robertj@tekgen.BV.TEK.COM (Robert Jaquiss) (01/24/91)
I read the following item with an OCR. I tried to catch the spelling
errors but I may have missed some. If you have any questions please call or
write.
Robert S. Jaquiss Jr.
Phone: (503) 627-4444
Internet: robertj@tekgen.bv.tek.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SIGCAT
R E C A P
Special Interest Group on CD-ROM Applications& Technology
Minutes of the November 8,1990 Meeting
Jerry McFaul began the meeting by providing the standard description
of SIGCAT to anyone new to the organization. Jerry emphasized the
flexible nature of SIGCAT, especially through subgroups. He emphasized
that flexibility is their strength. The chairs of several of the working
groups then presented updates on the activities and objectives of their
respective groups.
SIGLIT
Special Interest Group on Library Information and
Technology
Susan David (Chairperson)
Library of Congress
(Phone (202) 707-7169)
Susan David described the activities of SIGLIT and observed that
Washington, D.C., is "a very information-rich area." Libraries were early
users of CD-ROM and should be early users of multimedia. SIGLIT attempts
to keep its members aware of new developments through field trips to
libraries in the surrounding area. Susan mentioned that SIGLIT now has
its own CD-ROM computer bulletin board (phone (202) 707-9656). Ideas such
as videotaping the proceedings of SIGLIT meetings as a way to extend
access to those unable to attend are being considered. Susan now receives
numerous requests for information; because of the mounting volume, she
would prefer requests in writing but will still accept phone calls.
SIGACE
Special Interest Group for the Application of
CD-ROM in Education
Sheldon Fisher (ChaiTperson)
U. S. Department of Education (Phone (202) 219-1699)
Sheldon's working group continues to focus on the educational aspects
and applications of CD-ROM. The Technology Resources Center (TRC) at the
Department of Eduction invites all SIGCAT members to come by and use its
facilities.
Sheldon pointed out that today, November 8, marks 30 years since
JFK's election in 1960. Thirty years ago, the latest consumer technology
was audio cassettes. It took quite some time for them to become
mainstream, primarily because people don't like change. The way to make
new ideas acceptable, according to Sheldon, is to make them old ideas.
Many teachers have computers but don't use them because they don't know
how or don't want to know how. The TRC is helping to change this
situation by providing a place where teachers and educators can come to
experience the latest in teaching technology, with particular emphasis on
with a variety of equipment, including computers, videodisc players, CDROM
drives, and at least 75 different CD-ROM titles.
Although the TRC CD-ROM library is now primarily a focal point for
educational discs, Sheldon would like to expand it to include CD-ROM's
produced by and for govermuent agencies. The request was made to anyone
producing goverrunent-oriented discs to consider placing them in the TRC.
After working with a considerable number of different CDROM products,
Sheldon indicated that there is still much room for improvement in the
area of user-friendly installation. Many products still come with
multiple floppy disks. However, some vendors are now begining to provide
"self-contained" CD-ROM discs that contain everything needed to run the
application. The user just pops the disc into the drive and types a
simple statement (like "GO"), and the product "does its stuff."
CIAS
CD-ROM Index Architecture Specification
Working Group
Lt. Larry Schankin (Chairperson)
U.S. Air Force
(Phone (617) 377-2105)
Larry Schankin, working at the Electronic Systems Division at Hanscom
Air Force Base, has been involved in an effort to develop a CD-ROM Index
Architecture Specification (CIAS) to promote interchangeability in CD-ROM
applications. Currently, most databases placed on CD-ROM use proprietary
retrieval software packages, each of which has a different user interface.
Thus, users of multiple CD-ROM products must master a diverse assortment
of software interfaces. For organizations such as libraries, this
situation is becoming a serious problem and is beginning to hinder the
growth of CD-ROM in these arenas. The CIAS would offer a solution by
allowing CD-ROMs incorporating the new index architecture to be readable
by any retrieval software that accepts this architecture. Thus, users
could access a wide variety of databases on different CD-ROMs through a
single retrieval application. Adoption of the CIAS would permit databases
and their associated proprietary applications to be decoupled; databases
could thus be distributed without software, and users could independently
select the most appropriate retrieval mechanism for their needs.
