temporary archive consists of preliminary, unvalidated data and will be 

 replaced by a permanent archive as the BOMEX data-processing cycle is 

 completed. 



During 1971, NSF designated and funded NOAA as lead agency for data 

 management and information services for all U.S. IDOE programs. Three 

 data centers — NODC, NGDC, and NOG — are involved in the acquisition, 

 formating, storage, and dissemination of IDOE oceanographic, geophysical, 

 and meteorological data. These Centers are examining IDOE project pro- 

 posals to insure that adequate attention is given to data handling and 

 documentation. 



NODC took the first step last year to implement its "live atlas". The 

 system involves the direct interaction of marine data users with the NODC 

 data base through the use of a cathode ray tube (CRT) display station. Re- 

 quests are made to the computer for various oceanographic parameters by 

 season, time, and depth; the data requested are displayed on the CRT in 

 tabular or graphic form ; and hard copies can also be produced. The initial 

 data base was limited to data from the eastern Gulf of Mexico but has 

 since been expanded to cover U.S. coastal waters from Maine to Alaska. 

 Consideration is being given to the installation of remote terminals in other 

 agencies and activities to allow direct interaction with NODC. 



In cooperation with UNESCO and the Secretariat of the IOC, an AID- 

 sponsored training program was established under NODC's leadership in 

 June 1971. Its purpose is to assist developing countries in Africa, Asia, and 

 Latin America to strengthen their programs and capabilities in marine data 

 collection, processing, and application. Each training class (two have been 

 completed, the third will begin in May 1972) is selected by NODC and 

 the IOC Secretariat. The overall program includes lectures, seminars, and 

 fieldwork in a number of Federal and academic institutions including the 

 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the University of Rhode Island 

 International Center for Marine Resources Development. 



An NODC computer-produced Atlas of Selected Environmental Variables 

 off the Coastal United States, started in 1971, is scheduled for completion in 

 1972. The NODC is also cooperating in the preparation of the ICITA (In- 

 ternational Cooperative Investigations of the Tropical Atlantic) atlas to be 

 published by the IOC and the CIGAR bibliography. 



The NCC established a magnetic-tape surface-marine meteorological ob- 

 servations file containing 31 million entries by consolidating 17 data sources 

 into a common format for the period of record 1800-1968. In addition, 

 NCC's International Ocean Weather Station data bank was expanded and 

 upgraded. The NCC is currently compiling a digital data file of tropical 

 cyclone tracks for all oceans of the world. 



In 1971, under the IDOE program, the NSF awarded a grant to support 

 the Historical Sea-Surface Temperature Program. This WMO cooperative 

 project involves the Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands, the 

 United Kingdom, and the United States. Each country will provide his- 

 torical summaries of sea-surface /air temperatures and wind by year, dating 

 back to 1860. With the aid of computers, nearly 20 million ship-log ob- 

 servations will be published in an effort to produce year-by-year summaries. 



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