INTRODUCTION TO THE ATTACHED SURVEY ON USE OF COINS IN CIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79M00097A000300010003-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 20, 2012
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: January 1, 2000
• Content Type: REPORT

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Introduction to th i Attached Survey
on Use of COINS in CIA
i
CIA has been requested'to consider participa-
tion in a major upgrading of COINS that Iwould in-
Clude new hardware at CIA and some CIA staffing
of the COINS Project Office at NSA. In this con-
nection, information is needed about how CIA's
requirements for use of COINS are likely to change
over the next few years. This survey is intended
to obtain some o the needed information.
The questions that follow are being asked
of all the Agency and IC components that deal
with the kinds of subjects' contained in COINS
files. To help put the questions in perspective,
they are preceded by a few'paragraphs_that give
background on the current status and prospects
of COINS.
There Ore two sets of questions. The first
set, starting on page 4, is directed to users and
potential users of COINS, whether analysts or mah-
agers. The questions are intended to find out who
uses COINS in the Agency, for what purposes,
and with what success. The questions are equally
directed at those people who' by virtue of their
Work assignment might be expected to have an in-
terest in the kinds of information in the COINS
data base, and yet make little or no use of COINS.
In their case, the objective is to get a more
precise understanding of why.
The second set of questions, beginning on page
7, is intended to elicit information about plans for
data bases and research relevant to future use of
COINS by Agency components. It is requested that
Agency officers in a position to know of the require-
ments for such plans answer the questions in
Section II,
Completed question sheets should be returned to:
COINS, CIA
Room 3F45
Headquarters
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Some Background on COINS
The COINS network provides access to some 43
files developed by USIB member agencies. The
:short and long titles of these files, their agency
sponsors, and their classifications are listed on
page 9. At CIA, these files are accessed through
two Model 35 teletype terminals located at Head-
quarters, six Model 37 terminals at the CIA
school, and several terminals (varying models)
at NPIC.
It may soon be easier to access COINS data,
and over the next few years more files will be
included in the COINS 'data base. A current COINS
proposal is to replace present COINS terminals
with new Model 40 teletype terminals that are
30 times as fast, can query a file interactively
and with visual display, and can also receive
bulk transfer, of data from remote terminals
onto tape cassettes. Installation of the new
terminals could begin about October of this year.
NSA is expected to be a principal supplier
of new files for the COINS data base as that
agency continues to implement the "paperless"
reporting concept. Over the next two to three
years we can expect:
CONFIDENTIAL
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25X1
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It is less clear what particular file contributions
there might be from agencies other than NSA. Current
COINS planning envisions the establishment of host
Computers at State, Navy (OSIS), and FTD (CIRCOL) by
FY 1980. It Can be expected that some of the data
base.files maintained by these organizations would
then be put into COINS.
The number of DoO organizations with access to
the COINS data base will continue to grow over
the next few years. E`UCOM Headquarters became
a terminal subscriber in F;ebruary. SAC and Fleet
Intelligence Center EUR/LANT (FICEURLANT) joined
COINS in March. In the Pacific area, there are
now some seveh military commands with terminals
that access the COINS system, and this number is
scheduled to increase as two terminals in Japan
and possibly one in the Ph'illippines and one in
Taiwan Ore brought into the syF.tem. Over the next
year or two, LOINS terminals will also be established
at FTD, FSTC, STIC, and CINCLAT'T.
How will GINS relate to SAFE? Planning has
not proceeded far enough to be certain about this.
COINS may be one of the external file systems that
can be accessed by individual analysts via the
SAFE system.
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CIA COINS Survey
I. Questions for Intelligence Officers Working
on Subjects Related to Files in the COINS
Data Base pages 9 and 10 for list of
files)
A. What has been your general area of research
interest over the past year?
B. About how many times have you (or a CRS
analyst at your request) interrogated
COINS, files during the past year?
C. If no use, or very infrequent use, check
reason(s) which apply:
1. I have no need for regular or frequent
interrogation of the kinds of files
that are in COINS. / /
2. The information in COINS is of marginal
importance to my research and reporting
responsbility.'
3. I have better ways of getting at the
data currently in COINS. /_/
4. The data in COINS files relevant to my
research and reporting responsibility
are incomplete in an important respect.
Please specify:
5. Until recently, I have not been familiar
with what is available through COINS
and how to get it. /_/
6. I have not used COINS very much because
it is too-difficult to
~..
get a complete response in reasonable
time. . /_/
7. I have used COINS little (or
because (please specify any
not covered above) : _____
not at all)
other reason
/7
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D. If you (or a CRS intermediary) interrogated
COINS files during the past year:
I
Indicate your purpose(s)
with a check.
Indicate short names
of files interrogated.
(Please repeat names
ri
ro
t
1.
Support for current
p
a
as app
e.)
ti
I
intelligence reporting
2.
Support for research
paper
/J
3.
To keep abreast of
.developments in a partic-
ular substantive area
4.
Requirements definition
or evaluation
/J
5.
Management tool
6.
File building
7.
Other Please specify:
E. If a file was inadequate in some respect, list
.file and, very briefly, list reason.
Short Name of File(s) Problem
1.
2.
3.
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F. Would the availability of the faster and
more versatile Moe1.40 COINS terminals
result in your more frequent use of the-
COINS data base?
G. At the present time, to interrogate DIA-
sponsored files in the COINS data base,
one must use the DIAOLS machine language;
to get at NPIC-sponsored files in COINS
one must use the PIRL language; to inter-
rogate files sponsored by NSA (and CIA),
one must use the THE language; and,
theoretically, as additional agency data
bases having their own machine languages
become part of COINS, it will be necessary
to know a different language to query
each, To simplify this requirement, the
COINS management is developing a single
"uniform data language" that will
permit access to all current and prospective
COIN$ data bases. It will still be
necessary to know the structure and content
of the target file,'but one machine language
will provide access to many data bases.
1. Is multiple-language access to the COINS
system a problem for you now?
2. Do you expect that it will become a
problem in the future?
3. Do you expect that-you would use COINS
more if a "uniform data language"
were available?
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CIA COINS Survey
II. Questions About Plans for Research and Data
Bases T a Might involve Access to COIN6
A. Potential Value of COINS to CIA as a
Distributive Mechanism
Are you planning or do you foresee
.that your Office/Service will be creating
files that you would want to make avail-
abl; to non-CIA users., (e.g., DIA, State,
or IPIC) through COINS?
If yes, please explain briefly.
B. Potential Use of COINS as a Repository for
Joint Data Bases
Are you planning or do you foresee
the creation of fijres, done jointly with
other agencies, that would normally be
accessed by CIA analysts through COINS?
If yes, please explain briefly.
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C. Likelv.Use of COINS to Support Particular
Agency Research Eftorts
Are you planning .e do you foresee
that your Office/Service will undertake
research projects that will require in-
creased use of the COINS data base?
If yes, please explain briefly.
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