Standards for file formats are another important aspect of inter-
changeability. To further promote this interchangeability, the CIAS will
require and support Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) for
document files.
focus attention on interchangeability in CD-ROM applications and reported that a draft set
of CIAS documents was almost at hand. These documents, which should be available at the
January SIGCAT meeting, describe the background of the CIAS effort and the reasons for
developing and proposing a CIAS. In addition, a CIAS Working Group meeting is scheduled
in conjunction with the SIGCAT meeting to further discuss the contents of the CIAS docu-
ments. Please call Larry for further details.
ISO 9660 Working Group
Mike Rubinfeld (Chairperson)
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (Phone (301) 975-3064)
Mike Rubinfeld accepted the appointment as chair of the ISO 9660 Working Group. He
thanked Barbara Rose of the U.S. Army Engineer Topographic Labs for chairing the group
since its inception and taking it through its first years.
Mike is involved in many standards activities at NIST; it is thus appropriate that he
chair the SIGCAT group that tracks developments associated with the ISO 9660 standard.
Mike would like to see the working group focus on promoting interoperability and por-
tability aspects of the standard.
At NIST, Mike is involved with the Multimedia Systems Project which is part of the
Multimedia Systems Laboratory. This new NIST lab is open to the public with sufficient
advance notice. Mike's involvement with the lab should prove very beneficial to the ISO
9660 working group as multimedia technology comes into the mainstream of CD-ROM. Mike also
brings a strong background in Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS), developed
at NIST, to the working group.
The Forest Service Disc:
The Proponent
Dale Petersen
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Forest Service
(Phone (202) 453-9398)
The Forest Service has initiated a project to test and evaluate CD-ROM technology in
a wide variety of text and image apphcations. The project had its roots back in 1986, when
Dale Petersen and his group attended an optical storage media conference called OIS '86.
Not long after that conference, a videodisc project was initiated but had mixed results.
However, the project did serve to point the way to CD-ROM. After seeing several successful
projects from other agencies presented at SIGCAT meetings, the Forest Service was
encouraged to take the initiative.
Engineers in the geographically dispersed Forest Service use PC's primarily as
standalone devices, even though they can access mainframes and minicomputers. These users
want data at their fingeTtipS and can't always get it via online link to a mainframe. Thus,
CD-ROM promises to be an ideal solution to many of their needs. The demonstration disc
developed for Dale's project by the Oxko Corporation contains a wide variety of
information, including text, engineering drawings, publications, 35-mm slides, and
specifications. It is gratifying to see that the Forest Service is beginning to use CD-ROM
instead of paper in its effort to conserve our trees.
The Forest Service Disc:
The Producer
Eric Jan
The Oxko Corporation
(Phone (301) 266-1671)
The Forest Service CD-ROM demonstration disc was produced by the Oxko Corporation.
As explained Oxko vice president Eric Jan, this disc contains a variety of information,
including digitized maps, engineering field notes, manuals, specifications, digitized 35-mm
color slides, digitized color and black-and-white photographic prints, road and bridge
specifications, and much more.
Oxko gained quite a bit of experience in making this disc for the Forest Service, and
Eric stressed that considerable effort and resources were consumed in the data-preparation
end of things. A considerable amount of labor-intensive effort was involved with the
digitizing, cleaning up, and conversion of databases into formats suitable for placing on
the disc.
One of the more fascinating things included on the disc is an animated view of the
topography of Mount St. Helens, presented as a 3-D shaded terrain view as one approaches
the mountain. This particular application benefitted greatly by using one of the faster
access CD-ROM drives.
