28. "SOME REQUIREMENTS OF DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM FOR 
GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY" 
J. L. Cutbill 
Cambridge University 
Cambridge, England 
Current practice in geological research is often dictated by 
difficulties of communication. Methods now used in rock and time 
stratigraphy and in fossil classification are designed to communicate 
conclusions and hypotheses rather than original observations. It is 
seldom possible to recover original data used to reach a conclusion, 
or to assemble an adequate data base with which to demonstrate a 
major hypothesis. 
Therefore new systems of data handling should not merely automate 
current methods but should provide effective links between conclusions 
and original observations. In order to design adequate systems it is 
necessary to know the kinds and amounts of data needed to answer 
major problems. Once this is known for a particular problem data 
collection techniques must be developed until the necessary data base 
can be collected within a reasonably short time and within the budget 
available. Systems must be developed which allow international 
cooperation in collection and communication of these data bases, so 
that existing resources can be harnessed to solve major problems. 
Tools must be developed to enable individuals and small teatis to 
handle these enormous data bases during the course of research which will 
inevitably be unpredictable in its requirements. These systems must 
also enable individuals to pass easily on their data and results into 
the main data base. 
29. "THE DATA SET FORMAT vs. I/O FORMATS FOR VERTEBRATE 
PALEONTOLOGY AND "INFINITELY" VARIABLE- 
LENGTH LOGICAL RECORDS" 
J. R. MacDonald & E.D. MacDonald 
Los Angeles County Museum of Nat. Hist. 
Santa Monica, Calif. 
Specimen records in Paleontology differ little from those of 
other disciplines. The temporal dimension is added as part of the 
locality record and often the data with older collections leave 
much to be desired. 
Formating seems to be a general concern of curators faced 
with the prospect of using EDP methods. This certainly is the least 
of his problems. The major problem is the funding of the transfer 
of data from catalogues to an input medium and the actual use of a 
central processing unit and the necessary satellite equipment. 
The Symposium is urged to recognize that EDP has matured to 
the level where the scientist need not concern himself with: 
\ 
(U Input format.... each institution should be able to 
present its data to the computer’s data bank in the format 
most convenient and inexpensive for that institution to 
prepare. "Control cards" preceding such data will explain 
the format to the input program. 
(2} Output format...."Report Program Generators" are now 
available for virtually every make and model of 
computing system, and increasingly sophisticated 
versions of these forms of software are constantly 
being offered by the hardware vendors. 
( 3 ) Data set Storage format....i.e., the arrangement and 
coding of the items of information ("fields") within 
each "logical record" (e.g., the cross reference entry 
for one species, or the unique entry for one specimen, 
or the index entry for the type locality for one geologic 
formation) within the hardware storage device. Skilled 
Systems Analysts will be supplied by the hardware vendor 
to assist in this design; the problems of data management 
and maintenance are basically identical to those of inventory 
and production control and materials handling which industry 
(especially aerospace) has had fully automated for may years, 
including random access retrieval with and without tele¬ 
processing and/or graphics display stations, etc. 
Those who will ultimately be concerned with item (3), primarily 
from the cost standpoint, are urged to consider the newly devised 
technique of the "infinitley variable-length logical record" which 
conserves storage space and provides incredible flexibility for the 
user; this software package (Data Language I - "DL/l") employs an 
hierarchical structure within each logical record and makes selective 
addition, deletion or change of fields within a record a more rapid, and 
therefore less expensive, process. 
