robertj@tekgen.bv.tek.com (Robert Jaquiss) (05/03/91)
Index Number: 15280
To: cbfb_gwk@umt.umt.edu
subject: SIGCAT Special Interest Group on CD-ROM Applications And
Technology April meeting notice
I scanned this with an OCR. I tried to catch all the errors but may have
missed some.
Robert S. Jaquiss Jr.
Internet: robertj@tekgen.bv.tek.com
Special Interest Group on CD-ROM Applications Technology
April 4,1991 Meeting
Hello once again from SIGCAT. Our next meeting will be held on
Thursday, April 4, 1991, in the main auditorium of the U.S. Geological
Survey in Reston, Va., beginning at 9:00 a.m. The morning sessions will
highlight several brand-new CD-ROM applications along with a software
retrieval package that, in addition to exhibiting powerful search
capabilities, requires no run-time royalties. The remainder of the
morning will showcase the state of the art in color-image
compression/decompression technology, including a real-time capture and
display of full-motion video at 30 frames per second. The afternoon
sessions will be devoted to CD-ROM standards. There are currently five
different standards initiatives underway aimed at improving various
aspects of CD-ROM technology. All of these initiatives will be brought
together in one place to update the membership on these important efforts
as well as to explore potential areas of cooperation.
Opening up the April meeting will be a "state-of-the-industry"
overview by Chris Andrews, president of UniDisc. Chris will be basing his
presentation on information compiled by TFPL of London, England.,
considered by many to be the most comprehensive source of information on
the CD-ROM industry. TFPL has been publishing its information for the
last 5 years in a printed version, and now UniDisc has this same extensive
information database available on a brand-new disc called The CD-ROM
Directory 91. Over 1,500 CD-ROM products are detailed on the disc and can
be searched by such characteristics as subject area, computer the, first
edition, and publisher. Over 1,800 companies in the CD-ROM industry are
also summarized, including their areas of business, main products,
contacts, and description of activities. Additional information on over
70 CD-ROM drives as well as on other CD-ROM books, journals, and shows
rounds out this encyclopedic product.
Chris's talk will be twofold. First, he'll talk about what UniDisc
learned regarding the CD-ROM industry itself by putting together CD-ROM a
changing and growing industry. This part of the talk will include some of
the challenges not only of getting the correct information but also of
presenting it so that it is useful for those in the CD-ROM industry, as
well as those people (The really thousands every day) who are just
entering the industry. Chris will present some statistics compiled by
TFPL regarding CD-ROM trends over the last 5 years.
The second part of his talk will include a demonstration of the
CD-ROM directory itself, followed by an update on other UniDisc
activities, including the upcoming Guiness Disc of Records 1991, which
UniDisc also published. UniDisc is a California-based company formed in
1989 to publish CD-ROM products and serve as consultant to CD-ROM
publishers. Chris has spoken several times at SIGCAT in the past and has
been influential in a number of major CD-ROM projects since 1985.
The next presentation of the morning could be titled "CD-ROM
Publishing? Doesn't Have to be Expensive or Technically Difficult" After
hearing Thomas Collette, Central Region Sales Manager for the Folio
Corporation, you'll understand why. Curt Allen, the Vice President of
Research and Development, summarizes the corporate philosophy at Folio in
the following way:
'The economic barriers to information dissemination are perhaps the
most correctable of any, requiring only a change in philosophy on the part
of the information and/or technology provider. For example, tradition in
on-line information circles dictates a per-minute or per-connection charge
for access time. In the case of CD-ROM and other "off-line" media, the
norm is to charge publishers a royalty on the software they employ.
"Such philosophies give the impression that the value is in the
software and/or service rather than in the information. Infobase
providers, on the other hand, should recognize information as the key
element for determining the costs associated with distribution.
"Infobase software, like paper and other information bearing media,
should be available through low-cost and/or no-cost distribution licenses.
Such a view opens this medium up to anyone who would produce or receive
infobases."
