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° NASA Technical Memorandum 105101 NASA-TM-10510119920010908

Unification: An International AerospaceInformation Issue

Gladys A. CotterThomas F. Lahr

NOVEMBER 1991

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LANGLEYRESEARCHCENTERLIBRARYNASA

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https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19920010908 2018-06-26T18:28:30+00:00Z

NASA Technical Memorandum 105101

Unification: An International AerospaceInformation Issue

Gladys A. CotterThomas F. LahrPrepared for the Scientific and Technical Information ProgramWashington, DC

Scientific and Technical Information Program

Washington,DC 1991

UNIFICATION: AN INTERNATIONALAEROSPACEINFORMATIONISSUE

Gladys A. Cotter*Thomas F. Lahr**

NASA Scientific and Technical Information ProgramWashington, DC

Abstract Introduction

Scientific and Technical Information (STI) The history of international aerospacerepresents the results of large Investments in information system development has paralleledresearch and development (R&D)and the that of national aerospace research andexpertise of a nation and is a valuable resource, development (R&D) programs. The U.S., aFor more than four decades, NASA and its major and early entrant into aerospace R&D,predecessor organizations have developed and created a national focus in the National Advisorymanaged the preeminent aerospace Information Committee on Aeronautics (NACA) in 1915system. NASA obtains foreign materials when the early library system made extensivethrough its International exchange relationships, efforts to acquire documents from woddwidecontinually Increasing the comprehensiveness of sources that related to NACA programs. NACAthe NASA Aerospace Database (NAD). The was followed by the creation of the NationalNAD is de facto the international aerospace Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)database. For the past few years, a number of in 1958. From NASA's conception the need forchanges have occurred in the aerospace and role of a centralizedscientificand technicalindustry as well as with information technology, information system was recognized. NASA'sScience and technology projects are becoming enabling legislation requires NASAto "providemore and more International. Other parts of the for the widest practicable and appropriateworld, notably Europe, are increasingly powerful dissemination of Information concerning itsplayers in the aerospace business. This change activities and the results thereof." Thehas led to the development of various International nature of the mission was alsoaerospace information initiatives in other recognized in the directive for NASAto conductcountries. With scarce resources in all areas of its activities "so as to continue to contributegovernment and industry, the NASA STI materially to ... cooperation by the United StatesProgram is reviewing its exchange program with other nations and groups of nations inpolicies to factor in the changing requirements work pursuant to the Act and in the peacefulwithin the international community. This paper application of the results thereof." The result ofreviews current NASA goals and activities with a this major U.S. R&D mission and the creation ofview toward maintainingcompatibility among an integral scientific and technlcal informationinternational aerospace information systems, (STI) mission led to the eady commitment andeliminating duplication of effort, and sharing continued development of a NASA STI Programresources through international cooperation and a NASA internationalaerospace database.wherever possible.

As the programs of other nations grew,particularly in Europe with the creation of theEuropean Space Agency (ESA), NASA found anatural partner for cooperation in both its

* Director, STI Program technical and its information programs. NASA**International STI Program Manager expanded the development of its database input

to include resources provided by ESA. Morerecently in Europe, and consistent with jointR&D programs and a view toward a UnitedEurope, we have seen the emergence of aEuropean Aerospace Database (EAD) concept.

Today,inadditionto theESAprograms,the programistheNASAAerospaceDatabasedevelopmentofaeronauticsandastronauticsin whichcontainsbibliographiccitationstoindividualnationshasalsoledto initiatives(in internationalaerospaceliterature.variousdegreesof development)of nationaldatabasessuchas theGermanAeronauticsand Today,theNADcontains2,252,000researchAstronauticsDatabase- DeutscheLuft-und summariescovering1962to.thepresent.RaumfahrtDatenbank(DELURA)Initiativeand Approximately27 percentof theNADprovidesnowtheseminalidea fora Japaneseaerospace intelligenceon foreignR&DresultsoriginallydatabasecalledtheJapaneseAerospace publishedabroad.Infact,thepercentageofInformationReferenceSystem(AIRS). foreignmaterialisincreasing.Thisisa resultof

