SOFTWARE OPTIONS FOR ACCESSING THE DATA

Two types of software, SDBS (Spitak Data Base Software) and GeoVu, 
provide access to the database.  SDBS is the software especially
developed to access the database "Spitak Earthquake of 1988."  As with
any specialized software, SDBS provides quick and logically reasonable
access to information.  

NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center has produced numerous diverse
collections of data on CD-ROMs.  Many of the differences between the
GeoVu and SDBS implementations of this data collection reflect the 
fact that the data and the SDBS were developed hand-in-hand and that 
GeoVu was developed independently. The purpose of this experiment was
to compare access to an existing data collection with specialized 
software with access by a generic tool which can be used with numerous
data collections.  Such comparisons are rare, yet they yield important
information on the trade-off between expensive development and 
maintenance efforts and data access.

GeoVu provides access to all of the data files included on the CD as 
well as to the PCX images.  It also includes a Slide Show feature which
allows quick browsing of sections of the CD.  Guidance in data selection
is provided by a menu system similar to that used by SDBS.  The menu
structures differ in several ways, reflecting differences in views of
data collection and flexibility which is built into the GeoVu menu
system.  GeoVu is presently available for Microsoft Windows and will be
available for some UNIX platforms and Macintoshs by the end of 1995. 
The most recent release of GeoVu and documentation are available via
ftp in the Access_Tools directory at ftp.ngdc.noaa.gov, or via Mosaic 
at www.ngdc.noaa.gov.


More information about using the SDBS and GeoVu software can be found
in the DOS_READ.ME and WIN_READ.ME files respectively.


Getting Started


About the Compact Discs

The data on these CD-ROMs are written in the International Organization
for Standardization (ISO) 9660 format. Mastering of the CD-ROM disc and
replication of the copies were done by Disc Manufacturing, Inc., Anaheim,
California, under contract to NGDC.

Handle the CD-ROM carefully to avoid damage. Dust, scratches, ink, paint,
fingerprints, and high temperatures may corrupt this media. With careful
handling and proper storage the discs have an expected lifetime of ten
years.


Installing the Access Software

About GeoVu

GeoVu, the access software provided with this package is designed to help
users identify data of interest and export them to an application of their
choosing such as Geographic Information System (GIS) packages. Using
GeoVu, researchers are able to view numerous CD-ROMs, as well as their own
data collections, with the same intuitive user-interface.

The GeoVu menu system allows the user to:

o     select a specific data set
o     identify the geographic area-of-interest
o     output data from the compact disc onto hard disk or floppy diskette
      in any of several output formats
o     view the geographic location of the data observations

GeoVu was developed with funding support from NOAA's Climate and Global
Change (C&GC) Program and from the NOAA's Earth System Data and
Information Management (ESDIM) Program. 


Setting Up Your Computer

GeoVu will operate on any IBM PC-compatible personal computer with a
graphics board and a CD-ROM reader. The software is not designed to
operate on other types of computers. However, we expect future releases of
access software which will operate on UNIX and Macintosh.