Information organization for interactive use: Design implications in data‐base systems
Jacques F. Vallee, Gerald L. Askevold · Journal of the American Society for Information Science · 1973
Abstract The main purpose of this paper is to seek classes of design implications in data‐base oriented languages. Its scope is not limited to library automation, but extends to the problem of scientific and business data‐bases. As a point of practical reference it reviews the lessons drawn from the application of the DIRAC‐1 language to a variety of problems at Stanford. The second version of DIRAC, which is currently used in the organization and utilization of a geoscience data‐base, is described. An attempt is made to relate the observation of these real‐life systems to general characteristics and leads to hypotheses concerning future design trends. In this context two points are regarded as especially important, namely the handling of structure specification and the need to view the user as an operator rather than as a passive recipient of information.