developing countries or users wishing to receive regular updates of their bibliographies, requires the 
allocation of at least 1.5 or 2 documentary assistants. Print products could be envisaged, but we feel this 
is best left to the initiative of the centers for their internal needs, i.e. such requirements will be better 
determined as a function of demand. 
3.2.2 - Interactive interrogation 
This leads to the question of supply by the hosts. Contact already made, and the interest shown by ESA 
in our project, logically points to the ESA-IRS host for the dissemination of the database. A study is in 
hand to define the conditions for uploading. In particular, the cost of interrogation by network members 
needs to be specified. One possible model is the IBISCUS network system. Here, members play either 
a financial role or a production role; charges are modulated (or weighted) by the awarding of points 
according to the contribution made by members in their respective roles. The idea submitted by J. 
Hothmer, by which members playing a financial role should be found, is still relevant. Contact must also 
be sought with international and national partners such as the United Nations organizations, ACCT, 
ministries, etc. so that access can be optimized, particularly for our partners in the developing countries. 
3.3 - Access to source documents 
This key problem must be solved, the usefulness of a database generally being related to the operation 
of such a service. According to the type of management office chosen and established, the following 
types of solutions are possible: 
3.3.1 - Management office coordinates service. 
3.3.2 - Management office coordinates and provides service. 
3.3.3 - A network member provides service, management office coordinates (includes configuration 
3.3.1). 
3.3.4 - Members jointly provide service, management office coordinates (includes configuration 3.3.1). 
3.3.5 - The service providing access to documents is sub-contracted to a specialist organization. Now 
that large national systems are developing skills in this area, this idea seems feasible. Coordination with 
the network members is provided by the management office (includes configuration 3.3.1). 
The staff requirement at the management office level for configurations 3.3.1, 3.3.3, 3.3.4 and 3.3.5 is 
around 0.5 persons. In view of the facilities required, configuration 3.3.2 does not seem feasible. The 
cost of copying documents will be established in the specifications according to the market supply 
conditions. 
4 - POSSIBLE CONFIGURATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING AN ISPRS-IRS DATABASE 
A careful study of several strategies for implementing our project produced four proposals which 
constitute the conclusion to our work. Configuration A, a complete international network, is the ideal. 
Configurations B and C are feasible and should be studied in detail. Our commission should probably 
choose between these two. Configuration D is the minimum, whereby the ISPRS network would not 
actually create a database but would provide input to an existing base. We shall conclude our discussion 
of these configurations by outlining how the future network and its management office would operate. 
4.1 - Configuration A: international ISPRS-IRS database 
This is the ideal, as presented by J. Hothmer. The international database would materialize by 
reformatting data from other files and contributions from a very large network of organizations. An 
example of configuration A is shown below: 
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