Other ffiffigs on the disc include a cartographic specifications handbook (very
colorful), digital data from the Tonto National Forest, and the "the bearing tree guide"
with full-color photos and text. It appears to cost considerably less to put this PM of
guide onto CD-ROM than it does to produce the equivalent printed color manual.
The message from Eric to the audience was that the conversion of information from its
existing forms (paper, slides, etc.) into machine-readable text and graphics was very time
consuming and costly. Make sure that any project involving this y" of conversion has been
sufficiently budgeted to accommodate such an expenditure.
POMS on CD-ROM
Reds Horrocks
Social Security Administration
(Phone (301) 965-5820)
Reds Horrocks from the Social Security Administration (SSA) provided an overview on
the Program Operations Manual System or POMS project. POMS is the first CD-ROM effort for
SSA and is aimed at people who have had the paper manual on their desk for 30 years. Reds
characterized the transition from the printed POMS to the new CD-ROM version as "sort of
like meeting an old friend in a new outfit." And after seeing a sample demonstration of the
disc, the audience agreed. The POMS disc was very impressive in that it incorporated not
only the text of the manual (37,000 pages) but also graphic images and sound. Reds
explained that, by using a multimedia approach on the disc, SSA was able to bring its users
up to speed in a much shorter time while simultaneously generating a high level of interest
and enthusiasm in the product.
As eyecatching as the disc was, Reds admitted that, in
graphics; given the diverse audience of users, the more attractive the disc, the better.
The CD-ROM version of the POMS, when fully implemented, has the potential to produce
significant cost savings. Printing the paper version of POMS cost about $2.2 million in
fiscal year 1989; of course, that cost is expected to rise. A CD-ROM disc (CDPOM) issued
every 60 days would eventually reduce these costs dramatically while also providing users
with increased flexibility and ease of access.
Reds stressed that there are ways to use information on CDROM that have no parallel
on paper. As we saw with Reds' demonstration of the POMS disc, users can be guided to
their areas of interest through an interactive, multimedia interface and then given direct,
rapid access to the appropriate portions of text. Placing a complicated manual such as
POMS on CD-ROM can, through the intelligent use of multimedia techniques, result in a
product that goes far beyond the simple text equivalent.
In closing, Reds brought up a very interesting point in a discussion of accessing the
POMS CD-ROM over a network. Since the disc uses an audio track as part of its built-in
tutorial, how is the sound conveyed to the individual user in a networked environment? The
absence of a ready solution to this problem implies that multimedia CD-ROM products using
sound may require standalone readers.
An Overview of the Optical Spectrum
Dick Pendill
3M Corporation
(Phone (612) 736-5399)
Mark Arps
3M Corporation
(Phone (612) 736-3274)
Dick Pendill and Mark Arps from the 3M Corporation provided the audience with an
overview on the different technologies and formats comprising the "optical spectrum." There
are two main categories of optical technology: prerecorded and user-recorded.
PreRecorded Optical Media
Prerecorded applications usually involve disseminating large numbers of products to
many users. There are two types of prerecorded optical media: analog and digital. The
analog medium is commonly referred to as Videodisk and was introduced in 1981 primarily for
consumer entertainment. It is characterized by a 12inch, two-sided platter that stores
analog information, much like a standard TV image. Videodisk has found broad application
in the interactive training field, where TV-like images (either still frame or motion
sequences) can be very effective.
The other form of prerecorded optical media is digital and is known as Compact
Disc-Read Only Memory or CD-ROM. When substantial quantities of digital information are
to be disseminated to a large audience (i.e., published), CD-ROM is the answer. As we move
more and more applications into the digital realm, CDROM is becoming the medium of choice,
because digital storage can include not only images but also text. CD-ROM has additional
characteristics that make it particularly well suited for electronic publishing, such as
low production costs, relatively inexpensive reading devices, and standards (both physical
and logical). Dick States was a 3M plant opened in Menomonie, Wisc., in 1985. Today, 3M
offers same-day services--customers can fly in with their data in the morning and fly out
in the evmffig with their CDROM discs. While they're waiting, they can even go canoeing
on the nearby lake!
