THIS REFERENCE TEXTBOOK WAS PREPARED FOR USE IN THE FIRST PART OF A TWO-PART COURSE IN MARINE NAVIGATION AND SMALL CRAFT OPERATION ON INLAND AND INTERNATIONAL WATERS. THE MATERIAL WAS DEVELOPED BY AN INDIVIDUAL AUTHOR FOR USE IN TRADE SCHOOL PREPARATORY AND EXTENSION CLASSES FOR MALE ADULTS WHO PLAN TO OPERATE BOATS. IT IS MAINLY CONCERNED WITH…

A staff paper to the President's Task Force on Communications Policy analyses the use of the electromagnetic spectrum for communications and suggests improvements. The evolution of spectrum use and its present federal management are described together with the problem of achieving efficient use in the areas of electromagnetic congestion. Criticism…

Describes a summer flying camp for Civil Air Patrol (CAP) cadets. The cadets, ranging in age from 13 to 20 years, have learned to fly solo in one week. (GA)

This video contains the detailed description of the 1975 attempt to re-create the adventures of the first Polynesian explorers in the Pacific, a project in which Nainoa Thompson participated. Mr. Thompson, an educator who presents programs in "wavefinding," begins his address with an overview of Polynesian and Pacific geography, origins,…

This paper presents the most important concepts and techniques to use in successfully searching the major World Wide Web search engines and directories, explains the basics of how search engines work, and describes what is included in their indexes. Following an introduction that gives an overview of Web directories and search engines, the first…

This module, designed for use at the high school level as a four- to eight-hour topic, includes: the geometry of a sphere, the coordinate system used to describe points on the earth's surface, parallel and meridian sailing, and the solution of right spherical triangles. (Author/MK)

Reviews recent research on information processing and decision making in orienteering. The main cognitive demands investigated were selection of relevant map information for route choice, comparison between map and terrain in map reading and in relocation, and quick awareness of mistakes. Presents a model of map reading based on results. Contains…

Describes a study that explored the use of log files to investigate the process of hypermedia navigation at the University of Connecticut's information kiosk. Highlights include the use of cluster analysis; four different types of navigational performance; and external validation criteria, including self-efficacy, perceived utility, and interest.…

Describes a survey that was designed to examine faculty perceptions about the navigability and content of a specific Web-based resource and their attitudes about the instructional use of Web-based resources in general. Discusses teaching experience and gender differences and suggests implications for Web-based resource use in higher education.…

Provides an overview of characteristics among Association of Research Libraries (ARL) physics Web pages. Examines current academic Web literature and from that develops six benchmarks to measure physics Web pages: ease of navigation; logic of presentation; representation of all forms of information; engagement of the discipline; interactivity of…

Describes the redesign of the Web site at the virtual library of the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology). Discusses usability problems with the original site, including navigation difficulties; focus groups to determine user needs; usability testing for the new Web site; and the importance of customer input. (LRW)

Studied cognitive processes of 12 elite orienteers (cross-country racers who navigate a course) during a race through indirect observation and interview. The 19-year-old orienteers reported their mental activity onto a small tape recorder. Responses were divided into four stages of mental activity: planning, registration and navigation, control…

Presents a worksheet for evaluating Web pages that awards points for various categories including currency, content, authority, navigation, experience, multimedia, treatment, and access. (LRW)

Presents a brief historical overview of research in individual differences in the context of virtual environments. Highlights the notion of structure in the perception of individual users of an information system and the role of individuals' abilities to recognize and use such structures to perform various information-intensive tasks. (Author/LRW)

Discusses interface agents and online help systems, focusing on Microsoft's animated office assistants. Highlights include intermediaries such as librarians in off-line reference problems; user complaints about online help systems; navigation problems; evaluation of the online office assistants; and categories of user queries to online help…