GeoRef to Release New Groundwater & Soil
Contamination Database
ALEXANDRIA, VA. -- The American Geological Institute is pleased to
announce that a new Groundwater and Soil Contamination (GSC)
Database, containing more than 45,000 bibliographic references to
scientific literature, will be introduced early in 1996. The
information included in the GSC database is being prepared by
GeoRef staff members at AGI. GeoRef is a bibliographic database of
approximately 1.9 million references to the geoscience literature
of the world and is used by an international list of subscribers.
The new database will contain approximately 45,000 references
to documents published since 1978, primarily from U.S. publications
but including literature from other countries. It will be updated
on a quarterly basis. The database includes all relevant
publications of the U.S. Geological Survey as well as pertinent
documents from the Department of Energy, Environmental Protection
Agency, Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human
Services, and Department of the Interior. References include
reports, books, journals, conference proceedings, and theses and
dissertations. The data fields, indexing vocabulary, and format
will follow conventions used in production of the GeoRef database.
Topics covered in the GSC database are oriented to geology,
hydrology, and the environment; however, economics, chemistry,
civil engineering, and health effects are also included, providing
comprehensive coverage of these important, related areas of study.
References contain information about author, title, source,
length, language, country of origin, number of citations,
illustrations, and document type. Thorough indexing, based on the
controlled vocabulary found in the GEOREF THESAURUS is included.
Specific geographic locations are listed as place names and -- for
principal locations -- include latitudinal and longitudinal
coordinates. Entries include ISSN numbers as well as information
about publishers and the availability of information. About 20
percent of the references include abstracts.
SilverPlatter Information, which distributes the GeoRef
database on CD-ROM and through their network ERL service, will also
publish and distribute the Groundwater and Soil Contamination
Database. An annual subscription to the GSC database and CD-ROM
will include quarterly updates; powerful, easy-to-use search
software; support documentation; and toll-free customer assistance.
Search software for DOS, Windows, and Macintosh is available.
The number of new references in each quarterly update is expected
to range from 600 to 700; each quarterly update will be cumulated
and will contain the entire database. The cost of an annual
subscription for use at a single, stand-alone workstation is $495
within the United States and Canada, or $545 in other locales.
For more information about the GSC database or to order a 30-
day trial subscription, contact SilverPlatter Information, Inc. at
(800) 343-0064 or by fax: (617) 769-8763.
