Introduction
Information systems are organised frameworks for collecting, processing, storing, and disseminating information to support activities like research, education, and decision-making. They can be categorized based on their geographical scope and funding model. International systems, often established by intergovernmental bodies like UNESCO, facilitate global cooperation. National systems are developed within a country to coordinate information resources for national development. Commercial systems are for-profit enterprises that sell information products and services in a market-oriented environment.
1. International Information Systems
International information systems are established through cooperation among multiple countries to facilitate the global exchange of information, often in specific scientific or technical fields. They are typically coordinated by intergovernmental organizations.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
- Background: Established in 1970 by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), INIS was one of the world's first decentralized, computer-based information systems. Its mission is to foster the exchange of scientific and technical information on the peaceful uses of atomic energy. It operates through a collaborative partnership of 128 Member States and 24 international organizations, with National INIS Centres in each country responsible for collecting literature and disseminating products.
- Services and Products:
- INIS Database: This is the core product, a bibliographic database containing over 3 million citations and abstracts covering a wide range of nuclear science literature, including journal articles, reports, patents, and theses. Input is checked by experts at the INIS Secretariat to ensure high quality.
- Non-Conventional Literature (NCL): INIS maintains a unique collection of over 900,000 full-text documents of "grey" literature, which are made available through the online database.
- Document Delivery: The system facilitates document delivery services through National INIS Centres.
- INIS Multilingual Thesaurus: This is a controlled vocabulary developed by experts for indexing and searching the database, available in multiple languages including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.
- Capacity Building: The IAEA helps establish and support national INIS centres in developing countries by transferring knowledge and know-how in information processing.
Agricultural Information System (AGRIS)
- Background: Created in 1974 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, AGRIS is a cooperative system designed to facilitate the global exchange of agricultural science and technology literature. Over 240 national and international centers participate by inputting references to literature produced within their boundaries and, in turn, drawing on the information provided by others.
- Services and Products:
- WEBAGRIS: This is a complete, multilingual web-based system for distributed data input, processing, and dissemination of agricultural bibliographic information. It allows centres to manage their local data and export it to the central AGRIS database.
- AGRIS Application Profile (AGRIS-AP): This is a metadata standard created to enhance the description, exchange, and retrieval of agricultural information objects.
- AGROVOC Thesaurus: A multilingual, structured thesaurus used to standardize the indexing process and make searching more efficient.
- AGORA (Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture): A program that provides developing countries with free or low-cost access to major scientific journals in agriculture and related fields.
UNISIST (World Scientific Information System)
- Background: Launched by UNESCO in 1973, UNISIST was not an operational system itself but a conceptual framework for developing an international network of information services in science and technology. Its primary objectives were to improve tools for system interconnection, strengthen information transfer institutions, and assist member countries in developing national information policies. UNISIST was later merged into UNESCO's General Information Programme (PGI) and subsequently succeeded by the Information for All Programme (IFAP).
2. National Information Systems
National information systems aim to organize and coordinate a country's information resources to support national development goals. The Indian context provides several examples.
National Information System for Science and Technology (NISSAT)
- Background: Established in 1977 by the Indian government, NISSAT was designed to build a compatible set of information systems in science and technology by interlinking existing centers and services. Its strategy was to utilize existing infrastructure rather than creating new institutions from scratch. The project was closed in March 2002.
- Services and Products:
- Sectoral Information Centres: NISSAT established specialized information centres in specific sectors, such as the National Information Centre for Leather and Allied Industries (NICLAI) and the National Information Centre on Food Science (NICFOS). These centres provided services like SDI, CAS, and technical inquiry services.
- Library Networks: NISSAT played a pioneering role in setting up metropolitan library networks like DELNET (Delhi) and CALIBNET (Calcutta) to promote resource sharing.
- Software Promotion: It was the national distribution centre for the CDS/ISIS software, organizing numerous training courses that helped make LIS professionals computer literate across the country.
National Information and Documentation Centres
Several national centres in India function as de facto national information systems for their respective domains.
- NISCAIR (National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources): Formed by the merger of INSDOC and NISCOM, NISCAIR is CSIR's nodal agency for S&T information.
- Services: It provides a range of services including Document Copy Supply, Foreign Language Translation, Bibliometric Analysis, and access to international databases. It also manages the National Science Library (NSL).
- Products: NISCAIR publishes primary research journals, abstracting journals like Indian Science Abstracts, and popular science magazines. Other key products include the Wealth of India encyclopaedia, the National Union Catalogue of Scientific Serials in India (NUCSSI), and the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL).
- NASSDOC (National Social Science Documentation Centre): Established by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), NASSDOC provides library and information support for social science researchers.
- Services: It offers document delivery, bibliographic services, literature searches, and training programs.
- Products: Its major products are the Union Catalogue of Social Science Periodicals and Serials in India and various directories of social science research and training institutions.
- DESIDOC (Defence Scientific Information and Documentation Centre): This is the central information resource for the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
- Services: Manages the Defence Science Library, develops databases, and conducts training.
- Products: It is the publication wing of DRDO, bringing out journals such as the Defence Science Journal and the DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology (DJLIT).
3. Commercial Information Systems
These systems are for-profit ventures that arose from the recognition of the economic value of information, especially in the context of solving societal and industrial problems. They operate as vendors, aggregators, or brokers.
- Background: The growth of commercial systems accelerated in the 1970s with the advent of online, interactive information retrieval. The shift to market-oriented information transfer gave rise to an "information industry" willing to invest capital in new products and services. The rise of electronic publishing further expanded this market, leading to the creation of aggregators who package content from multiple publishers.
- Services:
- Online Search Services: These companies, often called vendors or spinners, host large collections of databases that can be searched online by subscribers for a fee. A prominent example is DIALOG, which provides access to over 900 databases.
- Aggregation Services: Aggregators provide online access to a large number of e-journals from different publishers on a single, customized platform. Key examples are EBSCO and J-Gate.
- Information Brokerage: This involves individuals or firms that, for a profit, seek to answer questions on demand using all available sources. They may offer services like literature searches, document retrieval, and information repackaging.
- Document Delivery Services (DDS): Commercial providers offer DDS, often on a pay-per-view basis, for documents not available through subscriptions. Infotrieve, Inc. is a leading global provider.
- Products:
- Databases: They produce or lease a wide range of databases, including bibliographic, full-text, numeric, and multimedia databases, for online access or on CD-ROM.
- E-Journal Collections: Aggregators bundle e-journals from various publishers into thematic or comprehensive packages for subscription.
- Consolidated Information Products: Brokers produce value-added products like market reports, technical digests, and other repackaged information tailored to specific client needs.
- Publisher Platforms: Major publishers like Elsevier (ScienceDirect) and Springer (SpringerLink) have created their own commercial platforms to provide access to their vast collections of e-journals and e-books.