betteracquisitionprocessesas wellas anConsideringboththetechnological increasedproportionof theknowledgebasedevelopmentsininformationand technology beingdevelopedabroad. In 1990,36 percentand therealitiesofscarceresourcesforevery (25,000outof 69,000records)of thewodd'snation,NASASTIProgrammanagement literatureon aerospaceas reflectedinNADbelievesit istimefora reconsiderationof camefromabroad.Figure1 providesa furthercooperationand internationalresourcesharing, breakdownof thesenumbersby majorAspart of theNASASTIProgram'scurrent geographicareasof Interest.Of the foreignlong-rangeplanninginitiative,itsmanagementis material,morethan10percentof theoriginallookingcloselyat itsinternationalexchange documentsarewritteninlanguagesotherthanprograms.Thetypesof feedbacktheNASASTI English.ThefactthattheNADhas EnglishProgrammanagementhasbeenreceiving, languagesumrnariesofallof theseresearchIncludingthestatementsmadeat theEuropean publicationsisanextremelyhelpfulaidinForumon InformationandDocumentationheld determiningbasicfactsabouttheexistenceandinStrasbourginJanuary1990by natureof thisR&D. Of thecurrentannualInputrepresentativesof a majorGermanexchange to NAD,morethan5,700documentswerepartner,clearlyindicatethatthereisa desirefor receivedin1990throughinternationalexchangeinternationalcooperationanda needfor agreementsdirectlywiththeNASASTIprogramflexibilityand change.NASA,in Program.Of theseonly56 percenthavecooperationwithESA,isundertakinga major citationsthatareprocessedabroad. Thissurveyto exploreexactlywhatthe Issuesand meansthatNASAcurrentlypaysfor theopportunitiesare forthefutureof Information bibliographicprocessinginEnglishof theexchanges, remainingforeigndocuments.Becausethenew

basisof exchangecallsfortheprovisionofThispaperposessomeideasaboutwhereto EnglishlanguagecitationsinNASAformat,gofromhere. It raisesfor considerationnew NASAacquisitionsand processingdollarswillpossibilitiesfor unificationof thevarious be freedto IncreaseNAD'scomprehensiveness.aerospacedatabaseeffortstowarda Thisnewpolicyalsoencouragescommitment,cooperativeinternationalaerospacedatabase communication,andmoreactiveInvolvementofinitiativethatcanoptimizethecost/benefit internationalpartnersbecauseof theequationforall participants, professionaleffortsinvolved.

Althoughthe NAD hasserved as the de factoThe NASAAerospaceDatabase internationalaerospace database, the NASA STI

international community policies which wereThe mission of the NASA STI Program as it is developed in the 1970shave not evolved asstated today is "acquire and disseminate STI to information technology and national aerospaceadvance aerospace knowledge, and support initiatives changed the complexionNASA goals." The focus of the effort is thedevelopment of a global program to encouragethe creation and exchange of STI and facilitateits use. One of the critical foundations of this

2

FIGURE 1. Percent of R&D Summariesin the NASA AerospaceDatabase,By

Country for 1990 Input

U,8, 68,6

France 2.1Netherlands 8.4

Int'l Organs. 8.4

Other Foreign 6.6

Japan 2.1 Germany 4USSR 6.7 U,K. 9.2

of internationalaerospace STI. As a result, the source of foreign exchange material. We thensystem has become dysfunctional for some briefly describe the Japanese reaction to thenations and they are seeking new solutions newest approach NASA is using forand often new systems to satisfy their needs, international exchanges. This approach is

based on a nation-to-nation exchange protocolbetween NASA and the governmental

International Reactions to the Current NASA organization with aerospace responsibility inAerospace Information Policies the other country. The protocols call for the

