NBMG is developing an online information directory that can be accessed through Internet or by modem. Currently this directory contains a complete list of NBMG publications along with prices and ordering information, a list of services available at NBMG, a summary of NBMG research activities, indexes of U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS) 1:24,000- and 1:100,000-scale digital line graphs (DLG) and digital elevation models (DEM), information on other USGS digital products are available at NBMG, and information on other agencies using or producing digital data in Nevada.
If you have an account on an Internet server, you can access this directory by entering "gopher nbmg.unr.edu" while logged in on that account. If you have access to Internet but no account, you can access the directory by entering "telnet equinox.unr.edu"; the login account is nevdata and the password is green.bar.
To access this directory by modem, dial (702) 784-1200. This will connect you to the UNSCS-North Campus terminal server through a modem that automatically adjusts to 300, 1200, or 2400 baud. Enter "r equinox" at the UNSANNEX# prompt, "nevdata" at the LOGIN prompt, and "green.bar" at the PASSWORD prompt.
After it accepts the password, the computer will ask the type of terminal you are using. If your terminal emulates a VT100, simply press your enter key, otherwise enter your terminal type.
At this point, if all has gone well, you will soon see a numbered list of titles in the NBMG Online Information Directory. Follow the instructions at the bottom of the screen to navigate through the directory. The first item is a readme file. That should be the first file you read. The files in this directory can be queried for specific information by using a keyword type of search in the Gopher software system. Gopher is the name of the software that controls what you see when you log in and allows you to select, view, and search documents for key words or a certain string of characters. The Gopher software is interactive and you can get a help screen that explains the available commands by typing "?" once you are in Gopher. For example, you would type "/RENO" to search the DLG index for references to the Reno Quadrangle. You would use upper case in this search string because the Gopher search routine is case sensitive and the DLG index is in upper case. Make use of the help screen to learn how to move around within a document. When you quit Gopher (by pressing q) you will be automatically logged off.
Some files are currently available for downloading at no charge from the pub directory of the NBMG anonymous FTP server. The address of the FTP server is nbmg.unr.edu or 134.197.46.1, the logon name is anonymous, and the password is your e-mail address. Presently available files include the publication list (in subdirectory nbmg_publications); the list of services available from NBMG (in subdirectory nbmg_services); the list of current NBMG research projects (in subdirectory nbmg_research); the USGS digital data indexes for Nevada (in subdirectory usgs_dig_data); an index to the NBMG mining district files (in subdirectory nvgeodex); and an index to USGS, NBMG, and U.S. Department of Energy open-file reports on file at NBMG (in subdirectory open_file_index).
The last two indexes are databases in dBASE III+-compatible format but ASCII files of some of the information in these two databases are also available. When transferring dBASE-compatible files (*.dbf) set the tranfer mode to binary (bin); this is not necessary when transferring ASCII files. Hard copy and disk copy of all or part of the two databases are available at nominal cost at the NBMG sales office. The nvgeodex database is still being compiled and currently contains over 9,000 records.
We will be making more files available on Internet as time and funding allow, and we will periodically update files as needed. If you have questions or problems or if you have ideas on what you would like to see NBMG put on the Internet, please drop us a note (e- mail address rhess@nbmg.unr.edu) or call Ron Hess at (702) 784-6691.
--- Ron Hess, GIS Supervisor and Dick Meeuwig, Editor