Information Management Software Research Articles

Using language analysis to manage information

The ESPRIT Project SIMPR developed software to analyse documents and generate indexes for them. Of immediate application as a document indexing and classification system, this also offers a technology for information modelling that has broader implications, supporting many new uses for information management software. The Project was based on the assumption that information can only be managed successfully by computer systems that can view the information contained in a document through the language in which the document is written, and that systems need to be sufficiently flexible to respond to the changing requirements of document use.

Bioboss - Information and Data Management Software for Fermentation Process Development

Bioboss is a new information and data management software designed to assist researchers in the development of fermentation processes. Bioboss offers tools for the description and design of experiments, the analysis, and storing of experimental data, and for the storage and management of information. Bioboss’s facilities are especially useful in large and time-consuming process and product development projects.

Models for hypertext

Features characteristic of hypertext are no longer the providence of specialized hypertext systems. Interfaces exhibiting the “power of linking” can be found in software ranging from document preparation programs to operating systems, providing users with many new ap proaches to individual and group information management. To take advantage of the new opportunities afforded by this migration, it is important to understand hypertext at representation levels beneath the more superficial aspects of the human-computer interface. Three abstract models for hypertext-representative members of a spectrum of popular formalisms-are presented to provide insight into the meaning and potential of hypertext. Each model represents a different level in the design-decision process necessary for effective hypertext development, and each model plays an important role in development and use of information management software exhibiting hypertext features. Hypertext provides new methods for organizing and presenting information. The technology has been employed to facilitate personal information management, improve use of large information resources, and coordinate complex planning tasks. Support for hypertexts and related systems is motivated by a belief that hypertext can provide more efficient and personalized access to text by complementing the global search techniques of traditional information retrieval systems with focal navigation based on meaningful inter- and intradocument connections or “links” identified by other means. Informally, hypertext is simply a collection of modular text elements and a set of inter- and intraelement relationships that can be ordered in many ways and used to satisfy a broad range of personalized information needs. More formally, hypertext is: (1) a database of text; (2) a semantic net which connects text components; and (3) tools for creating and manipulating this combination of text and semantic net (Conklin, 1987; Rada & Lunin, 1989; Schnase, Leggett, Kacmar, & Boyle, 1988). Hypermedia is hypertext with nontextual elements. Software is said to possess “hypertext func

Rebels in search of champions: envisioning the library of the future

The traditional role of librarians, securing and providing access to the archives of recorded knowledge, is being rapidly challenged on three fronts: the increasing technical sophistication of library users, the wide availability of information management software, and economic pressures on the growth of library collections. While we may argue endlessly about ‘turf’ and ‘ownership’ the real challenge is to forge a new ethic oflibrarianship which defies the stereotype of the passive provider of information services, explores new models of partnership with users and champions an interactive environment in which to create the library of the future. The Main Library at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is actively engaged in testing experimental models of the library of the future centred on dynamic user‐librarian interactions, versatile information technologies and on fostering creative partnerships with library users in different environments. These experiments are described and evaluated, and their implications for future development are explored.

Performing Speech Recognition Research with HyperCard

In the Macintosh world of computing, HyperCard, an information management software package, has become a popular tool for developing rapid-prototypes of user interfaces. The development of the first Macintosh-based speech recognizer (by Articulate Systems, Inc.) has enabled engineers at the NASA Johnson Space Center (NASA-JSC) to use HyperCard to develop prototype speech recognition interfaces for space applications. Using specifications from NASA-JSC contractor engineers, special HyperCard XCMD's were developed by Articulate Systems to assist in NASA-JSC's research applications. By working with these programs, project engineers have learned how to use them to unobtrusively collect and record quantitative speech recognition data. The objective of this report is to describe the features of the system and to instruct HF professionals how to perform speech recognition research with HyperCard.

The Trailing Edge: Gurus, Guides, and Ghosts

Microcomputer consultants can help a library install and use a complex software package but different styles of consulting will have different results. The first section of this column discusses two common styles of consulting, when each might be appropriate, and the dangers of using one type of consultant. The second focus of this column is the ghost of software (or hardware) future, vaporware, and the debilitating effect that vaporware has on users and vendors alike. Vaporware damages the library automation field as well, although perhaps not quite as much as it damages the microcomputer software field. This quarter's literature watch includes several printer reviews, reviews of improved project management software and a raft of personal information management software, several reviews of portable computers, and the remarkable suggestion that every computer user needs a $6,000–$12,000 computer!

A bibliography of text information management software for IBM microcomputers and compatibles

The following bibliography focuses mainly on programs which can run on IBM microcomputers and compatibles under the operating system PC DOS/MS DOS, and which can be used in online information and documentation work. They fall into the following categories:

‘Eenie Meenie Minie mo’, Which Software Package for my Micro?

ABSTRACTWith recent developments in microcomputer hardware the past year has seen a huge increase in the number of information management software packages suitable for use in libraries and related information handling areas. This article reviews eight packages, ranging from fairly inflexible, specifically library management packages to more general database management software. The packages include OCELOT, MICMARC, LOTHLORIEN, KNOWLEDGE MAN/2, D-BASE 111, STATUS, MICROCAIRS and INMAGIC. The review criteria are necessarily general, including operating systems, hardware the systems will run on, field and record parameters, searching features, reporting functions, indexing methods and input/edit features. The commentary provides some guidelines for the user in software selection.

Microcomputer database software for medical information management.

Commercial software intended primarily for business applications may be used for medical information management. An inexpensive database may be established quickly and independently by busy clinicians working with limited resources. Desirable software features are discussed. A summary of 14 commercial data handling program packages is given.

Toward native language software for information management

The paper examines general technical issues involved in placing the latest computer systems, operable by end users in a largely programmer-free environment, at the disposal of non-English-speaking users. Native-language software is defined as programs allowing such users to communicate with computers in their native language, and to process information in native languages. Approaches to augmenting existing off-the-shelf software for use in native-language environments are overviewed, with attention to user command language, language of communication from system to user, and the language of the data.

Recent advances in microprocessors for analytical chemistry

The nature of scientific and electronic instrumentation is currently undergoing revolutionary change as a result of the development of microprocessors. These remarkable devices have permitted the development of a new class of intelligent instruments whose capabilities far exceed those previously thought possible. Among the features now provided in analytical instrumentation as a result of built-in microprocessors are automated analyses, the local availability of very large amounts of mass storage, a powerful data-processing capability at each instrument, self-testing and calibration, and information management software. The nature and consequences of these developments are discussed in this paper. In addition, the ‘consumer market’ computers are beginning to make a significant impact on analytical instrumentation and laboratories. The capabilities and role seen for such systems are outlined.