Development of a Multiple Instantaneous Response File: The AN/GSQ-81 Document Data Indexing Set

摘要

An experimental model of an electronic reference retrieval file in which all file entries are interrogated simultaneously was designed and constructed. The principal purpose of this work is to demonstrate the usefulness of a rapid-feedback, man-machine relationship in a data retrieval system. The model is designed to store the indexes to 5,000 documents. Each document is given an accession number and is described by up to eight English words (descriptors) selected from a 3,000 word dictionary. The delivered model contains a 1,000 word dictionary and the indexes to 1,100 documents. A search question, consisting of one to eight descriptors in their natural English form, is entered by means of an electric typewriter. The machine indicates immediately whether or not any file item satisfies the search question, and if so, how many file items respond. The machine then resolves multiple responses and types out the accession number and full set of descriptors of each responding document. This equipment can handle synonymous input descriptors and has the capability for automatically modifying the manually inserted search question according to certain logical rules.