178 



STRENCTMENINC THE HAD INFRASTRUCTURE 8l 



satellite information that is available to all. It appears, however, that gov- 

 ernments themselves could constitute a market, based on their own needs 

 for land, meteorological, and oceanographic remote sensing services. Other 

 users would add to this market. With a large enough market, viable private- 

 sector operations could be established to provide data to all users. 



NASA's Eanh Observing System (EOS) is designed to evolve over 

 a i5-year period into a comprehensive system to collect and distribute re- 

 mote sensing data on the atmosphere, oceans, and land surfaces. The cor- 

 nerstone of the EOS efFon is a group of space-based observatories that is 

 now scheduled to begin collecting data shortly after the turn of the century. 

 The data will be processed, stored, and distributed to researchers through 

 the EOS Data and Information Systems (EOSDIS). EOSDIS will be an ex- 

 traordinarily large data system, and, given its imftonance in monitoring 

 the global environment, it is critically imponant that it be carefully designed 

 and that it take advantage of new and emerging advanced technologies. '^ 

 We believe that EOSDIS should be linked closely with the monitoring data 

 systems of the proposed Environmental Monitoring Agency. 



NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMEKIAL HEALTH SCIENCES 



■ The new research and training programs at the National Institute of En- 

 vironmental Health Sciences should be expanded, and the Institute should 

 establish closer ties with EPA's health research program. 



The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NBEHS) 

 bridges the basic research typical of NIH and academic biology and the more 

 applied toxicological and epidemiological research needed for hazard iden- 

 tification and risk assessment. NIEHS recently undenook an internal reor- 

 ganization to encourage multidisciplinary integrated research efforts." 



We believe that the Institute's research programs, both intramural 

 and extramural, should expand steadily over the next decade. In particular, 

 we recommend that NIEHS-sponsored training programs, now about $io 

 million, be doubled over the next four years to provide adequate numbers 

 of well-trained environmental health scientists to industry, academia, and 

 to the government research and regulatory agencies. 



In 1988, the Public Health Service released an extensive study of 

 the environmental health work force that presented a series of rcconunen- 

 dations to help ensure that future personnel needs can be met.'' Further- 

 more, research programs at NIEHS and EPA are directed at many common 

 goals. We suggest that NIEHS and EPA's Office of Research and Develop- 

 ment, panicularly the Health Effects Research Laboratory (or the proposed 



