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DTIC’s Latest Tool: SF 298 TR Submission Toolkit
FLC Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference
Thursday, September 21, 2006
DTIC Profile
• Repository for scientific & technical information
• Value added: DTIC-applied metadata & controlled vocabulary
• Database building & maintenance– More than two million technical reports– More than 300,000 progress reports– More than 15,000 registered DTIC users
DTIC Audience
• DTIC purpose: Support DoD R&D community with S&T Information:– Unclassified, Unlimited– Unclassified, Limited– Classified (up to secret)
• Access restricted to DoD & federal government• Public access provided to portion of the
collection: Scientific and Technical Information Network (STINET)
Alternatives
• NTIS– Selected public release (unclassified,
unlimited) DTIC information provided– No registration required– All federal agencies
• Also accessible via– Science.gov– Firstgov
Once Upon a Time…
• Computers revolutionized storage and retrieval of S&T information– Paper process– Mail submission of documents/records
• Era of mainframe computers, dedicated terminals, and secure telephone land lines– Database development– Defense Research, Development, Test &
Evaluation System (DROLS)
WWW Influence at DTIC
• First came the Web• Next came the browser• Then the WAIS search engine enabled
searching for everyone• 128 bit encryption facilitated secure
searching and retrieval for unclassified but limited documents
• And last, “Born Digital” electronic submission: an idea whose time had come
Intake Issues
• SF298 (Report Documentation Page) required for each technical report
• Electronic versions of the 298 (.pdf & Word) made available, but only limited help
• No help for content on the form; instructions on form completion ONLY
• Challenge: Merge form with document for digital presentation
Reason for the Project
• Reports received without the 298 or with insufficient, inaccurate, or mediocre information delayed in-processing
• Intake and citation build required human intervention to either build a form or locate needed information
• Unsecured (email) process for contractors could not protect limited information
• Poor data reduced effective retrieval
Idea: Improve the Process
• Use distance learning technology to build a process support tool
• Assist commercialization by improving SF 298 to help market contractor innovation
• Help SBIR (new) contractors unfamiliar with the process and form improve content
• Provide context sensitive supporting resources
• Enable intake without human intervention
Toolkit – Main Features
• Field-by-field help
• FAQs and Examples
• Avatar speaks
• Resources – links
• Required field verification
• Reviewer tracking
• Secure electronic input to DTIC
Toolkit Requirements
• DTIC registration required to build and upload form and report– DTIC uses LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access
Protocol) for DoD-wide registration– One time application/approval with renewals needed
before form-fill access/upload
• Overcame security challenges– Tutorial open to everyone; no registration required– Uploading requires registration and processing
through virus checking and other security
Marjorie Powell Wendy [email protected] [email protected] 703-767-8225