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The GSTS (Groupement Scientifique de Télédétection de Strasbourg) has a semi-computerized stock 
of over 200 publications on remote sensing, 300 sets of congress proceedings, and 50 theses or study 
reports (1800 records in all). 
The ORSTOM Laboratoire d'Informatique Appliquée is already co-producing databases with 200 remote 
sensing records so far. 
The CRTO (Centre Régional de Télédétection de Ouagadougou) has a large number of unpublished 
regional monographs. 
ESRIN in Frascati has significant documentary resources, mainly oriented toward space technology. 
1.3 - Potential of existing resources 
The importance of close ties between the RESORS database and the ISPRS-IRS project was stated 
above. An analysis of the 93 major journals dealing with remote sensing (see paper presented by H. Ten 
Haken in Mainz, 1982, updated 1988) indicates that RESORS scans 20 remote sensing journals, the 
majority being international or North American publications. Few European journals are scanned. 
Among the multidisciplinary databases, PASCAL (which scans 36 of the 93 journals) and GEOBASE (54 
out of 93) give considerable coverage to remote sensing. These are less "technical" than the American 
databases such as NASA, NTIS and COMPENDEX and the British INSPEC. They should therefore be 
considered for inclusion in the project. However, collaboration with these databases can only be 
envisioned in terms of an agreement encompassing computer reformatting, additional indexing and the 
payment of royalties on interrogations in accordance with standard practice. Such collaboration is 
covered in greater detail below in 8 4 under configurations B, C and D. 
Specific databases deal in particular with earth sciences, geography, agriculture, hydrology and water 
resources. These can be seen as complementary to the ISPRS-IRS project, permitting subject 
specialists to do searches in their particular areas. We do not consider it reasonable to further develop 
collaboration in this area, except for agreements for the scanning of dedicated journals. 
The non-computerized centers covered are mainly located in Europe. Broadening the scope of the 
survey was impossible without risking too great a degree of dispersion and making the feasibility study 
unrealistic. Extending the survey is, however, possible and perhaps desirable. The centers concerned 
plan to computerize in the fairly short term. The chief benefit of establishing a network would be the 
initiating of ongoing harmonization of such projects. The network would probably help in terms of 
practical implementation by proposing a basic form for description and scanning purposes, an indexing 
macro-vocabulary, and possibly joint management of the files. Technology and staff training in 
computerized processing at such centers, which are often small-scale, is highly variable. A joint proposal 
for coordinated computerization is urgently needed; this would permit access to invaluable documentary 
resources comprising papers produced at universities and research centers, technical reports, congress 
proceedings and grey literature. 
2 - USER REQUIREMENTS AND ATTITUDE OF POTENTIAL NETWORK MEMBERS 
The basic demand for information on remote sensing can be seen through the results of the enquiry into 
the centers and the requirements of the potential user community as revealed by a questionnaire sent to 
600 organizations. 
2.1 - Information requirements 
Although potential users consider databases useful, they do not routinely interrogate them. Remote 
sensing and photogrammetry information is dispersed among various multidisciplinary and specific 
databases, causing a certain amount of inertia since several databases on different hosts have to be 
interrogated. Typical criticisms concern the different command languages and thesauri, and the difficulty 
of accessing source documents. The existing databases are considered to be suitable as far as journal 
articles are concerned, but little coverage is given to low-circulation and non-mainstream literature. A 
definite need exists and should be satisfied, providing that a suitable operational system is also set up for 
access to source documents. 
It is not always easy to distinguish between subject needs, satisfied to a greater or lesser extent by 
interrogating subject databases, and those relating to a particular remote sensing or photogrammetry file. 
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