1. INTRODUCTION

The experience in producing CD-ROMs in Latin America is limited, mainly due to the lack

of indigenous expertise in dealing with these technologies. In Mexico, the Universidad de Colima has already produced two CD-ROMs using the premastering facilities at BIREME in Brazil. Shortly Universidad de Colima will have its own premastering simulator and most likely Mexico will become more involved in the production of CD-ROMs.

This paper offers an overview of the project geared toward the consolidation of the Ibero-american Technical Information System of Electric Utilities. Several considerations in relation to the feasibility of the project are given. Reasons behind the idea of producing a CD-ROM as a way of satisfying the needs of the unserved users and unused information resources are explored. Design considerations and standardization are also highlighted as key topics in this paper.

2. BACKGROUND

The economic situation of Latin America is critical and the cost of having the necessary infrastructure and the services of interest to the electrical industry is high. Because of this fact, Latin Americans need to share resources and experiences in order to be more productive. Thus, producing an Iberoamerican CD-ROM for electric utilities is an answer to a latent demand that originated in 1987.

This scenario has motivated the Technical Information Department of the Instituto de Inves-tigaciones Eléctricas (IIE) of Mexico to organize the "First Latin American Seminar on Technical Information for the Electrical Industry." This is aimed at providing the specialists in this field, with updated information, exchange of experiences and detection of potential resources.

The main conclusion of this seminar was: "In order to maintain a technical level that facilitates the development of the communication means among the participating countries, we believe it is proper to recommend the creation of the Sistema Iberoamericano do Información Técnica para el Sector Eléctrico (SIDITSE) which is a non-profit organization. A protocol of intention was agreed to by nine Latin American countries and Spain.

Factors that affect the project in either way are:

• Limited resources from the collaborators

• Lack of standardization in automated databases

• No real competition due to the non-commercial characteristics of the project

The actions stated the need for a feasibility study for the system, which had to be financed by an international project either for the feasibility study or any other action related to the development of the system.

Given the current constraints in terms of financial aid, we are proposing to look for the pro-per allocation of funds for the creation and distribution of a CD-ROM that could contain several organizations in Latin America and Spain. As stated by McCallum, "The purpose of the library is to share intellectual information that has been recorded and usually published in some form." (McCallum, 1990, p.360)

We believe that this is an appropriate way of gathering together multiple information re-sources that are currently insulated in the libraries of each organization's information centers. In addition, it is a more tangible sample of a multinational database when the pooling of resources is possible.

As already mentioned, the target organizations are the electric utilities in Latin America, Spain and Portugal which have been contacted for the purpose of assembling a preliminary cooperation scheme. In most cases, the automated libraries are using PC's and those major libraries as well as our own network have already used Unesco's Micro-CDS/ISIS database manager which also provides standardization of the databases' structure which is essential for the extended use of this package in Latin America.

3. FEASIBILITY STUDY

The potential market has been estimated in the order of 100 disks, to be given free of charge to participants or would-be-participants.

Participation demands that the system be inclusive for Iberoamerican electric utilities, with an organized collection of data, and that these data be contributed in machine-readable form.

In order to estimate the size of the data base and the total effort, a questionnaire evaluating the type of information, size of the prospective databases, structure of databases, formats used, pro-gramming languages used, database managers and the kind of transport available for data collection in a central facility, would be sent. Once data is collected and evaluated, it is likely that these data bases will be ready for integration into a CD-ROM with about 300-MB of data in the first stage.

In a second stage, standardization of the collaborator's new databases could be initiated, and data could be converted using software currently available. Given the different degrees of develop-ment, some electric utilities that play leadership roles in various countries could start assembling their nation's input. They could also provide technical assistance to those organizations starting their conversion processes.

Currently financial aid needed for this project, estimated to be about US$25,000 for its first two years, is being sought from regional and international organizations like OLADE Latin American Energy Organization, UNIDO, IDRC and Spain '92, the organization for the celebration of the 5th Centenary of Columbus' arrival to America.
 

