NASA Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports

information from these resources, users must understand the underlying data schemas. Many other domains share this
problem. We developed an interface, TaxonTree, to visualize the taxonomic hierarchy of animal names. We applied integrated
searching and browsing so that users need not have complete knowledge either of appropriate keywords or the organization
of the data. Our qualitative user study of TaxonTree in an undergraduate course is the first to describe usage patterns and issues
in the biodiversity domain. Users indicated that the system was usable and tree visualization aided their understanding of the
data. Interestingly, users with different levels of interest in the domain had different interaction preferences. The study provides
further evidence for the value of integrated searching and browsing and interactive tree visualization for information retrieval
and understanding.
DTIC
Biological Diversity; Graphical User Interface; Information Retrieval; Taxonomy
20060001930 Office of Naval Research, Arlington, VA USA
Duplicate Publication and ‘Paper Inflation’ in the Fractals Literature
Kostoff, Ronald N.; Johnson, Dustin; Del Rio, J. A.; Bloomfield, Louis A.; Shlesinger, Michael F.; Malpohl, Guido; Jan. 1,
2005; 32 pp.; In English
Report No.(s): AD-A440622; No Copyright; Avail.: CASI: A03, Hardcopy
The similarity of documents in a large database of published Fractals articles was examined for redundancy. Three
different text matching techniques were used on published Abstracts to identify redundancy candidates, and predictions were
verified by reading full text versions of the redundancy candidate articles. A small fraction of the total articles in the database
was judged to be redundant. This was viewed as a lower limit, because it excluded cases where the concepts remained the
same, but the text was altered substantially. Far more pervasive than redundant publications were publications that did not
violate the letter of redundancy but rather violated the spirit of redundancy. There appeared to be widespread publication
maximization strategies. Studies that resulted in one comprehensive paper decades ago now result in multiple papers that focus
on one major problem, but are differentiated by parameter ranges, or other stratifying variables. This ‘paper inflation’ is due
in large part to the increasing use of metrics (publications, patents, citations, etc) to evaluate research performance, and the
researchers’ motivation to maximize the metrics.
DTIC
Fractals; Information Retrieval; Redundancy
20060002031 Geological Survey, Washington, DC USA
Data Model and Relational Database Design for the New Jersey Water-Transfer Data System (NJWaTr)
Tessler, Steven; Jan. 1, 2003; 203 pp.; In English
Report No.(s): AD-A440235; USGS-03-197; No Copyright; Avail.: Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)
The New Jersey Water-Transfer Data System (NJWaTr) is a database design for the storage and retrieval of water-use data.
NJWaTr can manage data encompassing many facets of water use, including (1) the tracking of various types of water-use
activities (withdrawals, returns, transfers, distributions, consumptive-use, wastewater collection, and treatment); (2) the
storage of descriptions, classifications and locations of places and organizations involved in water-use activities; (3) the
storage of details about measured or estimated volumes of water associated with water-use activities; and (4) the storage of
information about data sources and water resources associated with water use. In NJWaTr, each water transfer occurs
unidirectionally between two site objects, and the sites and conveyances form a water network. The core entities in the
NJWaTr model are site, conveyance, transfer/volume, location, and owner. Other important entities include water resource
(used for withdrawals and returns), data source, permit, and alias. Multiple water-exchange estimates based on different
methods or data sources can be stored for individual transfers. Storage of user-defined details is accommodated for several of
the main entities. Many tables contain classification terms to facilitate the detailed description of data items and can be used
for routine or custom data summarization. NJWaTr accommodates single-user and aggregate-user water-use data, can be used
for large or small water-network projects, and is available as a stand-alone Microsoft Access database. Data stored in the
NJWaTr structure can be retrieved in user-defined combinations to serve visualization and analytical applications. Users can
customize and extend the database, link it to other databases, or implement the design in other relational database applications.
DTIC
Data Systems; Models; Relational Data Bases; Water; Water Resources
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