NEWSBUREAU LOCKHEED MISSILES 5 SPACE COMPANY, INC. (A SUBSIDIARY OF LOCKHEED .CORPORATION) SUNNYVALE, CALIF. 94086 Contact: Jean Rice (408) 742-6688
BACKGROUNDER DIALOG COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SERVICE History Lockheed's Dialog service, providing instant access to millions of references and abstracts in all fields of study, is an outgrowth of a company-funded research and development program which began in 1963. At that time, the Information Sciences Laboratory was established to generate new knowledge and practical operations for space-age information handling requirements, including the "information explosion" of literature. Recognizing the need for a more rapid, powerful means to identify records which solve a particular information need, Lockheed in 1965 demonstrated the first truly interactive information retrieval system. It combined the merits of direct user interaction, modern computer speeds, large direct-access storage, and coordinated index search techniques. In 1968 Lockheed won a competitively bid contract for $180,000 from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Headquarters in Washingtn, D. C. to design, program, and implement a computerized system for NASA's document citation collection.
The system, called
RECON (Remote Console Information Retrieval Service) was based on the successfully demonstrated Dialog language, and was installed at NASA's Scientific and Technical Information Facility in Maryland to serve all major NASA research centers by a telephone communications network and 30 remote consoles.
It contained half a million documents dealing with
technical data developed from the beginning of the U. S. space effort. RECON permitted the user to enter several "descriptors" at one time in searching for references.
For example, engineers interested in an
more
ADD ONE X X alloy's heat tolerance could enter almost simultaneously into the computer terminal the name of the alloy, the heat range that concerned them, and other terms under which the data might be indexed. The computer moved rapidly through a process of elimination in searching through its stored information until it arrived at the set of references (document titles) corresponding to the user's request. Subsequent contracts over the years resulted in application of these search techniques to bibliographic files of the Atomic Energy Commission, The European Space and Research Organization ,the U. S. Office of Education, the National Technical Information Service, and others. Because interactive access to these databases and other files proved to be of value to many organizations, a commercial search service was announced in early 1972, providing online interactive access to terminals in any subscriber's office. The service took on the name of the information retrieval language and became the Dialog Information Retrieval Service. Method of Interaction Using a typewriter-like keyboard terminal connected by telephone to Lockheed's computers in Palo Alto, California, requests are typed in a stylized form of English, expressed as combinations of words and phrases which might be used when indexing desired documents—or that might be found in titles and/or abstracts of such documents.
The computer responds with
a list of publications that correspond to the request query, displayed on a TV-type screen (CRT) or printed out on paper at the terminal.
If users
do not find what they want immediately, they can continue to "talk" to the computer via the terminal until the desired information is identified. Content The Dialog service contains more than 30 million abstracts and records of technical reports, conference papers, patents,
newspaper and journal and
magazine articles in science, technology, social science, the humanities, business and economics.
Information is contained in data "banks" or "bases"
covering specific subjects such as chemistry, biology, or agriculture, food technology, medicine, or engineering.
Sources of the databases are U. S.
government agencies, professional and trade associations, journal publishers, newspaper and magazine abstracting and indexing services, and several international organizations.
There are now more than 100 databases online;
new ones are added every month.
more
ADD TWO
X
XX
Almost half of the databases contain summaries or abstracts of the original article. Users The service is used by several thousand organizations worldwide. Librarians as well as engineers, scientists and other professionals in industrial, university, and government organizations use Dialog in support of normal references activities.
Researchers use the system
to find out if the research they are doing has already been done by others;
engineers and scientists use it to obtain a list of patents
or to brief themselves on unfamiliar technology: educators use it to locate reports on exceptional children.
Biologists may use the Dialog
service to find data on toxic substances;
businessmen to obtain in-
formation on corporate mergers, new products, markets and sales and profit forecasts;
attorneys to research product liability claims;
physicians to find recent treatment methods for cancer or adverse drug interactions;
and journalists to locate general newspaper and magazine
articles of interest. Cost There is no minimum fee or monthly start-up charge and users receive $100 worth of free search time during the first month of service.
Prices
for database searching are based on the time it takes to do the search and vary with the database being used and the complexity of the question. Costs range from $1 to $2 for a simple search to $30 to $40 for a very complex search.
An average search, however, can be completed in less
than 10 minutes at a cost of less than $10. These charges include royalty payments to the database supplier. Computers The Dialog service now uses two large scale computers: An IBM 370/3032 and an IBM 3033.
The computers are located at Lockheed's Palo Alto facility.
Connected to the computers are over 30 billion bytes (characters) of disk storage containing the databases.
more
ADD THREE X
X X X
Terminals and Other Equipment A dial-up terminal for hard copy and/or display can be leased for between $85 to $150 per month depending upon the brand selected. Terminals are normally leased or purchased directly from the supplier; however, Lockheed will
be glad to lend assistance in determining compatibility
requirements.
Operation speeds of 10, 15, 30, or 120 characters per
second on any ASCII coded terminal are compatible with the Dialog service. User Training Training sessions are provided at a nominal cost for new users in the U. S., Canada, Europe and Australia.
The ability to do a simple search
can be learned in a few hours. Advanced training seminars are also offered on the Dialog system and in a number of special subject areas such as chemistry, business, and biomedicine. Time Span On the average, the last nine years' worth of literature is covered, enough for most search needs.
And, except for files designed to hold
current information only (such as Newsearch which features daily coverage of newspapers and magazines) more years accumulate as the service grows older. Offline Prints After users determine which set of references they wish to obtain, they may elect to have citations printed "offline" via Lockheed's high-speed printers in order to reduce costs.
For most databases, offline print costs
range from five to ten cents for each record printed and mailed to the customer. Telecommunications Access Although users may telephone directly to Lockheed's computers, two data communications networks may be used for access: TYMNET (TYMSHARE) priced domestically at $8 per connect hour and TELENET, priced at $5 per connect hour, for service at speeds up to 120 characters per second in the U. S. and Canada.
Service at 10, 30 and 120 cps is also available over regular
phone lines or by outward WATS or FTS lines. Computer terminals connected to the TWX or TELEX networks may also reach the service. Service in European nations and in an expanding list of other countries is available through TYMNET and TELENET.
The international TELEX network
may be used outside the U. S. and Canada in countries where TYMNET or TELENET service is not available. -
more
ADD FOUR
X X X X X
Hours of Operation The Dialog service is currently available nearly 120 hours each week, Monday through Saturday, during normal business hours in all time
zones
of the world. Lockheed Information Systems The Dialog service is operated by the Lockheed Information Systems program office, located within the Advanced Systems Division of Lockheed Missiles & Space Company (LMSC).
A subsidiary of Lockheed Corporation,
LMSC manufactures products for missile and ocean systems and space exploration and performs research and development for government and industry.
Revised December 1979