DISCLAIMER

The following is a staff memorandum or other working document 
prepared for the members of the Advisory Committee on Human
Radiation Experiments.  It should not be construed as representing
the final conclusions of fact or interpretation of the issues. 
All staff memoranda are subject to revision based on further 
information and analysis.  For conclusions and recommendations of
the Advisory Committee, readers are advised to consult the Final
Report to be published in 1995.






                            MEMORANDUM

TO:       Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments

FROM:     Advisory Committee Staff

DATE:     June 22, 1994

RE:       Information System Development


Software

Lotus Notes is a PC based "groupware" software package that will be 
used by the Advisory Committee for electronic mail, topical discussion 
databases, information management, and public access to information. 

1.   Notes is an electronic communications and database package that 
     includes many of the features of relational databases and 
     hypertext systems.  Unlike relational databases, however, it is 
     able to handle large volumes of text; and, unlike hypertext 
     systems, its document-based structure allows better control of 
     information.  Notes supports full-text indexing and Boolean 
     searching.

2.   Notes supports free flowing, open electronic discussions that can 
     be categorized and viewed in a wide variety of ways, for example 
     by date, author, or defined keyword such as topic, experiment 
     name or scientist involved.  The individual discussion databases 
     can be tailored to the needs of the participants to facilitate 
     consensus building or brainstorming while alleviating the need 
     that all parties must be in the same place at the same time to be 
     a part of the discussion. In addition, access to databases can be 
     controlled to limit readers and contributors.

3.   The Committee also will use Notes to manage its information 
     collection, including the documents received from the agencies.   
     Notes databases also will be used by the staff in its research to 
     facilitate the understanding of the various links among 
     experiments, scientists and funding sources found in the human 
     radiation experiment "universe."  A Notes document repository 
     that contains the published work of the Committee will also be 
     created.  

4.   Members of the Advisory Committee can be provided access to Notes 
     mail and database facilities.  In addition, a PC with access to 
     the public work of the Committee will be set up in the public 
     access room and access through the Internet is being planned.







Data Gathering and Database Design

While awaiting the arrival of the appropriate hardware and software, 
the staff is collecting data to create the information management and 
research databases, and the design of several databases has begun.

The information management databases now being built include:  (1) a 
register of the deposits of information made by the agencies and other 
groups, as well as items collected by the staff; (2) a document 
catalog, with detailed information on each document in the collection; 
(3) an index of documents of substantial research importance ("hot 
docs"); and (4) several information indices, including a publications 
catalog and a newspaper article index.  A prototype of each of these 
databases now exists.

Design of a research database to index information about experiments 
and other incidents has begun with the development of a standard form 
for recording basic information about each experiment. This form will 
be used to index information that will assist Committee members and 
staff in locating documents and other information of interest.  It is 
not intended to provide by itself sufficient information for the 
Committee to evaluate the scientific and ethical aspects of an 
experiment. 

The form has now been revised several times, after consultation with 
the Subcommittees on Scope and Priorities and Cold War Data 
Collection, the dedication to collecting ethical policies, staff 
historians and after an initial assessment by Jon Engel of the staff 
who tested an earlier version of the form in a trial run using the 
experiments discussed in Congressman Markey's report.

Attached you will find the latest revision of the form, including 
revisions made after the trial run. This form will be used by the 
staff to report information to be entered into the information system.  
Once the system is running, a variety of forms can be designed 
allowing information to be retrieved from the information system. For 
example, not all of the information on the data entry form will be 
needed by researchers; each researcher can design retrieval forms for 
extracting only the information actually needed for a specific 
purpose.

Forms will also be developed to enter information on:

     (1) incidents of interest which are not experiments, 
     (2) institutions, and 
     (3) individuals.