scattering strength based on the swim-bladder sizes of the fish 

 caught. The results showed that these predictions agree reasonably 

 well with measured scattering strengths. This is the first time that 

 biological data have been used to predict acoustic results quan- 

 titatively with any degree of success. 



Data Management 



The archiving, handling, and storage of marine environmental 

 data, including specimens of organisms, is a continuing project; most 

 "raw" information collected must be screened, processed, sorted, and 

 put into useful form for easy retrieval so that scientific investigators 

 can have ready access to what they need when they need it. 



With the exception of water-quality data, marine data collected by 

 Federal agencies, private sources, and other nations are made 

 available to the general marine-user community through NOAA's 

 Environmental Data Service (EDS). Water quality data are available 

 from USGS, EPA and the Department of Health, Education and 

 Welfare's (HEW's) Public Health Service. The Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion has management responsibility for biological and geological 

 specimens. 



EDS marine data services and products are available from three 

 national data centers: the National Oceanographic Data Center, the 

 Marine Geology and Geophysics Branch of the National Geophysical 

 and Solar-Terrestrial Data Center, and pertinent files of the National 

 Climatic Center. In addition, EDS's Center for Experiment Design 

 and Data Analysis provides data-management services and support 

 for large-scale international, interdisciplinary research programs, 

 and also assists in planning such projects to insure that data needs 

 are met. Under an agreement with the National Academy of 

 Sciences, EDS also coordinates the international ocean data 

 management activities of World Data Center-A subcenters. 



Last year EDS prepared a report on "Ocean Data Resources" in 

 response to a request from the Chairman of the Ocean Policy Study 

 of the U.S. Senate. The report addresses itself primarily to Federal 

 data-management activities and lists the locations, principal 

 contacts, and capabilities of Federal facilities with ocean data 

 programs. Information available on State and regional activities, 

 academic institutions, and industry was also included. In 1974, 

 agreements to exchange marine data were initiated by universities 

 or State agencies in Japan, United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Federal 

 Republic of Germany, Norway, and Canada. Considerable data are 

 expected from these countries during 1975. 



A "one-stop" environmental data and information referral service 

 was made operational by EDS in 1974. It comprises two complemen- 



76 



