets is an important part of health research, particularly for projects using linked and/or cohort data, but with the proliferation of so many national and international initiatives, it is becoming increasingly difficult for research teams to locate real world datasets that are most relevant to their project objectives.
 Objectives and ApproachTo assist researchers in this, a bibliographic data analysis platform, bibInsight, is being developed which aims to identify potentially useful datasets, among other information, from large numbers of publications.
 A search dataset on the broad topic of "dementia" was obtained from PubMed and abstracts mentioning cohort names were identified. These helped in determining the context within which cohort data are mentioned. Terms were also informed by specialist knowledge from the European Medical Information Framework (EMIF) Alzheimer's Disease project, and were used to train a one-class classifier that identified their structure.
 ResultsThe initial PubMed search resulted in 129,040 articles, with 1961 identified cohorts. From these, the classifier was able to identify 1,588 as containing cohort information, and 373 as not, a precision of approximately 80\%.
 The terms identified by the classifier included "annual", "longitudinal", and "prospective", suggesting re-contact.
 Further analysis of these 1,588 abstracts can find those most relevant to specific topics, co-authorship collaborations (suggesting data sharing agreements are already in place), and mention of linkage to other datasets. These can be done through keyword extraction, longitudinal data mining methods, linking author affiliations to institutions through the Global Resource Information Database (GRID), and graph databases, all of which have been built into the bibInsight platform.
 Conclusion/Implications`This approach shows promise in facilitating research by making literature searches more efficient. A key issue is working with unstructured text data which requires additional standardisation for analysis. Data reuse is a growing area, and publications can assist this, but better reporting would be beneficial.

INFORMATIONAL RESOURCES ON POTATO GERMPLASM COLLECTIONS

The potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most important food crops, the advantage of which is the ability to give a high yield in a wide range of agroecosystems, high specific production of dry weight per unit of cultivated area. Nowadays potato is considered a source of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and other nutrients. Potato cultivars are characterized by low genetic diversity, which reduces their potential to produce varieties with improved properties. Wild potato relatives retain a high degree of genetic diversity, which can be used to find the superior alleles and for their further transfer to cultural genotypes. To this end, there is an intense development of potato gene banks, with the help of the information technology to access the data. The present review is devoted to global information resources in potato. It describes the most relevant information portals and databases of genetic resources for potatoes. Analysis of information in the Internet shows that the main information resources on potato collections are concentrated in the United States and Europe. Information portals provide a wide variety of information useful to producers, consumers and breeders. On such portals, there is an intensive information support of the latest technologies in the field of potato growing and breeding. An interesting direction is the provision of services to determine the DNA prints (markers) of potato varieties, involvement of potato growers in the process of operational monitoring of diseases and pests of potatoes. Integration of data on potato collections plays an important role at the present stage. In line with this, European collections and databases are being developed. However, despite the existence of pan-European potato collection, national collections are still given support. An important collection-related trend in recent years has been inclusion of samples with a large number (more than a hundred) characteristics, which are evaluated by constantly testing varieties within the framework of foreign state breeding programs. As a result of access to such information, the breeder can effectively plan an experiment with the purpose of directed selection for key features of plants. These trends confirm the effectiveness of the use of the latest technologies (including information) in the maintenance and dissemination of potato genetic resources.

Access to Scholarly Research Information in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review

AbstractSince the year 2000, the world has witnessed an increased call for improved access to scholarly information. The cost of scholarly content is a major barrier in accessing needed research information. In order to fully contribute to the global knowledge economy, African scholars need to access both global information resources and locally published works. Few studies have focused on the African knowledge production vis-à-vis access to scholarly research information in Africa. This paper examines access to scholarly research information in sub-Saharan Africa. The review focuses on available published works on access to scientific literature in Africa and seeks to understand Africa’s scholarly publishing scene. In the process, challenges and opportunities regarding access to scholarly research information are explored. Three approaches in addressing these issues emerge in literature – namely (i) open access, (ii) donor-funded schemes and (iii) negotiated access schemes for scholarly content. This review shows that these approaches have leveraged information access to the African researchers who now have almost the same levels of access to scientific literature as their peers in the developed world. African governments, institutions, researchers and librarians still need to exploit the potential of open access. There remain, however, infrastructural issues that need to be addressed to ensure that the African scholar enjoys access to current scientific information.