On the Conceptual System and Information Management: A Step Towards the Unification of Terminology in the Subject Field of Biotechnology

Modern technology is changing the world in many ways. An important result is our ability to communicate within seconds from every corner of the earth. Thus, more and more importance is now attached to the exchange of information. This growing need for information demands that the data to be retrieved are systematized in such a way that the required information can be retrieved quickly, easily and relatively cheaply. Many on-line databanks exist which can provide the public with many different types of information. In practice however, the retrieval of information from these systems often meets with considerable problems. The possibilities of modern technology and the exponentional growth of the quantity of available information lead among other things to great difficulties in communication. In order to be able to systematize information to be entered into a database, the vocabulary of the subject fields in question needs to be controlled. In biotechnology there is a great need for institutional development of information resources. What is needed is a vocabulary development effort that keeps up with the developments in biotechnology to create an internationally recognized and consistent vocabulary. Assistance in this matter is given by the principles and methods of terminology and computerized terminography.