Computerised information system

While not all information systems make extensive use of computers, computerised information systems are no longer adjuncts to the way we conduct science and business they are integral components of our entire organisation. All scientists and administrators as well as clerical employees should be utilising computers in their routine operations. This fact places considerable pressure on the way computer systems are designed today. 

When fully computerised storage systems are used, all the above information need not necessarily be in a legible form on the label. 

We thus have the situation in which essentially three different kinds of computerised retrieval system have evolved. There are specialised S5retems dealing with structural and numeric data, with the emphasis on retrospective searching. There are also standard retrieval systems, using text searching, which are used for both current-awareness and retrospective searching, and which also cover structural and numeric data as far as document retrieval is concerned. We can now consider in more detail how each type of information fits into this pattern. 

This paper describes techniques, based on quantitative measures of intermolecular similarity, for browsing and clustering within computerised chemical information systems. In particular, their implementation within the SOCRATES chemical databank system at Pfizer Central Research, Sandwich, is described much of this work was carried out by Vivienne Winterman, a CASE student in the Department of Information Studies, Sheffield University. Although these methods have only recently been introduced into operational information systems, the basic ideas are those pioneered by Greorge Adamson s group at Sheffield. ... 

The main control room accommodates an operator console, a supervisor s console, safety consoles, the wall panel information system large screen displays and the DAS panel. The operator console provides the displays and controls to start up, manoeuvre, and shut down the plant, and it is designed to be staffed by one to six operators. The operator interfaces are the duty system control displays, soft controls, alarm presentation system displays, computerised procedures displays, as well as the VDU monitors, keyboards and mice. The supervisor s console is a smaller version of the operators console, and is designed to be staffed by one or two personnel. The primary dedicated safety panel and VDU-based safety system workstations are located at the centre of the operator console, with a secondary safety panel located in close proximity to the supervisor s console. The DAS panel is located at a sidewall in the main control room. The main control room also includes communication devices, document lay down areas, printers and storage space. A meeting table is provided and equipped with a VDU-based workstation to allow access to the duty control system by, for example, a technical advisor or shift manager, without disrupting control room operations. In close proximity to the main control room are the shift supervisor s office, the operations staff area, an operations woik area, restrooms, and kitchen facilities. 

Part VII applies an output-driven perspective to the development of a company s computerised SHE information system and presents a scheme for how this may be accomplished. 

The Drug Information Centre should always be available by telephone, but can also answer inquiries by mail, e-mail, Internet based formularies or by functions integrated into local technical systems, such as computerised medical records. 

All major chemical companies, and most teaching establishments, now have a computerised stock-control system which enables information about on-site availability and cost of chemicals to be rapidly obtained. Many companies are now linked to a central database (e.g. Chemquest , Pergabase Inc.), which provides information (via text or graphics) on the world-wide commercial availability (from over fifty chemical catalogues) and on relative costs, etc., of fine chemicals. The hazards in use and disposal of all chemicals (see Section 2.3) may be readily checked from the catalogues of major chemical suppliers and other important sources. 

The computerised drug registration system to capture all information pertaining to licences issues in relation to drug registration was commissioned in January 1989. This system also has an enforcement module which captures data on inspection and legal action instituted against offenders. 

In a broader sense it is therefore not only the computerised systems which need consideration with regard to their GLP compliance, but the whole environment of Information Technology (IT) needs to be addressed in order to arrive at sensible solutions for the extended variety of such applications. 

COMPUTERISED SYSTEM A system including the input of data, electronic processing and the output of information to be used either for reporting or automatic control. 

The treatment of numeric information is currently an area of substantial and rapid development. Activity in this field has been comprehensively reviewed 26) by Codata, a Committee set up by the International Council of Scientific Unions to coordinate developments. This review covers both computerised and non-computerised systems, but Codata also has a task group dealing specifically with automated information handling and this has also recently reported on the state of the art 27). 

Obviously, then, it is very much easier to store and search linear conceptual information than multidimensional structural information. Consequently, computers are making a greater impact in handling structure files than for text. The emphasis is on the development of new systems and novel techniques, rather than on the computerisation of existing manual techniques. One such novel technique is that of set reduction 5 ). 

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