The National Institute for Medical Research announces the launch of the OMNI project. This is a project to build a gateway for the higher education and research community to facilitate access to selected high quality information about clinical, research and management aspects of health and biomedicine. This information is accessible through the Internet. (OMNI = Organising Medical Networked Information).
The Internet is potentially a major source of medical information. It is highly pervasive and organisations have used it to publish a wide range of information resources. This torrent of new information is, however, unorganised. Furthermore, the quality of Internet information sources varies greatly. OMNI will create a catalogue of networked information resources through a process of discovery, filtering, describing, classifying and indexing. Users of the OMNI Gateway will be able to browse through or search for entries and connect dynamically to resources of interest. The project will promote awareness of networked information resources and will provide training in their use.
Project Co-ordinator Frank Norman comments: "There is much information of value on the Internet but unfortunately this is swamped by information sources which are ephemeral or of dubious quality. OMNI aims to be a quality service, facilitating access to useful information sources, particularly those generated in the UK. Before connecting to a resource, users will have access to a description of its scope and content. Coupled with a proper structuring of resources by subject, users of OMNI should find the Internet a more productive avenue to medical information."
OMNI is funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) through its Information Services Sub Committee (ISSC). The OMNI Consortium, led by the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), brings together seven organisations experienced in the provision and use of networked biomedical information. These Project Partners are: the British Medical Association Library, Cambridge University Medical Library, the King Edward's Hospital Fund Library, the National Institute for Medical Research Library, the Greenfield Medical Library of Nottingham University, the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine Medical Library, and the Wellcome Centre for Medical Science Information Service.
It will aim to achieve wide recognition and support through workshops, presentations and annual seminars to obtain feedback. It will collaborate with related initiatives in the UK, Europe and the United States. OMNI will be led by a Project Officer, to be based at the National Institute for Medical Research. The gateway service will be hosted on a machine at Nottingham University.
For further information, see OMNI on the Internet
or contact John Cox, OMNI Project Manager
Information Service, Wellcome Centre for Medical Science, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE. Tel: 0171-611 8505, Fax: 0171-611 8726, e-mail j.cox@wellcome.ac.uk