User-Recorded Optical Media
User-recordedoptical media typically involves data-processing applications in which
the user is concerned with moving large quantities of digital data to a convenient,
removable medium. The user is not so much concerned with making and disseminating large
numbers of copies of this information but more with creating those copies in real time on
a local device. There are two types of user recorded optical technologies: Write Once and
Multiple Write.
Write Once optical technology is also known as Write Once Read Many or WORM. This
technology comes in a variety of physical sizes, including 14-, 12-, 8-, and 5 1/4-inch
platters. WORM technology permanently stores everything that was ever written to it, thus
providing a "built-in" audit trail of its infonnation activity. However, the diversity of
physical sizes and formats is viewed by some as a drawback. In fact, Dick mentioned that
3M recently made a major decision to discontinue the manufacture of WORM media because of
the continued proliferation of nonstandard WORM media formats. Unlike the other types of
optical media, WORM has never been completely standardized at the physical level. Rather
than try to keep up with a multitude of different formats, 3M has decided to concentrate
on providing industry with the more standardized forms of optical media.
The most recent type of user-recordable optical technology allows for multiple writing
to a disc and is known as Erasable or Magneto-Optical (M/O) storage. Erasable optical
storage is replacing WORM in those applications where an audit trail is not required, and
it has the distinct advantage of having an ISO standard at the physical level (325
megabytes per side, two-sided media). It appears that erasable optical technology will
serve to complement magnetic storage in many data-processing applications. It also is
finding a niche as the medium for providing the source material to a mastering and
replication plant for the production of a CD-ROM disc.
Mark spent some time updating the audience on 3M's use of statistical process control
(SPC) techniques to ensure a high level of quality assurance. He pointed out that the
inspection process itself can potentially introduce product defects. Thus, by this
premise, 100% product inspection can actually lower the quality of the final product. For
example, every time you put a CD-ROM disc in a drive for inspection (or use), you risk
scratching it. The SPC approach to quality control is 3M's solution to this problem.
The question about increasing the capacity of CD-ROMs by using both sides was raised;
Mark cautioned that although it is possible, such an approach would violate all of the
standards inherent to CD-ROM. Another way being investigated to increase storage capacity
is to use lasers tuned to different wavelengths, which would allow smaller (and thus more
numerous) pits to be placed in the same physical space. But again, this technology has not
yet reached the point where it is embodied in any standard. Perhaps a future specification
will incorporate such technological advances.
Since many people still confuse the various forms of optical technology and their
applications, 3M's overview was greatly appreciated.
Registered Voter Disc
Paul Murphy
Eagle Eye Publishers, Inc.
(Phone (703) 528-0680)
The next presentation was by Paul Murphy from Eagle Eye Publishers, which has. just
begun releasing a series of CD-ROM products containing voter registration information
gleaned from the public voter rolls. The first disc in this series covers the State of
Maryland and contains the equivalent of 1.6 gigabytes of original rawdata. Using Dataware
retrieval software and its powerful data-compression techniques, all of the original data
plus indexes now fit in approximately 500 megabytes.
The information on these voter discs is not only voluminous but also extremely
comprehensive. One can easily find out how many female Republican voters from Harford
County, Maryland, were registered in the last presidential election. Big Brother may not
exactly be watching, but he may be using a CD-ROM reader. Future improvements planned for
the product include combining the voter demographic information with mapping software and
puting it into a political Geographic Information System (GIS).
Paul indicated that discs have now been created for Maryland, Illinois, Kentucky,
Alaska, Iowa, Colorado, and Louisiana. In addition, Eagle Eye will soon be placing the
database of registered voters for the entire country on CD-ROM. The price of the in-
dividual state discs ranges from about $450 for limited disc accesss to $5,000 for complete
disc access. For more information, please contact Eagle Eye at the above address.