The basis for Thomas' presentation will be Magazine Rack, a new
CD-ROM title from Information Access Company. Magazine Rack was developed
by using Folio VIEWS software and represents 12 months worth of more than
250 popular magazines. Subjects include health and fitness, business and
industry, computers, and general interest. One of the significant
features of the product is that 75 percent of the articles are full text,
the remainder being abstracts. Folio's proprietary indexing and
compression technology has made it possible to place the equivalent of 1.2
gigabytes of ASCII text on this disc, with significant room to spare! The
entire production process, from concept to pressed test disc, took only 30
days. And the retrieval speeds on the disc, as the audience will see, are
very rapid. If you are planning a CD-ROM project, you'd be wise to see
the presentation.
CD-ROM is a compelling technology for many reasons. Some of the more
obvious ones are its vast storage capacity, its ruggedness, its
reproduction economies, and, of course, its standards. But this
technology also possesses some more subtle qualities, one of which I have
to call the "synergy of CD-ROM."
Synergy is defined in Webster's New World Dictionary as "the
simultaneous action of separate agencies which, together, have greater
total effect than the sum of their individual effects." This definition
couldn't be more apropos to our next presentation. The International
Station Meteorological Climate Survey (ISMCS) CD-ROM has recently been
produced as a joint effort of the Naval Oceanography Command Detachment
Asheville, the National Climatic Data Center, and the U.S. Air Force
Environmental Technical Applications Center. LL Cdr. Michael Dickenson, U.S. Navy,
Officer in Charge of the Naval Oceanography Command Detachment Asheville and project
leader, will be demonstrating the ISMCS disc, which represents the Command's first CD-ROM
publication.
The ISMCS CD-ROM includes detailed climatological summaries (equivalent of 250,000
pages of printed text) for 640 U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force bases, National Weather Service
locations, and selected international locations. More limited climatological summaries are
included for 5,000 worldwide sites. Using internally developed software, the user
interface features menu-driven window-based geographical selection procedures, integrated
help and documentation screens, data export facilities, and save routines for frequently
accessed station/areas. This disc is the first of a series of climatological discs planned
for release by the Naval Oceanography Command Detachment over the next few years. Mike
will outline this production schedule as well as tell us where we can obtain the currently
available ISMCS disc for free (organizations with in the Department of Defense) or for only
$50 (outside organizations).
Multimedia technology is thought by many to be the next major thrust in the CD-ROM
industry. Although there are various opinions as to exactly which segments of the
marketplace will be the first to employ multimedia in a major way, certainly there is
general agreement that education and entertainment (or "edutainment" as some are calling
it) will be high on the list. One company that appears to be riding the crest of the
multimedia wave is TMM from Hollywood, Calif. TMM is an electronic publisher poised to
fully exploit the state of the art in multimedia technology, including not only audio,
video, and graphics but also telecommunications and "virtual reality." TMM has strategic
alliances with several key companies, including Universal Video Corporation (UVC), Young
Minds, Inc (YMI), and AGE/VPL (designers of the Nintendo "Power Glove"). Its presentation
at the April SIGCAT meeting will give us a "composite picture" of how all of these
organizations are working in unison to further extend the multimedia technology envelope.
Taylor Kramer, Technical Director at TMM, will coordinate the individual presentations
from his assembled team consisting of Dan Shields, President of TMM, Dave Cote, Chief
Operating Officer at YMI, and Chris Gentile, Systems Designer from AGE/VPL. The
presentations will be augmented with demonstrations of the very latest video
compression/decompression technology from JVC called the MultiMedia I (MMI) board. The MM
1 product incorporates audio/video capure and playback capabihties capable of 30 "discrete"
frames per second on a PC-compatible board that will retail for under $1,000. The files
created by the MMI board can also be played back using only software and still achieve a
rate of approximately 15 frames per second.
The authoring software used in conjunction with the MMI board was developed by YM and
will be used to demonstrate how easily a multimedia application can be developed, including
the creation of a "write-once" CD-ROM. A few additional surprises will highlight the
demonstration of these exciting new multimedia capabilities, including avisitby Randy
Jackson in conjunction with the Joint Education Initiative. I guarantee you won't fall
asleep during this portion of the meeting.