NASA counterpart organization to act as theThere are several ways to determine reactions coordinator for the exchange of informationto the way the NASA STI Program has been between NASA and that country. Specifically,operating in the international arena. One is to in exchange for the foreign country'sobserve what other countries are doing and information provided in English in specifiedanother is to survey them and ask directly, formats compatible with the NASA informationThe following sections summarize input that processing system, the partner receivesNASA STI Program management is using in access to the NAD. Then we discuss thestrategic planning for its international results of a direct survey that NASA and ESAinformation programs. They give two conducted jointly regarding the TripartiteEuropean reactions to the type of tripartite Exchange Program.arrangements that have been the primary

3

EuropeanInitiatives EADasitsproducershavedefinedthem1areasfollows:

It wasmentionedpreviouslythatothernationsandtheEuropeancommunity(throughESA) • Referencesto bothhaverecognizedthevalueoftheirownnational "unrestricted"and "restrictedliteratureand itseffectivemanagement.The distribution"documentsDELURAInitiativeInGermanyis basedon generatedbyESAprogramsvoluntarycooperationbetweengovernmentand and the Industryare Ina singleIndustryto collectthenation'saerospace file.Information.TheDELURAgoverningboardispresentlyunderthechairmanshipof BDLI • Throughthiscontrolall(BundesverbandderDeutschenLuftfahrt- referencesarevisibleonlinetoRaumfahrt-undAusruestungsindustrie),the theusers,butthephysicalGermanAerospaceIndustriesAssociation.The distributionof theoriginaloperatingagentfortheenterpriseisthe documentsthemselvescan beFachlnformatlonszentrum(FIZ4),Karlsruhe.The limitedas requiredbytheobjectivesof theeffortareto createa multifacetednatureof thedatacomprehensivenationalaerospacebibliographic generatedbyESAand thedatabaseto documentGermanknowhow, Industry.complementNAD,forma basisforbilateralcooperation,andformthe basisforEuropean FADwasmadeavailableonlinein 1990afteracooperation, fewyearsofdevelopmentunderESA's

auspices.OneinitialconceptforFAD,whichInitially,theGermansexpectto Input3000items waspromotedbytheGermansand theDutch,peryearto DELURA,and planto increasethis wasto havecountriesratherthanIndividualamountto 5000peryear. It wasestimatedthat Institutionsparticipateina multi-lateralEastGermanymighttotal10 percentof this arrangement.Eachnationwouldcollect,number.TodayNASAreceivesabout2500 catalogand contributeitsnationalliteratureinItemsfromGermanyto addto thedatabase exchangeforaccessto literatureof otherannually.Theimplicationof theGerman nations.(Thisis similarto theNASAnation-to-Initiativeisthatthrougheffectivenation-to-nation nationprotocoldiscussedbelow.) Accordingtocooperationandtheexchangeof DELURA theGermans2,thisconceptwaspushedInformationfor NADInformation,theU.S.could becauseNASAImposedcertainlimitationsonincreaseitscomprehensiveaccessto German scope,timeliness,anduseofthedatabasethatR&Dresultsbymorethan100percent.In neededto beovercomefortheEuropeanaddition,processingcostsforcataloging, countriesto havetheaccesstheyneededtoabstracting,and indexinga majorityof that theirownnationalliteratureas wellasthatofinformationwillnolongerbe a NASAexpense, othercountries.Inaddition,ESAaddedthe

considerationthattherewerecertaindocumentsInthecaseoftheEuropeanAerospace thatshouldbe limitedto theEuropeanDatabase(FAD),foundedbyESA,thereis community.Theseshouldbe put underanotherinterestingsetof objectivesand bibliographiccontrolforthatcommunity'suse,Implications.Thestatedmotivationforthe butnotnecessarilymadeavailableelsewhere.creationof FADwassaidto reflectthegrowth TheFADhasnotevolvedas originallyof Europeanspaceprogramsduringthesecond anticipated.Themodusoperandihasbeenanhalfof the1980s.Thisgrowthcausedthe institution-by-institutionarrangementwithESAproliferationof documentsgeneratedbyEurope ratherthana national-government-sanctionedandits industry.EADwasseenasa database arrangement.Thecontentsof thedatabaseiswhosecontentandaccessibilitywouldbe stillprimarily,ifnotalmostentirely,thesamecompletelyunderESA'scontrol, inputas includedbyESAintotheNAD. This