The World of CD-ROM Retailing
The Bureau of Electronic Publishing, Inc.
Larry Siriller
(Phone (201) 808-2700)
The Bureau of Electronic Publishing (no, it's not a Federal agency) is now one of the
largest CD-ROM distributors in the country. The "Bureau" carries anything and everyting
having to do with CD-ROM, including an extensive array of titles. In fact, one of the best
catalogs in the industry is available free for the asking (see contact information above).
Larry presented a CD-ROM chronology of sorts. In 1986, CD-ROM drive prices hovered around
$700, and titles were few and far between. By the following year, drive prices had dropped
a bit and the average access time was about 500 milliseconds (resec). Then, in 1988, drive
prices moved to the $600 range, and CD-ROM titles numbered in the hundreds. By 1989, drive
prices dipped under $600, and average access times decreased to 350 msec. Then, in 1990,
a stateof-the-art drive could be acquired for $399 (see later reference to SONY's
announcement), and access times were further reduced to only 290 msec.
Larry predicted that the entertainment/education market for CD-ROM is "a real
sleeper." Expect to see lots more "edutainment" applications appearing on CD-ROM. Larry
then demonstrated a new disc recently produced by the Bureau called the U.S. History on
CD-ROM. It contains not only volumes of text but also thousands of high-resolution
black-and-white as well as color images. In discussing the production of this disc, Larry
reemphasized the point made in an earlier presentation that considerable effort was devoted
to converting the information for the U.S. His-
Larry also stressed how important it was to produce a good users' manual. It should
be clear, accurate, complete, and concise. It also helps to have attractive packaging,
which, in the case of the U.S. History on CD-ROM, resembles a leatherbound, gold-embossed
book. The product retails for $395.
PhoneDisc USA
Claude Schoch
PhoneDisc USA Corporation
(Phone (800) 284-8353)
The final product presentation provided one of the most powerful examples of data
compression currently on CD-ROM. Claude Schoch demonstrated the PhoneDisc product, which
stores the equivalent of half of the entire country's "white pages" on a single disc.
Containing over 45 million listings, the access software allows any single entry to be
accessed and displayed in a second or two. The proprietary data compression scheme employs
about 13 different data compression algorithms to squeeze approximately
5.5gigabytes of raw data onto a single CD-ROM disc.
The entire country's listings comprise a two disc set, equivalent
to 5,000 phone books and 60,000 pounds of paper--about 50 trees! The first phone disc was
produced around 1986. The current product, which sells for $995 per disc or $1,800 for the
two-disc set, is derived from over 200 reels of magnetic tape purchased from
direct-marketing and mailing-list firms. Many government organizations, including many in
the intelligence and law enforcement arena, subscribe to the PhoneDisc product.
Special CD-ROM Drive Offer
Chris Manzione
Sony Corporation
(Phone (703) 620-1305)
Lori Gentile
SMS Data Products Group (Phone (800) 331-1767) (Phone (703) 648-3422)
The SONY Corporation took the bold step of offering its "latest and greatest" internal
CD-ROM drive to the SIGCAT membership for the watershed price of $399! This offers follows
closely on the heels of the recent award to SONY by the Department of Defense for a dual
drive unit for $576.
The SIGCAT offer is being made available for a limited time and includes a Sony Model
CDU 531 internal half-height drive, complete with audio out jack, controller card (for IBM
PCs and compatibles, only), cable, and Microsoft MS-DOS Extensions. Of course, the drive
conforms to the ISO 9660 Standard and can be mounted in either a horizontal or vertical
orientation. The average access time of the CDU 531 is under 400 msec and the Mean Time
Between Failure (MTBF) is rated at 25,000 Power On Hours (POH).
SMS Data Products Group, Inc., has been designated as the point of contact for the
SIGCAT offer. Please contact Lori Gentile at SMS on the above phone numbers for details.