Papers in PDF format

Figure 1. Example of changing entries in the "Chronological List of Changes to ELIPS."
At the same time, the "Table of Contents" is updated to reflect the last revision date of a particular series, part, or
chapter.
Figure 2. Example of changing entries in the "Table of Contents."
Users have an immediate sense that the information is a dynamic document and that the information they are accessing
is current. Using this on-the-fly approach facilitates the maintenance of Web products, exemplifies distributed searching
across multiple databases, reduces the need to edit multiple documents containing the same content, partially automates
the delivery of the final Web product, and ensures that the content is immediately as up to date as the database.
In terms of usability, the information in database fields can be reused for multiple applications. Each new use requires
only the creation of a new template, not the duplication of the content. For example, the USGS URL Registry (limited to
USGS access) is a database that collects metadata for suites of USGS Web pages. URL, associated URLs, Title, Contact,
Theme, Geographic Extent, Discipline, Audience, Keywords, and Expiration Date are the fields that are requested
through a fill-in form. Multiple products can be created from this database, including internal pages catologing content
by State and public pages with a thematic organizing approach. Additionally, the database can be queried to locate
specific information--for example, hazard information (theme) in Virginia (geographic extent) in terms of hydrology
(discipline)--and to generate reports that are geared to help Webmasters maintain pages (i.e., locate pages that have
expired).
The business advantages of creating dynamic, data-driven Web pages include reducing the duplication of content across
multiple pages, increasing the efficiency of maintaining rapidly changing content, and increasing the potential number
of employees who can contribute to the maintenance of a database. The on-the-fly Web model requires information
providers to consider information in terms of an information taxonomy that supports multiple contexts. Equally
important is the concept that the same information can have multiple uses for multiple audiences. Using different
on-the-fly templates to reach these diverse audiences answers the challenge of the new paradigm: Web pages that are
data driven, responsive, and dynamic.
References
[1] For information on Web/database discussion groups, see http://cscsun1.larc.nasa.g ov/~beowulf/bbs/.
[2] For information on CSCW, see http://arirang.snu.ac.kr/seminar/ddblab/sykim/cscwdir.html.
[3] For information on ELIPS, see http://elips.doi.gov/.