Section 3.2 Disseminating Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned Handbook:

DOE-HDBK-7502-95

Section 3.2

Disseminating Lessons Learned

Lessons learned can be disseminated through electronic or non-electronic means.

Both of these options can be used to disseminate lessons learned locally (e.g. across a

particular site), DOE-wide, nationally (including external organizations and the public),

or internationally. Dissemination decisions should weigh issues such as existing

dissemination requirements, security concerns, scope of applicability, and timeliness.

These issues affect the type of dissemination that is appropriate. For DOE-wide

dissemination, the DOE Lessons Learned Program provides several electronic options.

These options, as well as non-electronic options, are discussed below. (The "DOE

Lessons Learned Program" is the combined network of site DOE lessons learned

programs. The DOE Lessons Learned Program provides communication linkages across

site-specific programs through methods discussed below.)

Electronic Dissemination

The DOE Lessons Learned Information Services (DOELLIS) will utilize Internet to make

information developed at local levels available to other sites across the DOE complex.

Internet is a collection of networks and routing devices that provide global connectivity

between educational, governmental, and commercial organizations for the purpose of

information exchange. Access to Internet will provide DOE sites with access to local

lessons learned information as well as to a wide range of information from users

across the world. While Internet will provide a vehicle for transferring and accessing

lessons learned information across DOE, the process will be facilitated through the use

of information services established at DOE. Specifically, access to DOE lessons learned

information will be provided through DOE's Office of Environment, Safety and Health

Technical Information Services (TIS).

TIS is a collection of services rather than a traditional information system. TIS provides

seamless applications that span multiple information sources and are presented to the

user through a graphical user interface. The graphical user interface provides a

common format for the TIS services. This means that many of the skills required to

use a single application can be applied to operation of all applications. The user can,

therefore, focus on the information rather than learning about multiple systems. In

addition, all of the applications are able to exchange information (e.g., if a user needs to

view or analyze data found in a database, the data can be copied into an analysis

tool). In addition, TIS employs open systems architecture. The term "open system"

means that the existing system can be adapted and can evolve as needs and

technologies change without losing existing information. Key benefits of the open

system include:

Transparent access of data among different hardware systems;

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