hasledto questionsbyEuropeansandbyThemajorfeaturesor uniqueaspectsof the NASAaboutthevalueofa separateEuropean

databasesystem. NASAisinterestedinideas thetripartitearrangementisthataninstitutionformodifyingitscurrentsystemto satisfythe receivesthe rightsto commerciallyaccesstheneedsof theEuropeanswithinthecontextof NADviaESA'sInformationRetrievalSystemthesystemcurrentlysupportedbyNASA.This (ESA/IRS)inexchangeforsubmittingtechnicalmeansthatNASAtogetherwithitsinternational documentsforInclusionintheNAD. The rateofpartnerswillneedto rethinksomeof the exchangeasestablishedintheagreementhasdatabaseselection,processing,andaccess beenoneseamhhourforeachtechnicalreport.policies.ThetripartitesurveyIspart ofthe ESAabstractsand Indexesthereportsreceivedeffortto understandtheserequirements, fromtheseorganizationsinEnglishin NASA

formatas partof theexchangeagreement.

JapaneseAerospaceDatab_s_ DudngJuly1991,questionnairesweresenttoallof theseorganizationsto determinetheir

Overthepastfewyears,NASAhasbeen viewsonthecurrentexchangearrangementsnegotiatingwiththeNationalAerospace andto solicitideasforopportunitiesto improveDevelopmentAgency(NASDA)inJapanfor an orexpandcooperativerelationships.exchangeof STI. ConsistentwiththeNASA Questionnairesfrom13countrieshavebeenapproachto havea countrycollectthe literature returnedto date. Theresponsesgiveproducedwithinitborders,processa Indicationsofvaluesassociatedwiththebibliographicrecordina NASA-compatible exchangeandpolntoutsomeopportunitiesforformat,and providea fulltext copyof allgray improvingthesystem.literatureitemsinexchangeforaccessto theNADand copiesof NASAdocuments,NASDA Manyof theparticipatinginstitutionshavehasdecidedto Implementa Japanese perpetuatedtherelationshipbecauseof theAerospaceInformationReferenceSystem valueofon-lineaccessto theNAD. It is(AIRS).AIRSwillbe thefocalpointfor apparentfromtheresponsesthattheorganizingtheJapaneseexchangecontribution relationshiphasnotalwaysbeenviewedasanto NASA. It IsInmanyrespectssimilarto the activepartnership,butrathera simpleDELURAconceptinGermany.It isexpected marketplaceexchangerelationship.ThiswasthatNASDAwillcollect1000reportsannuallyfor theviewencouragedbyNASApolicy. Infact,exchange.Thisisalmostthreetimesthe on manyof thequestionsabouttheprogramnumberthatNASAcollectedand processedat wherea checklistof responseswasprovided,itsownexpenseduring1990.Althoughevery the"don'tknow"categoryreceivedlargecountryhasspecialconsiderationsin numbers.Onthequestionwhether,ingeneral,implementinga technicalprotocol,theapproach therespondentfoundtheprogramto beatakenso far byNASDAinJapanisan ideal valuableone,almosthalfof the respondentsmodelfora quidproquoexchange.Theformal "didn'tknow."Of thosethatdid,however,allagreementisstillinthenegotiationsphasebut but twofoundtheprogramvaluable.Thisbothpartiesarevery positiveaboutthe leavesa lotof roomfor mobilizinginterestandaprogress, numberof issuesforNASASTIProgrampolicy

consideration.AlthoughtheearlierlackofEuropeaninvolvementwasconsistentwiththe

Preliminary Results of the NASA/ESA Tripartite requirement of the NASA approach at the time,Surveyof ExchanqeParticipants today;theNASASTIProgrammanagement

