As the pace of change accelerates in Southern Africa researchers find themselves increasingly dependent upon press sources. Media items are an essential primary source material both for research projects and for carrying out the necessary groundwork for preparing development projects. The volume and complexity of the source material makes the organisation and retrieval of usable information increasingly difficult. One answer to this problem is to store all the media material on computer and then let the computer manipulate, collate and retrieve the information ready for interpretation.

Given the complex interrelationships within the Southern African region, events in one country can have an immediate impact on others. A retrieval system is able to rapidly extract the linkage implications within the region. It is also possible to input the key international dimensions.