(3) Continuation of development of a General Data System (GDS) 

 to provide ready acceptance of a wide variety of computer-com- 

 patible formats; 



(4) Development of a time-series data base to incorporate marine 

 data emanating from national and international data programs; 



(5) Preparing a directory of existing marine data, samples, and 

 products — nationally and internationally, and developing specialized 

 inventories, as required; 



(6) Continuing use of a time-sharing computer system for inventory 

 and production status control, and expanding inventory information; 

 and 



(7) Developing models for use in quality control of data and pre- 

 dictions systems. 



Smithsonian Oceanograpliic Sorting Center 



The Smithsonian Oceanographic Sorting Center (SOSC) began its serv- 

 ice in 1962. The Center receives, sorts, records, curates, and distributes 

 biological and geological specimens collected by oceanographic expeditions 

 to all seas. Acting as a central processing laboratory, SOSC expedites speci- 

 men oriented research analysis by sorting and distributing samples to 

 specialists. 



In addition to the biological material handled by the Center, the SOSC 

 geology section acts as a clearinghouse which inventories and distributes 

 geological collections, consisting of sea floor samples, photographs, or general 

 information on rock specimens. Analytic equipment was installed during 

 1969 to enable optical identification of rock materials, thus assisting in the 

 distribution process. During 1969, SOSC sorted 3,491,589 specimens and 

 distributed 1,148,411 specimens in 531 shipments. The total number of 

 specimens sorted by SOSC since 1963 exceeds 22 million with nearly 8 

 million specimens distributed. 



Responding to the increased interest in environmental quality, SOSC 

 has made arrangements to receive existing unsorted collections from the 

 Great Lakes. The processed specimens will serve as a benchmark for the 

 evaluation of efTorts toward pollution abatement and lake restoration (see 

 ch. III). 



The National Academy of Sciences is currently studying the possible 

 ecological consequences of a sea-level canal in Panama. In this connection, 

 the Center is prepared to assist in establishing the benchmark collection 

 data necessary to evaluate the eflfect of unhindered migration between the 

 Atlantic and the Pacific. 



Recently, the SOSC has obtained more efficient, modem facilities. An 

 automated records section, first designed in 1966, began full-scale operation 

 with the correlation of specimen data with collection and environmental 

 data from expedition logs; over 50,000 records were produced in fiscal year 

 1969, many of which represent backlog data from samples previously sorted 

 at the Center. 



The Mediterranean Marine Sorting Center operated by the Smithsonian 

 Institution in Tunisia provides a continuing service to U.S. and foreign 



138 