In keeping with the trend of the last several SIGCAT meetings, we will have an
announcement from a major optical components distributor of several very attractive CD-ROM
drive packages for
both the MAC and the PC. The day of the $300 drive can't be far off.
The Standards Summit
Perhaps the most important attribute of the technology called CD-ROM lies in its
standardization. The physical standards defined in the Red and Yellow Books, together with
the logical standards embodied in the ISO 9660, set CD-ROM apart from other optical storage
technologies. These standards have estabfished CD-ROM as a stable information
dissemination technology worthy of continued investment by both the public and private
sectors.
The acceptance and growth of CD-ROM are begining to reshape the ways in which we
manage and disseminate infortnation in our society. But, as with most success stories,
there are a few problems. For one, the proliferation of CD-ROM products and the
corresponding cacophony of retrieval software has begun to overwhelm some users,
particularly those charged with managing and supporting large libraries of discs. This
difficulty could be called the "interoperability" problem.
Another problem has to do with the fact that there are now many applications extending
the use of CD-ROM beyond the DOS and MAC platforms to include the diverse world of
Unix-based workstations. The ISO 9660 standard has some shortcomings in this arena. This
difficulty is the "extensibility" problem. Both of these problems are now being addressed
by a variety of groups and organizations that have proposed numerous new standards or
modifications to existing standards. In fact, there are at least five CD-ROM standards
initiatives underway, several of which have similar goals and objectives. The April SIGCAT
meeting will provide a forum for all of these initiatives in what might be called a
"Standards Summit" in an effort to inform the membership as to the direction and current
status of these efforts. It is also hoped that the proponents of these initiatives might
see new areas of cooperation in their common goals of improving the interoperability and
extensibility of CD-ROM.
A very significant workshop was recently held at the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST). Chaired by Mike Rubinfeld (Mike also chairs the SIGCAT ISO 9660
Working Group), this meeting brought together the proponents of three of the five CD-ROM
initiatives attempting to find their way into the standards community. It was apropriate
that NIST host such a meeting since it, along with the National Information Standards
Organization (NISO), is ultimately responsible for establishing new standards for CD-ROM
technology.
To set the stage for the SIGCAT "Standards Summit," Mike will start things off by
providing an overview of the roles of NIST and NISO in analyzing and evaluating various
initiatives and categorizing them relative to a CD-ROM "architectural profile" developed
by NIST. This profile provides a very useful framework for understanding how the various
initiatives relate to one another as well as how they fit into the various protocol layers
associated with CD-ROM technology. The goal of all of this activity is to build on the
existing standards inherent to CD-ROM to improve the interoperability and extensibility of
the technology. After laying the framework for the presentations, Mike will introduce the
proponents of the five standards initiatives and relate their proposals to the CD-ROM
architectural profile.
The first initiative concerns extending the ISO 9660 standard fully into the
Unix/POSIX community. Driven by the convenience, reliability, and cost savings offered,
CD-ROM is rapidly gaining momentum in the Unix market. The ISO 9660, unfortunately, does
not provide sufficient support for Unix/POSIX file systems to encourage wide use for
software distribution. Further, no standard mechanism has been defined to allow sharing
of the "system use" areas of the ISO 9660, which could be used to provide such support.
Andrew Young, President of Young Minds, Inc., will be presenting the results of an ad
hoc industry organization known as the "Rock Ridge Group" (RRG), which has recently
completed work on two proposed specifications to address the ISO 9660 shortcomings. The
System Use Sharing Protocol (SUSP) defines a format for recording infomation in the system
use area of an ISO 9660 directory record in a manner that is both extensible and sharable
by multiple systems. The Rock Ridge Interchange Protocol (RRIP) utilizes the SUSP to
provide a mechanism for recording complete POSIX file system information. Although the
RRIP will be of primary interest to the Unix/POSIX community, the SUSP should be of value
to all segments of the CD-ROM industry. A very important aspect of both of these proposals
is the fact that they maintain compliance with the existing ISO 9660 standard.
