CODIB WORKING GROUP REPORT ON THE PROPOSAL GENERAL ELECTRIC INDEXING SYSTEM FOR THE AIR FORCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01139A000200040018-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 7, 2004
• Sequence Number: 18
• Publication Date: November 30, 1959
• Content Type: MF

Approvedy r Release 2004/05/05 : CIA-RDP80BQ 39A000200040018-9
G-O-N F-I-D-E-N-T-I-A-L
CODIB-D-49
30 November 1959
U N I T E L S T A T E S IN TEL1,1GENC E BOA KD e
SUBJECT t CODIB Working Group Report on the Proposed General
Electric Indexing System for the Air Force
le Attached for information is the CODIB Working Group report on
the proposed General Electric indexing system for the Air Force together
with the letter of transmittal to the Assistant Chief of Staff,, Intelli-
gence, USAF a
2e The report was sent to the Air Force for information in accord-
ance with CODIB decision of 12 November 1959 (CODIB-MM18, para. 2 d)).
Paul A. Borel
Chairman
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30 November 1959
major General James H; Walshp USAF
assistant Chief of Staffg Intelligence
h eadquarterssp United States Air Force
'?aashington 25, D. C.
Dear Jim:
On behalf of the USIB Committee on Locumentationp I am attaching for
your information the findings of its I-orking Group on Information Systems
Compatibility from an analysis of the indexing system proposed by General
i lectric for System 43BLo When you and the other members of the USIb
agreed that the concept of compatibility of referencing systems was a
Norte,, endeavor for CO]IB (MID l/!a), the Committee defined the objective
in such mariner (C0L'IB- i-26) that the guidelines for studies such as this
were made clear.
We attacked the indexing problem first in our total review of the
proposal because we believe that indexing compatibility is probably the
most important relationship between referencing systems. The decisions
made by the indexers as to how a document should be stored are basic to
the interchangeability of the indexed product.
In COLIB we are dedicated to the proposition that no mental or
p: ra3lcal operation in the processing of information should be carried
out more than once in the community unless we deliberately find that
duplication in the particular instance is desirable.
It was with this in rind that the Working Group reviewed the General
1lectric proposal for indexing. The conclusions of its report are un-
equivocal - the proposed system is not compatible with any existing or
planned systems by the Arsgy or CIA. ONI and NSA make clear that the
cost, of the proposed G.E. system would be prohibitive to then, and thus
t bey held out little hope for eventual compatibility0
in receiving this working Group report,, the Committee on Uocumentstion
made several relevant points, We are interested in promoting research
t advance techniques for indexing intelligence information. The report
should therefore not be taken an an indication that further work on the
'key word's concept may not eventually help to solve some of the indexing
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biems we now have. However_, an Me basis of our limited exafiinaticrs
G. Es Indexing, proposal, we do believe that conaideribiy more work
>x: '; .: sir= d re on it before the indexing scheme is accepted as the basis
-i.np subata