EPIDEMIOLOGY INFORMATION RESOURCE ON OPTICAL DISC

ONE OF THE LEADING DATABANKS OF EPIDEMIOLOGIC RESEARCH IN PROGRESS IS THE DIRECTORY OF ON-GOING RESEARCH IN CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGY, PUBLISHED ANNUALLY BY THE INTERNATIONAL AGENCY FOR RESEARCH ON CANCER IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE AND THE DEUTSCHES KREBSFORSCHUNGSZENTRUM. THE 1987 EDITION OF THIS DIRECTORY COVERED SOME 1,320 PROJECTS UNDERWAY IN 68 COUNTRIES. THOUGH THE PRINTED DIRECTORY IS A VALUABLE RESOURCE, COMPLEX SEARCHES COORDINATING SEVERAL OF ITS INDEXES ARE CUMBERSOME AND TIME CONSUMING. A VERSION SUITABLE FOR USE ON A PERSONAL COMPUTER WOULD ALLEVIATE THIS PROBLEM AND ENHANCE THE UTILITY OF THIS INFORMATION. I.S. GRUPE, INC. (ISG), HAS AN EXTANT SOFTWARE PACKAGE THAT COULD BE EASILY MODIFIED TO PERMIT DISTRIBUTION AND USE OF THE INFORMATION VIA MICROCOMPUTER; FURTHERMORE, ISG HAS EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE WITH THE OPTICAL DISC (CD-ROM) MEDIUM FOR INFORMATION DISSEMINATION. AN EXCITING AND INNOVATIVE METHOD FOR DISTRIBUTING THIS INFORMATION RESOURCE, ESPECIALLY TO THIRD-WORLD COUNTRIES, COULD BE PERFORMED BY ISSUING THE DIRECTORY ON OPTICAL DISK UNDER THE CONTROL OF ISG'S SOFTWARE.