4 The Information Retrieval System ISPRS -IRS on literature and factual data
The foregoing reveals that in our field an adequate and reliable literature
retrieval system does not exist in any country earthwide. Therefore, ISPRS
embarked to fill this gap. Details of what has been done have been published
by Hothmer 198^. The following is a summary report of that paper.
The basis for the operation of ISPRS -IRS are the detailed Specifications as
attached to the quoted publication.
Ihe substantive set up is shown
in figure 2. An ISPRS -IRS Co - operation with International Societies
Office is responsible for the | ICA | | FIG | [ 746 | [isPRS | hes. AAO
database. Co-operation should ‚particularly within!
be established with as many | | | | the variety of fields |
institutions as is feasible | janplyng remofe — |
and possible. Co-operation was ISPRS - IRS OFFICE penso m
settled with the Sister Socie- responsible for database| 77 di
ties International Society for
Photogrammetry and Remote Sen- | 7
ong (ISPRS), internak:onat Care RESORS VINITI ISTIC IFAG
tographic Association (ICA), Canada USSR China Japan FRG
International Association of
Geodesy (IAG), and International
ZFV GEO Abs. (AG
FRG UK GDR
Federation of Surveyors (FIG),
and this writer was assigned Con-
vener ISPRS -IRS. Co-operation Input from countries or institutions
with other Societies promoting {0 be ego 1
and applying remote sensing was
negotiated.
Figure 2
Substantive support for ISPRS - IRS
The range of subject fields
shall comprehend surveying &
mapping including remote sensing. Some commentators proposed to consider imple-
menting a separate database for remote sensing as this technology serves many
Scientific disciplines. Being aware that most results of remote sensing re-
quire presentation in a thematic map, the outcome was that remote sensing may
best be served within the ISPRS -IRS Database.
The content of the ISPRS -IRS Database shall include bibliographical data with
summaries being subsumed from conventional and from grey literature, as well as
factual data. Full document delivery can be provided according to the outline
presented in figure 3.
Input selection is anticipated to prevent that users be submerged by too many
computer outputs. The procedure is delineated in figure 4,
In pursuance with requests having been put forward at the ISPRS Symposium Mainz
1982, the powerful hosts ESA = IRS in Frascati -Italy, and STN Karlsruhe - FRG
(including STN = USA and STN - Japan as well) agreed to negotiate on the grounds
of the Specifications to host the ISPRS -IRS Database.
Any achievement of our International Society should be available to all Member
Countries. Bearing in mind that most online retrieval requires payment in hard
currency, and envisaging that quite some Member Countries, particularly de-
veloping nations, can not afford spending hard currency for this purpose,
ISPRS -IRS has been designed so as to allow a free-of-charge access via the
'"Post -Card -Approach'! (PCA), compare figure 3.
91
