It oversees and maintains a large, searchable information database on a variety of scientific and non-scientific topics called Webcat.

The institute developed and grew in accordance with advances in computer and Internet technology, eventually outgrowing the initial vision behind the National Center for Science Information Systems.

NII attempts to balance theoretical and practical research approaches, aiming to create new techniques for searching and organizing extremely high-volume databases using new opportunities presented by advancements in high-speed network capabilities.

GeNii was created as means of integrating and unifying the content of several information retrieval and electronic library services overseen by NII, the primary result of which has been the Webcat search systems.

GeNii's further plans for the Webcat system include integrating the entire holdings of the National Diet Library into the searchable database.