As stated in the Rock Ridge Group Goals Document (copies of which will be available
at the meeting), the companies participating in the Rock Ridge Group CD-ROM initiative
desire the ability to use a CD-ROM as a complete implementation of X/Open file system
directories. CD-ROM technology could then be used for: 1) software distribution in a
heterogeneous environment, 2) on-line access to CD-ROM, data, and library files, and 3)
database distribution in a heterogeneous environment without restrictions in a complete
X/Open environment.
The next two presentations address the lack of interchangeability or interoperability
between different CD-ROM discs. Currently, the vast majority of CD-ROM discs are software
dependent in that discs from multiple sources require multiple user interfaces; therefore,
data cannot easily be reused.
The first initiative aimed at solving this problem comes from the disc
interchangeability standard based on the Structured Fulltext Query Language (SFQL) being
prepared by the Air Transport Association (ATA). Specifically, this approach provides a
vendor independent method of retrieving information from a variety of databases, including
full-text and relational systems. Vendor-independent access to these databases permits
application/database interchangeability or, in the case of CD-ROM, disc interchangeability.
Neil Shapiro, President of Scilab, Inc., has been intimately involved with the ATA
approach since its inception and has demonstrated that disc interchangeability is possible
via SFQL. Two prototype discs were developed according to the standard but using markedly
different index engines (KnowledgeSet and Fulcrum). Three chants were able to
interchangeably access both discs. Neil will describe SFQL along with a general model for
disc interchangeability.
The second initiative seeking a solution to CD-ROM interoperability across application
and operating system software has its roots in the intelligence community. Known as the
CD-RDM Read-Only Data Exchaugc_or CD-RDX, this proposed standard intends to create a data
exchange model that will enable interoperability ("plug and play") between and among
diverse operating systems, retrieval programs, and user interfaces. The CD-RDX effort is
proceeding under the auspices of Ed Rishko of the U.S. Goverrunent's Intelligence Community
Staff (ICS) in close cooperation with other government organizations and private industry.
An ICS contract is underway to produce a protoype CD-ROM and demonstrate proof of concept
of CD-RDX. Developed from a consumer's perspective, CD-RDX simply separates clients from
servers and defines a common protocol between them. Its implementation requires that
CD-ROMs contain multiple CD-RDX compliant servers (one for each operating system such as
DOS, Mac, Unix, etc.), one indexing and retrieval package, and one set of data. It would
also require that a client's user-interface software be CD-RDX compliant.
Since Ed initiated the proposed standard, he is particularly well qualified to provide
an overview of CD-RDx's original goal of fostering better interagency information exchange
within the intelligence community. Apparently, this goal has now been expanded to include
other organizations because of the broad and favorable response from both industry and the
CD-ROM community. As a result, the CD-RDX proposal, along with the ATA proposal, will be
reviewed by NISO. The charge to NISO is to develop a standard that will facilitate the
development of general-purpose user-interface software to access data published on CD-ROM
and permit access consistently across a range of databases from different sources.
A third initiative addressing the goal of interoperability is centered at the
Electronic Systems Division at Hanscom Air Force Base. Capt. Larry Schankin is involved
in an effort to develop a CD-ROM Index Architecture Specification (CIAS) to promote
interchangeability in CD-ROM applications. Larry also chairs the SIGCAT CIAS Working Group.
Because most databases placed on CD-ROM use proprietary retrieval software packages,
each application 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 interchangeability. To
further promote this interchangeability, the CIAS will require and support Standard
Generalized Markup Language (SGML) for document files. Larry will provide an overview of
the background of the CIAS effort and the reasons for developing and proposing a CIAS.
Also, CIAS documents will be available at the meeting.
