A Time-Shared Automatic Data Retrieval and Composition System

The advent of ADP-controlled production of technical publications has provided many benefits in the form of costeffectiveness, efficiency, and accuracy. However, the chief problems encountered in such techniques historically have been the keypunch operation and the use of paper printouts as reproducible manuscripts. Keypunching requires the use of outside vendors, with the concomitant problems of cost, transportation, and the conspicuous absence of highly touted accuracies. In addition, the increasing usage of Government computer facilities has begun to present problems when a publication with a frequent revision cycle is involved. Also, the use of paper printouts as reproducible manuscripts increases printing costs because of the low character density inherent in high-speed printers. Taking stock of the foregoing problems, the Naval Ship Engineering Center sought some way to solve them. It needed to improve the data acquisition and management system used to publish the electronic equipment Field Change Identification Guide (FCIG) program. A data retrieval and composition system has been adopted to provide a fast-response capability by means of an on-line time-shared computer in which FCIG data are accessed by means of an operator terminal. The flow of input and output data associated with the field change program has become manageable and adapted to streamlined operation through use of the new system shown in Fig. 3 of the text.