teamisattemptingto changetherelationshiptoNASAhasofficialtripartiteagreementswith526 obtainmoreactiveinternationalpartnershipandinstitutionsin16 countries.Thecountriesare commitment.the13 EuropeanESAmemberstates(Austria,Belgium,Denmark,France,Germany,Ireland,Italy,TheNetherlands,Norway,Spain,Sweden, Mostrespondentsfeltthatallof theirinstitutionsSwitzerland,and theUnitedKingdom)plus R&DreportswerenotcomprehensivelyincludedFinland,Portugaland Morocco. Thebasisof intheNAD,However,themajorityalsofeltthat

itemsdidappearintheNADina timelymanner. Europe.Of greatestinterestwasIncreasedAnoverwhelmingmajorityof respondentsfelt coverageof SovietandJapaneseliterature.thatthecurrentsubjectscopeof theNADadequatelycoveredtheirneedsinaerospace Inadditionto Improvingthebibliographicscienceand technology.Forthosethat coverage,a numberoforganizationssuggesteddisagreed,thefollowingsubjectswere sharingothertypesof STI. Thetypesof STIsuggestedas missing:airportsairtraffic, suggestedforsharingIncludeddatabanks,regionalandoperationalair trafficproblems, especiallythosewithexperimentaldata;factualmilitaryaircraftequipment,historyof databases;researchinprogress,directories,aeronautics/astronautics,airtransport materialpropertydatabases;engineeringeconomicsand politics,airlinemanagement, drawings;and even"databasesformolecularecology(notonlyenvironmentalpollution),and propertiesforradiativetransferInatmospheres."nationaland intemationalspacepolicy.Theemphasisonrequirementsforoperationalaviationdata is Interestingand mayleadtosomeexploratorydiscussionsonthe WhereDOWeGOFromH_r_?relationshipbetweenNASAR&Dinformationandthatmorecloselyassociatedwiththe If we lookatthethreeinternationaldatabaseFederalAviationAdministration. effortsdiscussedaboveasleadingexamples,as

wellasthedatafromtherecentTripartiteSurvey,we seethattherearesignificantissuesthatneedreconsiderationinlightof scarce

N_wOPportunitiesIdentified resourcesand anincreasingtrendtowardInternationalcooperation.TheNASASTI

A numberof questionsweredesignedto solicit Programhasundertakena majorstrategicideasabouthowto improvetheprogramand planningeffortto considerhowto movetowardpromotemoreinternationalinvolvementand a trulyinternationalcooperativeenterprise.Theparticipation.Someof thespecificquestions objectiveisprimarilyto makethedatabaseawerebasedon ideasthathadalreadybeen morecomprehensiveandtimelytoolforU.S.suggested by participating organizations researchers. In addition, if other nations beginthrough personalcontact.Inanswerto a to beara largershareof theburdenof keepingquestionregardingthecreationof a Users' thedatabaseupto date,thentheNASASTICouncil,thedata indicatedconsiderableinterest Programcanallocateitsscarceacquisitionandin creatingone,withthehighestinterestatthe processingresourcesto coveringareasof theEuropeanlevel. Boththe internationaland worldthatcannotnowbe coveredthroughnationallevelwereofsome,but lessinterest, cooperativeefforts.

There was considerable interest in developing a Finally, from the survey,the NASASTI Programcommonand comprehensive International now hasa better understandingof foreign goalsAerospace Database. Thoughts on how to and objectives for participating in the existingdevelop such a system included the following: international information exchange. The NASA

STI Program has a top priority direction from its• Combine the NASAand ESA STI Council,composed of senior representatives

(EAD)files fromthe majorNASA programs,to increase• Increase coverage of the Soviet internationalcoverage in the database.The

Unionand Japan Councilfeelsthat the coverageof foreign• Encouragecooperationwith literatureis nowherenearcomprehensiveand is

nationalinformationcenters not sufficient.

Throughoutthe answers to open ended NASA can begin to understanda number ofquestions, people made suggestions about things from listening to its foreign partners.expanding the International coverage outside of Information has become a valuable resource.

