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| Unified Medical Language System | |
UMLS News - March 2004 |
 UMLS Web Site and DocumentationThe UMLS Web site has been restructured to enhance your access to existing documentation and information and to add new information to improve your understanding of and access to the UMLS resources. Additional materials will be added in the coming weeks. See: http://umlsinfo.nlm.nih.gov. A preview of the UMLS Metathesaurus documentation is available at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/Meta2_2004AA_Draft.html New UMLS ReleaseNLM plans to release the 2004AA quarterly edition of the UMLS Knowledge Sources sometime around mid-April 2004. This will be the first release containing SNOMED Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT). New License RequiredNLM will distribute SNOMED CT within the UMLS Metathesaurus under the terms of a revised UMLS license agreement that includes additional language concerning SNOMED CT. U.S. licensees will be able to use SNOMED (as distributed by NLM) in the U.S. without charge and without signing a separate license agreement with the College of American Pathologists (CAP, SNOMED's producer). Non-U.S. UMLS licensees will continue to require a separate license agreement with the CAP for production uses of SNOMED CT. Current UMLS users will have to sign the revised license agreement before receiving the next 2004AA edition of the UMLS which will include SNOMED CT. License Registration and Renewals Now OnlineThe new electronic UMLS license process is now available at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/license.html. This new process is completely electronic, no digital or electronic signatures are required, and just a return e-mail verification process to complete the registration process. After an NLM official electronically countersigns, an e-mail message will then be sent back by NLM with the UMLS license number. Keep a printed copy of this for your records--no paper license copy will be sent. Should problems be encountered with the new licensing process, contact NLM Customer Service:
Knowledge Source Server accessSince the 2004AA edition (which includes SNOMED CT) is not expected for several more weeks, both old user Login ID codes and Passwords and new ones created under new license numbers will work on the server (http://umlsks.nlm.nih.gov). There will be a grace period of server access for several weeks or until SNOMED CT is available with the 2004AA edition for downloading on the server. When this happens, NLM will announce on the server and on this listserver that only accounts created under new license numbers will then work on the server. For those users with Login ID codes and Passwords associated with old license numbers, after this happens you will be prompted to create and type in a new password. Those users with old Login ID codes and Passwords will be prompted to create and type in a new password, including the new license number and the first and last name of the licensee for the new license number. If you cannot supply this data, then your account will not permit you to access the server. Download of the 2004AA UMLS editionThe distribution will be made available for downloading from the UMLS Knowledge Source Server as usual. However, the size of the release is expected to be quite large, even though compressed, of approximately 2.5 GB compressed (or 16 GB uncompressed). Depending on the licensee's Internet connection (T3 or T1 large pipe, etc.) it may take from an hour or two to many hours to download the compressed files; a T1 line with 1 mps throughput will require over 5 hours. DVDA DVD-ROM (one disk, with the MetamorphoSys program (which automatically comes with the UMLS data) as both the installation and subsetting program for PC, UNIX and Mac machines) will be available to UMLS licensees by request from: umls_support@nlm.nih.gov Licensees who request a DVD should include their new license number. Because of the large size of the files, NLM has switched from multiple CD-ROM discs to one DVD-ROM disc. DVD drives are increasingly becoming ubiquitous on personal computers. External DVD drives may now be purchased for less than $75. It is expected that the DVD containing the 2004AA release will be mailed to all licensed requesters in early May. API and Interactive Access via the UMLS Knowledge Source ServerLicensees will be able to interface their programmed applications via the server API and also to conduct searches using the server search engine (via their Web browser). Access via these mechanisms for the 2004AA edition will become available in May. MetamorphoSysAs indicated above, MetamorphoSys has been expanded to serve as the install program for all three UMLS Knowledge Sources (Metathesaurus, Semantic Network, SPECIALIST Lexicon and lexical programs). All users who load UMLS data in local system must use MetamorphoSys. Users may choose between 7-bit ASCII and the UTF-8 Unicode characters and old or new release formats. Customization features have been expanded in MetamorphoSys. |
Last reviewed: 29 January 2008
Last updated: 19 May 2006
First published: 01 April 2004
Metadata| Permanence level: Permanence Not Guaranteed