Large Database Access and Usage in the Earth and Space Sciences through Computer Networks

The development of the worldwide computer network has fostered the creation of and access to many data information systems and databases. These offer the capability for users to identify, access, use, and intercompare data from remote locations. It is not always easy to find the best sources of information for a particular problem. Directories for this purpose have existed for some time, and new methods are being developed for network information location, especially for systems such as the World-Wide Web and other network tools. It is still important, however, that there be consistency and standard approaches to the information content for effective information retrieval.