TECHNICAL INFORMATION FOR DEVELOPMENT (ANNUAL REPORT)

EVALUATION IS ANNUAL REPORT OF THE NATIONAL TI SERVICE (NTIS) OF THE US DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, WHICH IS ADMINISTERING THE PROJECT UNDER A PASA. A DEVELOPING COUNTRY STAFF WAS ESTABLISHED 8/79 TO MANAGE THE PROGRAM. AGENCIES WERE ADDED TO THE TI NETWORK IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, PANAMA, EL SALVADOR, NICARAGUA, AND HONDURAS. AGENCY SELECTION IS UNDERWAY IN HAITI, JAMAICA, GUAYANA, BARBADOS, AND PARAGUAY. ESTABLISHMENT OF TI NETWORKS HAS BEEN DIFFICULT DUE TO MODESTY OF LA COMPUTER FACILITIES, BUT IS PROGRESSING WELL IN THE ANDEAN PACT COUNTRIES AND SUFFICIENTLY IN CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN FOR AGENCIES THERE TO SEEK LINKAGES WITH US DATA BASES. DISTRIBUTION OF "APPLICATIONS OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY TO INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT" (AMTID) INCREASED FROM 6,000 TO 9,000 AFTER IT WAS TRANSLATED INTO SPANISH. NTIS"S QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER, "ACCESS TO INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT" (FORMERLY INTINET), HAS BEEN WELL-RECEIVED AND WILL BE TRANSLATED INTO SPANISH. ALTHOUGH RECEPTION OF NTIS ACQUISITION PROGRAM FOR LA COUNTRIES WAS MIXED, NTIS COLLECTED 175 REPORTS ON APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY (AT) AND HAS BECOME A MAJOR CLEARINGHOUSE FOR AT INFORMATION. MAJOR AT ACTIVITIES FOR 1978 INCLUDED HIRING AN AT SPECIALIST TO COORDINATE AT PROGRAMS AND ALLOCATION OF $75,000 TO DISSEMINATE AT DOCUMENTS. TO IMPROVE EVALUATION, NTIS CONTRACTED A CASE STUDY SPECIALIST TO INTERVIEW USERS OF NTIS DOCUMENTS (SO FAR, 34 STUDIES HAVE BEEN MADE) AND INITIATED A USER SURVEY. NTIS ALSO CONDUCTED 3 USER-EDUCATION SEMINARS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. BY CONTRACT WITH THE US INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY, NTIS DEMONSTRATED RETRIEVAL OF REMOTE, ON-LINE TI FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRIES (PROJECT INFO/SPEED) TO 50 AUDIENCES IN 11 COUNTRIES. OTHER NOTABLE 1978 ACHIEVMENTS INCLUDED 2 WORKSHOPS FOR TI MANAGERS IN WASHINGTON AND CONFERENCES FOR REGIONAL DIRECTORS IN ECUADOR AND KOREA. APPENDED ARE TABLES OF THE NUMBER AND COSTS OF NTIS DOCUMENTS FOR 1977-78 AND PROFILES OF COOPERATING AGENCIES.