114 OCEANOGRAPHY 



The question is: Does that cover tlie need that you mentioned in 

 the first instance when you were talking about a data center, getting 

 the data information for us, or is it too narrow a statement? 



Dr. SciiAEFER, I think this coders it. 



Mr. Bauer. Regardless of where the data center is. 



Dr. ScHAEFER. The thing we have in mind there is that there are 

 certain things ])rol)ably the data center would do for the Government 

 agencies and the scientific community at large. For example, with 

 respect to the sea surface temperatures, to put out atlases showing the 

 monthly averages by 1° or 2° squares by each month of each year. It 

 is the same thing the Coast and (reodetic Survey does now with tide 

 level data. They reduce these and put out a publication each year 

 showing average tide levels by months for each tide station. This is 

 the sort of thing man^^ scientists and Government agencies use. I 

 would think the data center would do this sort of routine thing with 

 its own appropriations, or the funds of the Navy and the various 

 Government agencies. 



However, a scientist, for instance, might want a particular kind of 

 data gotten out of the files and averaged in a certain form that is not 

 part of the general routine. In this case I want to be able to write 

 in and say that these are the data I want. How much will it cost me 

 to get them? When can you deliver them? They could give me an 

 estimate and I could say to go ahead and do it. 



Mr. Baiter. I was thinking it should be enlarged to include pri- 

 vate and commercial institutions, both domestic and foreign, on a 

 cost reimbursal)le basis. 



Mr. Miller. Plus the States. 



Dr. Schaefer. It probably should include provisions for these 

 services to institutions and individual scientists as well as Govern- 

 ment agencies. 



Mr. Bauer. Thank you. 



Mr. Miller. Mr. Flynn? 



Mr. Flynx. No questions, 



Mr. Miller. Mr. Drewry ? 



Mr. Drewry. I came in late. I probably missed something. How- 

 ever, in connection with the proposal in H.R. 10412, the oceano- 

 graphic survey, do you oppose that bill or are you just commenting 

 that there are several approaches to it? 



Dr. SciiAEFER. I do not necessarily oppose it. As far as I am con- 

 cerned, and I think as far as the rest of the Academy Conmiittee is 

 concerned, w^e feel that the present Committee of the Federal Council 

 may be quite adequate to handle this job. Doing it by legislation, with 

 a group that reports both to the Congress and to the President, is an- 

 other way of doing it. We feel that having some group for doing it 

 is the important thing. The exact mechanism in this case I do not 

 thiidc is of particular interest to us. 



We can see where a bill of this sort, where a group of representa- 

 tives of the administrative departments, reporting both to the Con- 

 gress and to the President, miglit involve some administrative prob- 

 lems. This is a subject we are really not very competent to deal with. 



Mr. Drewry. Just thinking back to when your committee first came 

 to the Hill to tell us wdiat had been going on, the innnediate problem, 



