The Cutting Edge: Computing / Technology / Innovation : D.C. Gets On-Line With the Public

After several days skulking around White House offices and talking with people in and out of government, I’ve come to the conclusion that the use of technology to improve citizen access to government information may turn out to be the Clinton Administration’s most enduring legacy.

Staff members at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy are justifiably proud of the progress made this year on the Administration’s national information infrastructure. One goal, according to OSTP special assistant David Lytel, is to “make government information easily available to the public.” To that end, the White House has encouraged all federal agencies to disseminate information via the Internet, computer bulletin boards and even commercial on-line services.

Easy is a relative term. Using the Internet is still a challenge for most people, but it’s getting better. One development is the increased use of the World Wide Web. The web makes it possible for agencies or companies to create their own menu and icon-based graphic interface, with leads not only to their own information but to data from other organizations. Each web site has its own “home page,” which serves as a pointer to additional information from that and other sites.

Just about anyone with access to the Internet can peruse web pages, but to see graphics you need a special type of Internet account and special software. Mosaic, a federally developed public-domain program, is available for Windows, Macintosh and other systems. Some commercial Internet providers, including Netcom ((800) 501-8649), provide similar software for use on their own systems.

Although it hasn’t been publicly announced, the White House will unveil its own World Wide Web home page next month, sources say. But you don’t have to wait to access White House documents. The White House already posts news releases and transcripts of presidential speeches, radio addresses and other documents on commercial on-line services and on the Internet.

Subscribers to CompuServe, Prodigy, America Online and GEnie can also access White House discussion forums. And anyone with access to Internet electronic mail can get instructions on how to obtain documents by sending an e-mail message to publica-tions@whitehouse.gov. The message can be blank or contain the word help.

Information from the White House and more than 60 other federal agencies is available via FedWorld, a service of the Commerce Department’s National Technical Information Service. NTIS, which receives no taxpayer funds for information dissemination, stays in business by selling specialized government information. But it also offers a lot of free information and serves as a gateway to other government agencies.

FedWorld’s databases include documents from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Office of Management and Budget, the Consumer Information Center and the Department of Agriculture. You also find federal job openings and information about federal grants and funding programs. Files are updated daily. You can access FedWorld via the Internet (Telnet fedworld) or through WWW at https://www/fedworld.gov. You can dial into FedWorld’s electronic bulletin board at (703) 321-8020.

The Library of Congress’ Marvel system is another rich source of government information. You can reach Marvel’s main menu by typing gopher marvel.loc.gov. Gopher is another Internet menuing system; it doesn’t display graphics, but it is relatively easy to use. From the main gopher, you can browse the Library of Congress’ card catalogues and access information from federal agencies and both houses of Congress. Select the “government information” option and you’ll be able to get information from the federal government and numerous state and local governments.

Interested in outer space? NASA Information Services--including images from outer space--can be reached on the World Wide Web by typing https://hypatia.gsfc.nasa.gov. How about the environment? The Environmental Protection Agency has an enormous amount of information available via the Internet. The EPA’s main menu can be reached by typing gopher gopher.epa.gov.

Many agencies offer information on grants and contracts. The National Institutes of Health hasgopher.nih.gov, which provides grant and research information among other data. The Department of Education’s web page can be reached at https://www.ed.gov/ or you can reach a menu of agency resources by typing gopher.ed.gov. Data includes a “Teacher’s Guide to the U.S. Office of Education” and a listing of educational software you can download for free.

The Small Business Administration’s Web page https://www.sbaonline.sba.gov/ is particularly impressive, especially if you have Mosaic or another program that makes it possible to view graphics. You can take a tour of the agency, its services and its offices, or click on a map of the United States to locate SBA offices around the country. The service provides detailed information on SBA programs, including those for managing, financing or expanding your business.

Even the National Information Infrastructure Task Force, which is spearheading the Administration’s forays into cyberspace, has its own information on-line: Type gopher iitf.doc.gov. Researchers, telecommunications entrepreneurs and nonprofit groups will be especially interested in the information about the grant programs. Non-Internet users can reach a similar bulletin board at (202) 482-1199.

As you start to explore these information sites, you’ll notice that one menu or home page leads to another. It’s easy to get lost, but once you get the hang of it, it’s also pretty easy to discover more sources of information.

Get ready for some delays when using any of these services. The on-line federal information sites aren’t quite as sluggish as the Beltway at rush hour, but they’re getting there. The dreaded traffic jams on the information highway are already upon us.

Computer File welcomes your comments. Write to Lawrence J. Magid, 898 Chestnut St. Suite 3, Red-wood City, CA 94063, or message magid@latimes.com on the Internet or KPVN58A on Prodigy.