Document format considerations for a document tracking and storage system

The design and development of the detectors for the Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory (SSCL) will be facilitated by a central system to track and store the design documents and drawings. Collaborators and SSCL personnel need a single system that they can access from a terminal on their desks and use to locate and view the latest version of a document. The SSCL Physics Research Division has developed a prototype system to track documents and drawings and to make them accessible via local and wide-area networks. The prototype is being used to refine the requirements and to develop the procedures for a larger system that will be acquired later. The format for storing documents is a major challenge because there is no interoperable standard. This paper discusses the system requirements and architecture, and presents results of research on standards for storing documents