A Pilot Study for an Issue-Oriented Database for Ethics, Technology and the Environment

9320258 George这是一项试验性研究，旨在开发一个关于伦理、技术和环境的在线问题导向书目数据库。在试点阶段，调查人员将可以(1)在至少三种软件产品上测试假设的数据库形式，并通过与潜在用户讨论来测试正式选项的效用；(2)采访潜在用户（新闻记者、学者、科学家、中学和大学教育工作者），以确定他们想要回答的问题，并建立将材料纳入数据库的标准；(3)确定问题领域并扩大数据库覆盖范围，使其有能力包括所有或几乎所有西北地区的环境问题；(4)为软件测试识别来自许多不同学科的关于特定环境问题的少量摘要审查出版物；从这些开始普通语言和技术术语的同义词典和索引的发展。目标是为那些想要对西北地区的环境问题做出正确的社会判断的人开发一个用户友好的数据库。该数据库对人文学科的教师和学者、学生和教师以及媒体应该是有用的，因为它不仅使他们能够获得其他评论员的意见，而且还可以获得关于这些问题的科学方面的评论和其他摘要。这将有助于科学家以及其他对科学进行社会评论的人，让他们更好地获得伦理观点和伦理学术。随着信息越来越多地通过计算机化网络传播，开发用户友好的资源和资源必须具有高度优先性。该试点项目为开发这些资源的方法提供了一个测试，也为对科学和环境政策的重要问题感兴趣的美国公民和学者提供了一个独特资源的测试。＊＊＊

9320258 George This is a pilot study to develop an on-line issue oriented bibliographic database on ethics, technology and the environment. The pilot phase will allow the investigators to (1) test the hypothetical database form on at least three software products and test the utility of formal options by discussing them with potential users; (2) interview potential users (news reporters, scholars, scientists, and secondary and university educators) to determine what questions they will want answered and to establish criteria for inclusion of material in database; (3) identify issue areas and broaden database coverage to give capacity for including all or almost all Northwest environmental issues; and (4) identify, for software tests, a small number of summary review publications on particular environmental issues from many different disciplines; begin development of thesaurus and index of ordinary language and technical terms from these. The goal is to develop a user friendly database for people who want to make sound social judgments about environmental issues in the Northwest. The database should be useful to humanities teachers and scholars, students and teachers and the media, by giving them access to not only what other commentators are saying but also to reviews and other summaries about scientific aspects of these issues. It will be useful to scientists as well as others making social comment on science by giving them better access to ethical perspectives and ethical scholarship. As information comes increasingly over computerized networks, the development of user-friendly sources and resources must have high priority. This pilot provides a test of ways to develop these sources, as well as a test of a unique resources for U.S. citizens and scholars interested in important issues of science and environmental policy. ***