AERIS: an integrated domain information system for aerospace science and technology

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to discuss the methodology in building an integrated domain information system with illustrations that provide proof of concept Design/methodology/approach - The present work studies the usual search engine approach to information and its pitfalls. A methodology was adopted for construction of a domain-based information system, known as Aerospace Information System (AERIS), comprising six distinct steps in identifying and sourcing, evaluating and then technically integrating resources into the information system. AERIS is an integrated gateway for resources in the domain of aerospace science and technology. AERIS is designed to provide information from varied sources such as formal publications (e.g. articles), aggregators (e.g. harvesters) and also informal resources such as blogs and discussion fora. Interaction is provided through a simple user interface. Findings - The domain-based information system with focussed collection and services serves patrons with more precision than general web search engines. Research limitations/implications - At present the AERIS system is populated with a limited number of resources. A fully-fledged system may be developed based on the same model. Originality/value - This original research work provides a model for a comprehensive integrated gateway to domain-based information using open-source tools.