VI-46 



Data Center (NOOC); the hydrologic information managed by the U, S. 

 Geological Survey (USaS Hydrologic); the files of water quality 

 data which FWPCA (STORET) maintains and many others. The majority 

 of these systems are designed primarily for the scientist and the 

 technician involved in solving technical problems in the environ- 

 ment. The Inventory, on the other hand, is written to contain infor- 

 mation of a more general nature and is intended to serve a different 

 purpose, that of estuarine management. What this means in the prac- 

 tical sense, is that the generalized Inventory system draws on the 

 detailed data systems for part of its supply of raw environmental 

 data input. The intermeshing of these four systems will be discussed 

 in Chapter 2 of this Part. 



A management information system is of negligible value unless it is 

 used by the management and planning groups it is intended to serve. 

 It is anticipated that these will be primarily on the state level, so 

 a major first step is to develop a working relationship in order to 

 determine how state agencies can most effectively use the system in 

 contributing and withdrawing data from it. A pilot study for this 

 purpose is being carried out with the State of South Carolina. Present 

 indications are that a successful and mutually satisfactory arrangement 

 can be developed for continuing application. 



Universities and private organizations can also make use of the 

 information contained in such a management information system by 



