DD
growth of literature and of the problems ensuing therefrom with re-
spect to documentation; 2) A survey of the present knowledge about
photo interpretation literature as provided by bibliographies, ab-
stracting services, etc., and 3) Suggestions for an improvement of
the infornation problem on the international platform.
The explosion of scientific knowledge and scientific literature, in
general and for photo interpretation in particular
According to a recent estimate, the same amount of human know-
ledge was accumulated from man's early history until about 1750 as
from 1750 to 1900. Around 1950 the amount of knowledge was twice that
in 1900, and then it doubled again P 1950 to 1960. Since then, the
1
fic community and for the people engaged in decision-making at all
rate of increase has grown further. For the members of the scienti-
levels, such as technicians, engineers, planners and administrators,
this means an ever growing problem of adequate information. I do not
think that anybody ever estimated losses of money, time and energy
having occurred as the results of wrong decisions and also of unneces-
sary scientific double-track working, but I could imagine that the
figures are tremendous. As far as double-track working is concerned
one may maintain, of course, that duplicities in scientific research
are necessary, because scientific progress is stimulated by competi-
tion. While this is, in principle, undoubtedly a true statement, one
should add immediately that this stimulant works only if one knows
that there is competition. Some hundred years ago, the few individuals
working in a particular field could very well keep up just by corres-
pondance. To-day, the literature is the most important source of infor-
mation by far, but it has become impossible for most scientists to
keep complete track of the developments in their own field. The situ-
ation can be improved by eliminating the need for time-consuming lite-
rature searches through adequate bibliographical informetion. What we
meant above by "unnecessary" duplicities" is not competition, which
may be a ‘sound principle, but the working on problems which have been
solved already by someone else. With appropriate information on hand,
it should be possible to avoid such a waste of human efforts.
The situation is equally serious for the field of photo interpre-
tation in particular as for science in general. Here, more important
perhaps than to avoid fruitless duplicities in research is to avoid
faulty decisions in the course of practical air photographic surveys
sS! E "ud ht + 5° RB ac
cr TT Q 5 © ++
9m H © + > wm
Oo ct ( 4
B
