PUBLICATIONS--Implementation of New Reports Tracking System

To: "E  - All WRD Employees"
cc: "Kristina L Honesty, Secretary (Typing), Reston, VA" 
Subject: WRD NO. Memo
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Date: Mon, 27 Jan 1997 15:14:56 -0500
From: "Kristina L Honesty, Secretary (Typing), Reston, VA" 


In Reply Refer To:
Mail Stop 439

                                                    January 27, 1997

WATER RESOURCES DIVISION MEMORANDUM NO. 97.14

Subject:  PUBLICATIONS--Implementation of New Reports Tracking System

Effective February 3, 1997, a new Internet-based Reports Tracking System 
(RTS) for the Water Resources Division (WRD) of the U.S. Geological 
Survey (USGS) will be implemented.  The original Prime-based reports 
tracking system will be discontinued on February 3, 1997, when the 
new RTS becomes the official divisionwide tracking system for reports.  
To maximize the effectiveness of the new RTS, its use for all reports is 
REQUIRED.

The new RTS consists of several input screens that contain mandatory and 
optional fields.  Data MUST be entered into the mandatory fields by the 
originating office before a report can be approved.  The mandatory fields 
are consistent with the information from the WRD Manuscript Routing Sheet 
(Form 9-1531), which after February 3, 1997, should no longer be sent to 
Headquarters for entry into the discontinued Prime-based reports tracking 
system.  Optional fields allow for entry of data that can help managers 
assess report-processing time and costs.  Entry and retrieval of 
information from the new RTS can be accomplished from any computer on the 
USGS network that supports a World-Wide Web (WWW) browser.  The ability 
to enter and edit information is restricted to users with USGS email ID's.

The new RTS is available on the WWW at:

                http://txwww.cr.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/rts

Help screens are available from the home page of the new RTS or directly 
at:
                
                http://txwww.cr.usgs.gov/rts/help/index.html

The new RTS will be used by WRD to track the processing and dissemination 
of all WRD reports, from abstracts to full-length technical papers, and 
to share that information within the USGS.  The information will help WRD 
Office Chiefs meet their commitments to cooperators in a more timely 
manner, improve management of the office's reports load, estimate the 
time and costs associated with report production, and, therefore, provide 
realistic budgets for report costs in project proposals.

The information entered in the RTS also will be used to populate USGS 
bibliographic lists and the Selected Water Resources Abstracts and to 
generate statistics on groups of reports; for instance, the number and 
types of reports approved or distributed during a specified period of 
time.  Export functions of the RTS allow users to download all the 
information stored in the RTS into simple text files for easy import into 
spreadsheets or for other applications, such as statistical and graphical 
analyses.  Entry of this data will allow WRD to respond to Congress and 
other customers when they request information about WRD report products 
and services and to document and access information on WRD's report 
process and the resulting products.

Questions, comments, and suggestions by RTS users are encouraged and 
should be directed to the RTS Help Group at email address: 
rts_help@usgs.gov


                                        Lewis V. Wade
                                        Assistant Chief Hydrologist 
                                           for Water Information
        
Distribution:  E
This memorandum supersedes WRD Memorandum No. 80.107.
This memorandum is being transmitted only electronically.