Related to the ever-increasing number of user interfaces is the problem of
inconsistency of terminology. What one package calls a "search." another might call a
"find," and still another might call a "query." Although all the operations are
functionally identical, the variety of command verbs quickly develops into a bewildering
situation to someone who must deal with these packages on a continuing basis. What is
needed is a little consistency and agreement between end user and software provider as to
the "rules of the game." Such an effort is currently underway within the CD-ROM Consistent
INterface Committee (CD-CINC) of SIGCAT, cochaired by Susan David of the Library of
Congress and Fred Durr, President of the National Information Services Corporation. The
goals of CD-CINC are to describe, in aconsistent manner, the basic functions inherent to
contemporary search and retrieval software and to suggest a consistent set of terms for
these functions. In addition, the committee will suggest key assignments (where
appropriate) that should be available to users of full-text and bibliographic CD-ROM
products. Finally, CD-CINC will seek to identify general guidelines for entering and
exiting CD-ROM applications. Susan and Fred will present the reasons for establishing
CD-CINC and provide an update on the progress made by the group to date.
GIS Working Group Meeting
The technology of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is finding application in a
wide variety of fields, from logistics to resource management. Most of these applications
require large databases to be stored, processed, and displayed. Since CD-ROM can provide
such large databases, a marriage of these two technologies seems only natural. The GIS
Working Group explores the combination of CD-ROM and GIS and serves as a focal point for
information and applications. This group will hold its fifth meeting on Friday, April 5th
(the day after the SIGCAT meeting), between 10:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., at the U.S.
Geological Survey's Visitor Center (left of the main auditorium). Several speakers are on
tap to discuss various issues of CD-ROM and GIS as well as demonstrate some new CD-ROM
based GIS products. Please contact Dan Costanzo at the Army Engineer Topographic
Laboratories, (703) 355-2803, for further information.
Well there you have it. The April meeting has an ambitious agenda of presentations
on applications, technology, and standards issues. And, if that isn't enough, there will
even be some CD-ROM souvenirs. First, the Philips DuPont Optical (PDO) Company has
graciously decided to repress the ever-popular GRIPS-89 disc and make it available at the
meeting. Also, Disc Manufacturing, Inc. (DMI), will provide copies of this year's SIGCAT
Software Showcase disc containing a dozen or so software retrieval applications.
For directions, please call the SIGCAT Info Line at (703) 648-4452. For any other
questions, I can be reached at (703) 648-7126 or FTS 959-7126.
EJ. (Jerry) McFaul
Computer Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey
SIGCAT - April 4,1991 - AGENDA
9:00 a.m.- 9:15 a.m. Introductory Remarks
9:15 a.m.- 9:40 a.m. Chris Andrews, President
UniDisc Incorporated - (415) 962-0577
9:40 a.m.- 10:05 a.m. Thomas Collette, Central Region Sales Manager Folio Corporation -
(800) 543-6546
10:05 a.m.- 10:30 a.m. Lt. Cdr. Michael Dickenson, Officer in Charge
Naval Oceanography Command Asheville - (704) 252-7865
10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Break No. 1
10:45 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. Taylor Kramer, Technical Director Dan Shields, President
TMM Corporation - (805) 371-0500
Dave Cote, Chief Operating Officer Young Minds, Incorporated - (714) 335-1350
12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. Lunch
12:45 p.m. - 1:10 p.m. Mike Rubinfeld Conputer Scientist
National Institute of Standards and Technology - (301) 975-3064
1:10 p.m. - 1:35 p.m. Andrew Young, President Young Minds, Incorporated - (714) 335-1350
1:35 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Neil Shapiro, President Scilab, Inc. - (518) 393-1526
2:00 p.m. - 2:25 p.m. Ed Rishko, Intelligence Co
Library Staff
Information Handling Committee - (202) 376-5560
2:25 p.m. - 2:40 p.m. Break No. 2
2:40 p.m. - 3:05 p.m. Capt. Larry Schankin, Project Officer
Hanscom Air Force Base - (617) 377-2105
3:05 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Susan David, Chair, SIGLit
Library of Congress - (202) 707-7169
Fred Durr, Presiders
National Information Services Corporation - (301) 243-0797
3:30 p.m. Adjournment
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