Japanese Scientific And Technology Information in the United States - Public Policy and Private Initiatives

In January 1983 a group of US government, industry and university information specialists gathered at MIT to take stock of efforts to monitor, acquire, assess, and disseminate Japanese scientific and technical information (JSTI). It was agreed that these efforts were uncoordinated and poorly conceived, and that a clearer understanding of Japanese technical information systems and a clearer sense of its importance to end users was necessary. That meeting led to formal technology assessments, Congressinal hearings, and legislation; it also helped stimulate several private initiatives in JSTI provision. Four years later there exist better coordinated and better conceived JSTI programs in both the public and private sectors, but there remains much room for improvement. This paper will recount their development and assess future directions.

Space System Architecture: Final Report of SSPARC: the Space Systems, Policy, and Architecture Research Consortium (Thrust I and II)

The Space Systems, Policy and Architecture Research Consortium (SSPARC) was formed to make substantial progress on problems of national importance. The goals of SSPARC were to: • Provide technologies and methods that will allow the creation of flexible, upgradable space systems, • Create a “clean sheet” approach to space systems architecture determination and design, including the incorporation of risk, uncertainty, and flexibility issues, and • Consider the impact of national space policy on the above. This report covers the last two goals, and demonstrates that the effort was largely successful.