Publishers
b ISPRS - IRS
OFFICE
Library Britisch
of Congress E VR S ideae Library
Washington London |
L Document Delivery Code j | Analyst | | Analyst | | Analyst | | Analyst |
| I Input Selection A
s LA ISPRS - IRS |
Microfiche Database ISPRS - IRS
Database
on - line HOST | User orders full
document sthcough host Input selection to prevent users being
submerged by too many computer outputs
Full document delievery within ISPRS -IRS Figure !
Figure 5
There are, inter alia, two different modes for implementing and maintaining the
ISPRS -IRS Database. The first and easiest mode would be to have it done by a
database producer in the USA or Europe on commercial grounds. As an outcome, any
user would have to pay in dollars. Further, this solution encounters that the
database will possibly not be established by professionals in our field which
is an inherent disadvantage.
Much better appears to be a second mode with financial support from one country
for maintaining the database allowing both, online access to a host computer,
and the free-of-charge PCA. Financial constraints of governments of many
countries are, however, such that one country can hardly carry the burden alone.
Therefore, a joint venture of European countries had been initiated to be
channeled through the Commission of the European Communities (CEC). Being aware
that other scientific disciplines would also approach governments to support
information retrieval systems for their fields, our request to European countries
via the CEC has been based on two reasonings :
+ In contrast to e.g. chemistry and medicine, being commercially structured
resp. financially self supporting, a particular feature of surveying & mapping
is that the majority of users of an information retrieval system are govern-
ment employees who do not dispose on funds to utilize ISPRS -IRS. Consequently,
implementing ISPRS -IRS on commercial grounds (first mode) would require
altering the budgets of all government organizations engaged in surveying &
mapping. This appears to be a tedious resp. unrealistic undertaking. Instead,
it will be more efficient if five governments share expenses for the ISPRS -
IRS Office.
+ Surveying & mapping, and particularly remote sensing, have quite an impact on
developing countries. Hence, financing the ISPRS -IRS Office as a joint ven-
ture will be a contribution for technical co-operation for development.
The structure of financial support is outlined in figure 5. A ISPRS -IRS Office
carries responsibility for establishing and maintaining the database, and
responds to PCA queries. Four Analysts are required to do the work. One country
each is expected to carry expenses for one Analyst. A fifth country carries
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