ABSTRACT
In the United Kingdom, the manufacture and distribution of gas is controlled by a number of Area Gas Boards responsible through the Gas Council to the Minister of Power. The novel feature of the implementation was the use of the ORacle analogue computer for the statistical forecasting procedures, and one machine was installed at each of the three stores. The operation in Glasgow was much larger than the other stores, representing about 60% of the total of transactions. Agreement was reached that a computer-based system would be used, designed in such a way that the other stores would eventually use it; alternatively, it would form the prototype system for a new central store, if and when this became feasible. The integrated system has been operating since the end of 1965 and is currently running on an ICL 1903 Bureau machine in Ealing operated by our sister company, Inbucon Computer Bureaux Limited.
