The introduction to Exhibit B-4, DDT: A System for Document Digitalization and Tele-transmission, was written to someone who wanted to know whether an existing process could be changed in a specific way. What it says is approximately this:

S = We previously did a study telling how documents could be stored and transmitted by computer: Research Institute also did a study on the problems of transmitting documents on Euronet/DIANE. You recommended more technical studies.

C = We have been looking at the technological, economic and managerial issues of converting documents to digital form and delivering them electronically. This is because technology is rapidly developing and could permit electronic document delivery.

Q = ?

A = It is technically possible to do at reasonable cost on a European scale

- We conceived a system to build on DIANE called DDT

- Market forces will not bring such a system about, it demands a demonstration project

- Further technical studies are needed

- Important nontechnical issues must be resolved.

Ignoring the sheer ugliness of the title, what we have here is a writer who is unsure of what he should be saying, and so says it in an obscure manner. He hasn't made clear to himself the problem the Commission is concerned with, or what it wants from him. "Looking at the technological, economic and managerial issues of converting documents to digital form and delivering them electronically" is not very enlightening as a statement of purpose.

Anyone reviewing the document, however can easily use the Problem Definition Framework as a guide to revealing how to clean up the structure and at the same time make the language more specific. The first step is to sketch the process taking place now, and note how the Commission wants to change it.

 What they have now, apparently, if you read the text closely, is a situation in which someone scans a televised listing to locate a document, and telephones a library requesting it. The library locates the document, has it copied, and mails the copy to the requester. Total elapsed time, 7 to 10 days.

Exhibit B-4     The process is not described

DDT: A System for Document Digitalization and Teletransmission

Introduction

The Reason for Our Study

In August we were commissioned by you to conduct a study of 'Document Digitalization and Teletransmission “We were to identify and analyze mechanisms

- Enabling a transition to digital storage and transmission techniques

- Required for the cost effective transmission of documents

The “Problems of Document Delivery for the Euronel User” were discussed in technical report prepared by the research institute last year. On line search services for scientific and technical information (STI) enable the user to identify promising references in the literature quickly and easily. But the user’s needs are not met until he has a full text copy of the relevant articles, so a speedy, comprehensive and economic document delivery service is needed. The planning study prepared by the research consultant sheds light on the requirements, problems and possible solutions for document ordering and delivery on Eronel/DIANE.

DIANE is operational today. The acronym stands for Direct information Access Network For Europe. It represents the ensemble if information services available through the Euronet telecommunication network. Euronet itself is a data transmission facility, not an information service.

DIANE provides a framework for the services that major European hosts offer via Euronet. The hosts are typically computer service bureaus which store bibliographic data bases. By providing a medium for the introduction of common features, such as standard command language, referred service and user guidance. DIANE presents a clearer image to the user of the wide range of information services available through the network.

We have undertaken two of these, Looking at the closely related technological, economic and managerial issues of converting documents to digital form and delivering them by teletransmission. The background to the study is the study is the rapid development of computing and telecommunications technology that might already, or could be expected in the near future, to provide the means of electronic document delivery. This could eliminate, or cut down significantly, the movement of paper currently supplied by a document fulfillment center to a reader.

Conclusion

Our study confirmed that it is technically possible to convert a document into a digital form that can be stored in a computer data base and transmitted by digital telecommunications to printers located near to those who wish to read the documents.

The cost of digitalization and teletransmission continues to fall. However, expensive equipment is required and large volumes of documents must be handled to achieve low unit costs. An operation planned on a European scale could deliver documents overnight at a marginal cost per page that is comparable with the charges made by fulfillment centers now meeting requests by copying and mailing documents.

We conceived a system. Called DDT, which would use existing technology in a new way and looked at the organizational managerial, legal and regulatory issues involved in establishing it as a Europe wide operation. DDT would build on the experience gained with DIANE, and supplement it. It would be a speedy, comprehensive and economic document delivery service, accepting requests in the form of bibliographic reference and fulfilling them by teletransmission form data bases of digitalized documents.

However, we believe that market forces will not bring such a system about if the demand for quick access to full text is to be satisfied, then a demonstration project is required.

DDT must develop as an open system, through which any information provider can deliver documents to any user. It must therefore be based on international standards.

Further technical studies are needed to determine how to apply existing technology to DDT.

Important nontechnical issues must be resolved before DDT can flourish.

What they would like instead is a system in which printed documents are converted to digital form and stored centrally. The user would then scan a TV listing, telephone for the document, and receive it back on his screen within an hour.

With the problem laid out in this form, it is easy to see that the reader both understands the problem and has come up with a solution. The question therefore falls into the "Is it a good solution?" category or more specifically "Can we develop a low-cost system that will transmit documents electronically?

This understanding would probably have led the writer to an introduction and structure something like this:

S = EEC Committee for Information and Documentation in Science and Technology (CIDST) is concerned about the inefficiency of the present process for getting access to scientific/technical documents via Euronet. Users can locate the source of documents easily with on-line search services, but must wait 7-10 days while documents are copied/ delivered by mail.

C = Better way would be to convert documents to digital form, store centrally, deliver electronically via Euronet/DIANE. Asked us to investigate, determine whether development of a low-cost system is feasible.

Q = (Is it feasible to develop a low-cost system that will transmit documents electronically?)

A = Feasible but not practical at the moment

- System would need to be European-wide to achieve low unit costs

- Many barriers to achieving European-wide coverage

- Best approach is to launch demonstration product that will create demand sufficient to eliminate barriers