94 -OCEANOGRAPHY 



be accomplished by applied scientists supervising the activity of semiskilled 

 labor. This would both reduce the cost of comprehensive marine surveys and, 

 as stated previously, iienuit oceanographic researchers to spend more time on 

 research. 



The industry relies to a large extent on converted vessels, such as is shown 

 in this first slide, for its marine survey operation. The vessel you see on the 

 screen is Tr'xas Instruments MV Sonic, a converted Navy LCS(L). Since its 

 commission in 19r)4, the Sonic has surveyed in detail over 20,000 miles of line 

 under contract to the petroleiun industry. Its area of operations, as shown on 

 the next slide, has been, for the most part, in the shallow offshoi'e waters and 

 bay areas. The vessel, however, is completely seaworthy. At one time, the 

 iconic successfully completed a seismic reflection profile in 16,000 feet of water 

 in a project designed to determine the origin of the Bahamas Islands. 



Industrywide statistics are, at best, characterized by large information gaps 

 owing to the industry's tendency to classify as "company confidential" most work 

 performance figures. However, I have attempted to gather pertinent data 

 to indicate, at least in degree, the amount of marine survey work tJiat has been 

 accomplished. I wish to emphasize that these figures are estimates only. In the 

 period 1944 to 1959, about 4,000 crew-months were expended on marine survey 

 activity. From 1950 to 1959, an average of 20 crews engaged in marine survey 

 activity each year. The total average number of seismic personnel on the water 

 each year amounted to about 300. Of these, 100 were scientific and technical i)er- 

 sonnel. Shore-based data reduction and analysis personnel — all scientific — 

 amounted to 200. The average total, then, in all categories averaged roughly 

 500 people engaged in marine survey activities i>er year. 



An auxiliary function which is an important key to the successful execution 

 of marine surveys is navigation. The navigation techniques employed by the 

 industry aboard its vessels are the most advanced obtainable. The industry's 

 navigators are skilled in the use of all commercially available navigation devices 

 such as Loran A. Raydist, radar, and others. Additional, the industry is antic- 

 ipating extensive use of the Transit satellite system when it becomes available. 



DATA PROCESSING CAPABILITY 



The collection of oceanographic data on a worldwide basis requires automated 

 processes for analysis of results. The need for automation is evident when one 

 considers that an underway survey vessel, on a production survey, can accumu- 

 late an estimated 18 million discrete measurements in the course of 1 year. 



In the area of data processing, a uuirine survey conducted as a separate pro- 

 duction operation can use data collection and processing techniques which com- 

 bine automated and semiautomated data recoi-ding with automated data han- 

 dling. Our industry's geophysical data are handled in this manner in world- 

 wide locations such as Texas Instruments data processing office in London, 

 England. As a result, the industry has been able to employ more powerful 

 mathematico-theoretical tools to the interpretation of measui'ement results. 



INSTRUMENTATION CAPABILITY 



Oceanographic instrumentation, as pointed out in previous testimony, is inade- 

 quate. The geophysical industry faced a like situation in its infancy, and sijlved 

 it by developing and manufacturing its own instnunentation. The market for 

 geophysical equipment is relatively limited, and therefore provides little economic 

 incentive for widespread manufacture of these items. For this reason, the 

 geophysical instrument manufacturing capability is contained wholly within the 

 industry. 



This established instrument manufacturing capability is readily adaptable to 

 the production of specialized oceanographic instruments. In fact, much of the 

 equipment produced by the industry, either for commercial or military use, is 

 designed specifically for marine environments. The AN/ASH-5 airborne 

 bathythermograph shown in the next slide and the AN/ASQ-8 airborne magnetic 

 anomaly detection system, supplied in production (juantities to the Navy by Texas 

 Instruments, typify marine instrumentation produced for military use. 



In the area of commercial application, the LaCoste-Romberg submarine grav- 

 ity metf'r, a Texas Instruments seismometer, and the SOXIC marine system are 

 but a few examples of instrumentation designed for shii)board oi)eration or to 

 witlistand the corrosive effects of salt water. The instruinents must also be 

 designed to withstand extreme of operating conditions, from the cokl of the 

 Arctic to the heat of the Sahara. 



