Microform Personnel Record ORIGINATOR
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NAME OF SYSTEM: The basic input paper documents enter the system through 16-mm. planetary microfilm Microform Personnel Record camera stations. Documents are photographed in a prescribed order on silver halide micro ORIGINATOR: film and processed by a commercial micro Air Force Personnel Center film service company. The film roll goes to a production and titling station which, through Department of the Air Force a series of processes, produces silver halide Randolph Air Force Base, COSATI (Committee on Scientific and Tech Texas 28148 nical Information) quality master microfiche. Human-readable title data is added at the top of the microfiche by one of several processes. OBJECTIVE. To develop, test, and operate The master microfiche serves as input to a a more compact and efficient military per Kalvar microfiche printer where duplicate sonnel records system to meet the current Kalvar microfiche are produced. The Kalvar and future demands for greater mobility, duplicates are placed in the working file for faster retrieval, improved controls, and re use in servicing daily search requests. duction in maintenance costs. The working file is housed in the com BACKGROUND. The maintenance of the puterized image storage and retrieval sub mass of documents required as source data in system, which provides random access to the Department's Master Personnel Records designated images. This subsystem, at the has become an increasingly serious problem direction of the searcher, also transports the since the Air Force was established as a desired images to TV cameras, hard-copy separate military service. printers, or microfiche duplicating printers. The mobility of personnel and the need Index entries to the system may be pro to move records from one file custodian to an duced in one of two ways. When documents other and from one location to another have are of a particular standard size they are complicated the task of personnel records scanned by an optical character reader (OCR) administration. Centralization of the Master that records specific data fields on the docu Personnel Records activity has been an ob ment. Where documents do not meet size jective for many years. Since 1964, a series of requirements the index entries are typed on long-range studies and analyses has been un bond paper for entry into the optical charac derway to develop system concepts, design, ter reader. The OCR inputs of raw index data and hardware requirements. The concepts and are converted to magnetic tape in the same basic requirements for a microform system serial order as the corresponding image have been completed, and the first stage of a frames on the roll film. The converted index long-range, two-stage program is now under data is then routed to the computer subsystem going service tests at Randolph Air Force for processing and storing until needed to Base, Tex. identify appropriate microfiche images. THE NEW METHOD. The overall system Retrieval of information from the storage will eventually contain about 22 million file is accomplished through use of teletype microfiche images of paper records of active keyboards located in user work areas. A user Air Force members. Images are appropri requests a record image microfiche by typing ately indexed and stored in an image storage out the serial number of the individual and retrieval subsystem, with image recall based the subject matter index code in a formalized on automatic random-access techniques. User sequence. The keyboarded message is instan access to the file is by two-part query display taneously translated by a computer that actu terminals located throughout the Military ates the image storage and retrieval sub Personnel Center. system to retrieve and position the desired 60 images in front of an output port of the re REMARKS. This new microform person trieval system. Assuming that the query re nel record system utilizes the latest advance sults in an image to be displayed, a TV camera ments in computer and microform technology scans the image at the output port and trans to a significant degree. While the system is mits the image through the buffer to the TV most costly, the economic and morale benefits monitor display location. Each display has should more than pay for the developmental an associated keyboard that controls the and initial procurement costs within a few image selection from the buffer, in addition years. to display characteristics such as focus and The system will greatly reduce the inher contrast. Should the user desire a hard copy ent delay in the completion of personnel or duplicate microfiche, the image storage actions. For example, it should yield valuable and retrieval subsystem routes the microfiche benefits in more detailed and responsive to a different output port where the images management of the individual member; con are reproduced by an electrostatic printer or solidation of personnel records; increased file where a duplicate microfiche is produced. The integrity; and significant reduction in the copies are then routed to the information unit cost of personnel management trans user. actions. 61 MICROFORM PERSONNEL RECORD INPUT PROCESSING STORAGE SEARCH AND RETRIEVAL Search Request ADP Subsystem , Image [Storage and] Keyboard . Retrieval , 16mm Roll Film 'Microfiche* .Production; Microfiche Master Jacket Working Duplicate Microfiche Microfiche Fiche } ic he Printer Mas to r Working i 'ape r Fiche Copy 1. Inputs to system are personnel The storage array consists of 1. Serial number reque documents, which are photo an ADP computer subsystem entered into the systems through graphed in prescribed order. for mass storage of index in a teletype keyboard lo< a ted at formation and an image storage the user termina I. 2. Index data is read by optical and retrieval subsystem for the character reader and converted storage and control of working 2. Input information (titers ADP to magnetic tape by computer microfiche. subsystem for spe< Lfic address action. identification. Index and location information is pas ed to the im 3. Roll microfilm is transformed age storaj t and retrieval sub into standard master microfiche system which locates and places format. information before the TV camera 4. Microfiche master serves as 3. User may view images on I V input to Kalvar microfiche display or may obtain a duplicate printer. Jacket microfiche microfiche image or paper copy. master goes to archive file. 5. Duplicates serve as working fiche and are entered into the image storage and retrieval subsystem. 62 .