584 



36 EXPANDING THE USES OF NA VAL OCEAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 



and Electronic Engineers) and ONR-supported scientists should be encouraged to 

 participate. 



ONR could foster technology transfer by active participation in the evolving 

 number of centers and collaborative organizations in the United States. The 

 National Science Foundation, for example, has a well-developed program that 

 brings individuals from academia, government laboratories, and private industry 

 together to establish closer working relationships and transfer technology. These 

 R&D Centers have been formed around disciplinary topics (e.g., instrumentation, 

 data analysis, manufacturing, advanced materials) and also with broad topic cov- 

 erage (e.g.. Ocean Technology Center at the University of Rhode Island). 



In marine research and business development, as in other areas of modem 

 society, electronic communications networks have become a conmion tool to 

 enhance access to people, products, services, data, and information. An impor- 

 tant goal of providing this access is efficient transfer of knowledge. To ensure 

 adequate transfer, organizations measure performance of the electronic access 

 system against customer (user) satisfaction and take steps to improve that perfor- 

 mance. 



ONR has made great strides in making much of the information about OI>IR 

 programs and contact relationships readily available on the Internet. An example 

 is the "ONR Home Page" on FEDIX (Federal Information Exchange). ONR has 

 three major databases — one for each of the three areas of federally funded R&D: 

 6.1 (basic and applied research), 6.2 (exploratory development), and 6.3 (ad- 

 vanced development). The data, however, are presented in a compartmentaUzed, 

 topical directory (i.e., the databases are not interactive with each other). Elec- 

 tronic access to each database currently requires unique knowledge and skills, 

 creating a barrier to effective use. Such obscurity serves the interests of ONR 

 security but impedes effective transfer of technology and knowledge. 



Creating a coherent, user-friendly system of data transmission (with appro- 

 priate security measures) should be the prime objective of any ONR technology 

 outreach program. Such a system should have not only listings but also a browse 

 capability and a help function. Customers who are unsophisticated with com- 

 puter systems should still be able to interact productively with ONR's technology 

 program. The discussion here applies not only to contacting the Office of Re- 

 search and Technology Application (ORTA) and developing Cooperative Re- 

 search and Development Agreements (CRDAs), for example, but to accessing 

 geophysical data products such as sea surface temperature and ocean circulation 

 models. 



A process should be put in place that not only measures the number of 

 successful inquiries to the database but also provides a measure of customer 

 satisfaction. Where matters of legitimate data security exist, the declassification 

 systems for academic access should be extended to the private sector (subject to 

 the same qualifications such protection imposes on academia). 



