The Food Component Research Data Base (FCRDB) is a large, sophisticated database operating efficiently on PC/AT computers, providing sophisticated, complex retrievals of food data. It is highly desirable to extend the capabilities of the FCRDB to include support for: sophisticated user interfaces, including menus, forms, graphics, and handling of language; access to multiple databases; expert systems and artificial intelligence programming; distributed network configurations; and operation on a variety of computers and operating systems. The application of sophisticated ComputerAided Software Engineering (CASE) tools, developed by Applied Logic Systems, Inc., provides database and network access for expert systems, and generates menu and forms access and input to complex database views. Multiple, heterogeneous databases can be accessed simultaneously.Applied Logic Systems, Inc., will develop a prototype environment and an engineering plan for creating production extensions of the FCRDB. The prototype environment will demonstrate the feasibility of the FCRDB goals and will provide a highly supportive environment in which to experiment with various forms of interfaces, incorporation of different types of expert subsystems, and coupling of the FCRDB with other database systems.
Anticipated Results:The prototype environment for the intelligent FCRDB extensions will lead to a generic environment for development of sophisticated systems using multiple complex databases and supporting a variety of networked computing environments. Such developmental tools will have wide applicability in industrial, governmental, and academic settings for research organizational support systems and for commercial applications.National Cancer Institute
