NTIS makes sci-tech resources searchable in one spot

The Commerce Department’s National Technical Information Service is developing an online catalog of the leading government Web resources on science and technology. The site has a database of about 1,000 sites selected by NTIS staff. The database, a simple in-house program, builds a wide-area information server index from text files. It permits keyword searches across all topics or restricts them to a single topic such as biology, Earth sciences or aeronautics. Visitors can use predefined resource tags to specify the type of resource they are looking for—software, data, maps, photographs, technology transfer opportunities or ask-an-expert Web sites.“It’s not meant to be all-inclusive,” said Walter Finch, director of program planning for NTIS in Springfield, Va. Rather, the site targets government Web sites deemed to be the best starting points for scientists, engineers and science-aware citizens to begin their online explorations.The site has been live for a few months but has not been formally launched, Finch said. NTIS welcomes site suggestions for the database.