4. JUSTIFICATION

With the advent of information technologies, we have the ability to utilize various techno-logies to access the world literature, saving time, money and increasing, at the same time, the depth of research for end-users (Favini, 1990).

Wood (1988, p.52) stated that libraries are buying CD's for the following reasons:

• Better access to information

• Reduction in online search costs

• Save staff time

• Desire to learn about technology

• Improved access to online

• New services to patrons

• Reduction of paper card catalogs, microfiche databases and online services for optical disks.

Danzinger affirms that CD-ROM is not just a new storage medium, but a new information management technology with new capabilities and new requirements (Danzinger, 1987, p.20), so this is not seen as just a storage medium but as a different way in which information is presented. On this medium, not only print-based information, such as bibliographic records, abstracts and full-text are included, but also illustrations, color, design, sounds and motion. As equally impor-tant as the retrieval speed to the end-user, is the quality of data he/she requires. Many end-users have switched to using CD-ROMs instead of online services because full-text, images, sound or motion are generally not possible from the latter. Many end-users prefer doing their own searches instead of having a librarian as intermediary, simply to investigate a new technology and see what it can offer them. Thus CD-ROM alters the librarian/user relationship from one in which the librarian provides a more instructive role (Wagner, 1989, p.101). Clearly, having fewer pressures due to online charges and easy ways of searching and retrieving information, CD-ROMs are an excellent tool for learning the technique of computerized literature.

Finally, this is an area that librarians can have influence in product design because they know users' needs, and collaborate with publishers to create a product that aids the users.

5. DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

Planning, analysis and manipulation of data are some of the steps required in the production of a CD-ROM. To determine whether CD-ROM is appropriate for a project, Heigerson considers the following questions:

• What is the overriding requirement for the data set: archiving, dissemination or a combination of the two?

• What kind of information do you wish to archive and distribute: analogue or terabytes?

• How much information do you wish to archive or distribute: kilobytes, megabytes or terabytes?

• What type and how stable is the information that you wish to archive or distribute?

• What is your budget to archive or distribute this information? (Helgerson, 1988, p.53)

Taking into consideration the above questions, our answers confirm that we are headed in the right direction to produce a CD-ROM because our purpose is to share the CD with the participants as well as with the institutions interested in getting the information. We are trying to disseminate huge quantities of digital data most economically, and CD-ROM is likely the best answer. CD will also contain not only data but the indexing structures that enable efficient access.

Likewise, Helgerson points out four elements in the fabrication of a CD -- marketing, design, production and data, and of course there must be an interrelation among them. She also mentions some steps for the process design:

• Define user interface requirements. How would the user like to retrieve information? Looking it up by title, author, subject, year, publisher, etc.

• Define delivery system. This is the different manner in which the system will deliver information.

• Analyze database characteristics. This is conformed by the fields that users are going to take into consideration in every record and those which will be considered in the index as well as display information formats.

• Select index/retrieval software. The kind of software that better responds to the defined characteristics.

• Create custom user documentation as required. The elaboration of a tutorial or manual for end-user (Helgerson, 1988, p.53).

Finally, we are taking into consideration the use of the HSG standard, assuring that the CD-ROM can be read in different operating systems and drives.

6. STANDARDIZATION CONSIDERATIONS

The goal of standardization in the production of CD-ROM databases is to facilitate the use of this new technology as well as eliminate incompatibilities between software and hardware.

6.1. Database Structures

SARIS (Sistema de Almacenamiento y Recuperación de Información para el Sector Eléctric - Storage and Retrieval Information System for the Electrical Sector) is defined within the environ-ment of UNESCO's Micro-CDS/ISIS, designed and developed in order to record bibliographic

materials. This system has its own characteristics; specify general and specific input screens by material type, field's identifications for indexing or creating inverted file, and different formats for screen display or print format.

6.2. Hardware

There are three types of standards that are most important to consider:

1) There are two distinct kinds of CD-ROM disk standards: physical recording standards and logical organization standards. Disk physical recording standards specify how many data blocks there are and how long each block is. Disk Logical standards cover the way CD-ROM information files are organized and reported to the drive and microcomputer operation system. (Leaton, 1989, p. 12; Working Paper..., 1987).

