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Two types of fiducial sites have been defined — calibration sites 

 and monitoring sites. Calibration sites are those for which data 

 records already exist, especially long-term records of in situ 

 data. Calibration sites will frequently be associated with 

 ongoing research studies, thus offering the possibility of 

 prompt assimilation and utility of the NTM fiducial data. 

 Programs associated with fiducial calibration sites include the 

 National Science Foundation's (NSF) Long Term Ecological 

 Research Site Program, the NOAA National Estuarine 

 Research Reserve System and National Marine Sanctuaries 

 Program, and the U.S. Geological Survey's Water, Energy, and 

 Biogeochemical Sites. Monitoring sites are those not having 

 long-term data records. 



2. THE NTM GLOBAL FIDUCIAL DATA PROGRAM 



The Global Fiducial Data Program is being pursued by the 

 intelligence community, the DoD. and MEDEA, to utilize 

 classified, space-based sensor systems for the purpose of 

 creating a long-term archive of environmental information. 

 With congressional support, the program began in FY 1995 

 and is expected to continue. 



The objective of this program is an archive of classified data 

 that will grow both in size and value over time. As presently 

 envisioned, this archive would be maintained within host U.S. 

 government agencies, with access available to a community of 

 cleared scientists and researchers. 



technological improvements and expanding capabihties. The 

 future tasking and availability of classified systems will 

 necessitate changes and adjustments in the site populations (by 

 type and location) and data acquisition schedules. Within the 

 set of global fiducial sites is a subset of ocean sites where a 

 variety of NTM data will be collected. It is this subset of ocean 

 data that we will consider. 



3. SCIENTIFIC EXPLOTTATION OF FIDUCIAL DATA 



it is expected that ocean fiducial sites will involve both calibra- 

 tion and monitoring sites. Calibration sites can be expected to 

 be limited largely to shallow in-shore waters and beach areas 

 where long-term data records of fixed locations are more 

 common and meaningful. In the open ocean it is expected that 

 scientific exploitation of NTM imagery data will require a 

 combination of in situ observations, where the sites can be 

 selected to correspond with planned cruises, and the use of 

 NAVOCEANO's historical archive of oceanographic data. 



Effective exploitation of the NTM ocean fiducial data will 

 require simultaneous use of these data in digital form, along 

 with a wide varietj' of correlative oceanographic data that are 

 resident at the Stennis Space Center (SSC), including both 

 NAVOCEANO and the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). 

 Figure 29 depicts schematically the idea that the NTM imagery 

 will need to be accompanied by oceanographic data drawn from 

 a variety of Navy databases. 



Following historical trends, it is possible that data from certain 

 sensor systems, as well as the operational characteristics of the 

 sensors themselves, may be declassified. This has recently 

 occurred with the declassification of imagery from the earliest 

 U.S. reconnaissance satellite program (CORONA) covering 

 1960-1972. However, at least initially, the Global Fiducial 

 Data Program will deal with data at the classified level leaving 

 such evolution to the future. 



The MEDEA scientific panels have initiated a process for 

 nominating and selecting fiducial sites to support research in a 

 variety of scientific disciplines. When approved by the United 

 States government, a designated set of sites will then be 

 "locked" to a program of long-term data acquisition. The initial 

 set of fiducial sites and data collections will evolve to reflect 



Archiving of the ocean fiducial data at the SSC will facilitate 

 their prompt exploitation for ocean science, whereas waiting 

 until the correlative data are available at the central fiducial 

 archive site would postpone effective use of the ocean fiducial 

 data and jeopardize the very rationale for dieir collection. 



Determination of the number of NTM frames per year that 

 would be made available to populate the database is still 

 required. A 20-year timeframe is envisioned. NAVOCEANO 

 has developed analyses of specific ocean NTM data at its 

 Warfighting Support Center (WSC), where the correlative in 

 situ data are available. These results from the WSC should be 

 included in the fiducial database. The WSC could make 

 provisions for a small number of visiting ocean scientists. 



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