6

EvidenceIncludesESA'screationofa separate, Referencesbutlargelyduplicativesystemsothattheyhavecontrol.ConsidertheGermanInitiative,oneofwhoseobjectivesisto useitsDELURAdatabase 1 IreneMader,TheElectronicInformationasan itemforcooperationor exchange. Transmissionat theEuropeanSpaceNASA'sarrangementforquidproquoor Agency:UsebyIndustry,Paperreciprocityhasalwaysbeendifficultto define presentedattheStrasbourgConferencebecauseNASAIsexchangingtheknowledge on InformationDocumentation,Januarybaseofthelargestfunderof aerospaceR&D 17-19,1990and publishedinwithothernationsrangingfromthosewith Proceedings:Inf0rm_tion-highlydevelopedaerospaceprogramsto those Documentation:EuropeanForum.withrathersmallresourcecommitments. StrasbourgFrance,January1990,However,it is clearthata lotof progresscanbe Proceedings.Pads,Associationmadebylisteningto needsand makingSome AeronautiqueetAstronautiquedepolicyand operationalchangesto thehistorical France,1990,pps.153-163.wayofdoingbusiness.If NASAcanbettercoordinatethe relationshipswiththethree 2 K.Buerk,AerospaceInformationinthedevelopingactivitiesdescribedhere,database FederalRepublicof Germany,PapercoveragecanbemorecomprehensiveInthe presentedattheStrasbourgConferenceEuropeanand Japaneseareasandsome on InformationDocumentation,Januaryresourcescanbe reallocatedto pursuing 17-19,1990and publishedinacquisitionsinotherareas.Oncethepatternis Proceedings:Inform_tlon-established,negotiationswithothercountries Documentation:EuropeanForum.willprobablybe easier. If compatiblestandards StrasbourgFrance,January1990,can be establishedinearlystagesthroughsuch Proceedings.Pads,Associationagreements,theaerospacecommunitywillsave AeronautiqueetAstronautiquederesourcesbynotreworkingInformationfor France,1990, pps.9-17.exchange.Intheend, NASAhopesto followthepatternof Internationalcooperationinscienceprojectswitha cooperativelydevelopedtrulyInternationalAerospaceDatabase.

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PublicrepOrting burden for this collection of information isestimated to average 1hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources,gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send commentsrecJarding this burden estimate or any other aspectof thiscollectionof information, includingsuggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services.Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 JeffersonDavisHighway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and tO the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Prciect (0704-0188), Washington, DC 20503.

1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORTDATE !3. REPORTTYPE AND DATES COVERED

November 1991 Technical Memorandum4. TITLEAND SUBTITLE S. FUNDING NUMBERS

Unification: An International AerospaceInformation Issue

6. AUTHOR(S)

Gladys A. CotterThomas F. Lahr

7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION

National Aeronautics and Space Administration REPORTNUMBERScientific and Technical Information Program

9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING

National Aeronautics and Space Administration AGENCYREPORTNUMBERWashington, DC 20546 NASA TM-10501

11. SUPPLEMENTARYNOTES

Presented at the American Institute of Aeronautics and AstronauticsAerospace Sciences Meeting held January 6-9, 1992 in_Reno:i NV.

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13. ABSTRACT _ax_um 200words)

Science and technology projects are becoming more and more inter-_national and interdisciplinary. Other parts of the world, notablyEurope, are increasingly powerful players in the aerospace business.This change has led to the development of various aerospaceinformation initiatives in other countries. With scarce resourcesin all areas of government and industry, the NASA STI Program isreviewing its current acquisition and exchange practices and policiesto factor in the changing requirements and new opportunities withinthe international community. This paper reviews current NASA goalsand activities with a view toward developing a scenario forestablishing an international aerospace database, maintainingcompatibility among national aerospace information systems,eliminating duplication of effort, and sharing resources throughinternational cooperation wherever possible.

14.SUBJECTTERMS 15.NUMBER OF PAGES

NASA Aerospace Database I0International Aerospace Database 16.PRICECODEDatabase

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