2) Drive standards specify how the drive interprets the disk formatted information. Ideally, any disk can operate on any drive which uses the High Sierra Group disk standards. However, to date, there are still some incompatibilities. The Microsoft extensions will help solve this problem.

3) Interface standard describes the interconnections between the disk drive and the micro-computer. SCSI (Small computer System Interface) is the standard choice for this purpose.

6.3. Software

Information retrieval software is as important as the database. It should be able to count on many search capabilities such as: Boolean searches, free-text, field qualifications, expansion of search terms, truncation, proximity searching, sorting, index display and downloading.

Micro-CDS/ISIS software has been developed in a special way to handle bibliographic data-banks. Its searching menu within the information retrieval module includes:

• Search formulation based in Boolean language (with Boolean operators)

• Right truncation

• Proximity searching

• Free-text searching

• Sorting records

• Save Search Results

There are also unlimited numbers of print formats.

6.4. A Tool to Standardize Database Structures

A program for converting fields with fixed length to the specific format by the ISO-2709 standard, compatible with Micro-CDS/ISIS, is available. This conversion program, SARISE,

is available to support the conversion process and integration of the CD-ROM databases.

6.5. Project's Consideration

The project considered all the above mentioned areas. In addition, as shown in Figure 1, there are many steps involved in the preparation of data and production of CD-ROM, thus our feasibility study have also given serious considerations to the relationships between the standards and various stages of production process.

7. FUTURE

Once the first CD-ROM is completed, we could consider the possibilities and implications of introducing a CD Network at the national level in various countries. Such a network will have the following benefits:

• A network could minimize the number of different individuals handling the disks,

• In an organization where users are accustomed to communicating via network for electronic mail and access to databases, remote access to CD-ROM is strongly desired,

• Remote access to CD-ROM allows the use by a variety of individuals or departments, thus a funding scheme can be devised to share costs (Rosen, 1990, p. 102).

Clearly, the creation of our proposed multinational CD-ROM can foster better understanding and appreciation of the value of information. On the horizon we would like to see the Ibero-american Technical Information System for Electric Utilities develop to be a network of national networks, tied to satellite, sharing not only surrogates, but also accessing large amounts of full-text information.
 
 

REFERENCES

Danziger, Pamela N., "CD-ROM is the Future Now?" Bulletin of the American Society for Infor-mation Science, 14 (1): 19-20 (Oct/Nov. 1987).

Favini, Robert, "What Makes a CD-ROM Great: The Producer's Point of View," CD-ROM Librarian, 5 (7): 22-27 (July/August, 1990).

Helgerson, Linda W., and Fred P. Meyer, "CD-ROM Publishing Strategies," PC Tech Journal, 6 (10): 53-63 (Oct. 1988).

Leaton, Nancy. CD-ROM and Other Optical Information Systems: Implementation. Phoenix, AZ: ORYX, 1989. pp. 153.

McCallum, S.H., "Standards and Linked Online Information Systems," Library Resources and Technical Services, 34 (3): 360-366 (July 1990).

Rosen, Linda, "CD Networks and CD-ROM: Distributing Data on Disk," Online. 14 (4): 102-105 (July 1990).

UNESCO. Mini-micro CDS/ISIS CDS/ISIS Pascal (Version 2.3) Spanish version by Enzo Molino. Paris: UNESCO, 1990.

Wagner, Richard A. and David Levinson, "CD-ROM Microfiche to CD-ROM: HRAF's Experience in Computerizing a Full-Text Database," Microform Review, 18 (29): 98-102 (Spring 1989).

Wood, Richard, "Issues in Electronic Publishing Using Optical Disk Technology," Journal of Library Administration, 9 (4): 49-55 (1988).

"Working Paper for Information Processing: Volume and File Structure of CD-ROM for Informa-tion Interchange," Optical Information System, 7 (1): 29-49 (Jan/Feb 1987).