to meet the needs of NODC. Recently the 

 Navy offered to assiune the entire fiscal re- 

 sponsibility for its work. The Commission 

 concludes that NODC should be adminis- 

 tered by a civilian agency to which the neces- 

 sary funds for its operation should be ap- 

 propriated. Costs of work performed for 

 other agencies, including the Navy, should 

 be paid by these agencies in accordance with 

 existing Federal law and practice. Similarly, 

 the costs of retrieving and reproducing data 

 for non-Government groups should be paid 

 by these groups. 



In the Commission's view, the already 

 overloaded general-purpose data centers 

 should avoid involvement to the extent pos- 

 sible in any aspect of the data problem 

 which might have logical affiliation with ex- 

 isting mission agencies. Thus, whereas such 

 multipurpose data as subbottom profiles and 

 photography should be stored by NODC, 

 ESSA and the U.S. Navy should be the 

 prime repositories of worldwide bathymetric 

 data ; the portrayal of such data should take 

 the form of published bathymetric charts 

 at appropriate scales. Biological data relat- 

 ing to taxonomy should continue to be con- 

 centrated witli the museum and university 

 specialists who are concerned with these 

 aspects of science. Certain time-independent, 

 multipurpose data such as subbottom pro- 

 files and photography should be stored by 

 NODC. NODC, of course, should be fully 

 aware of these sources of information and 

 maintain liaison with the curators to facili- 

 tate the referral of inquiries. 



Generally, NODC also should not under- 

 take tlie processing of raw data nor become 

 involved in the management of real-time 

 ocean monitoring and prediction systems. 

 Any future systems for monitoring and pre- 

 diction, however, should take into account 

 the requirement for data formats compatible 



with the NODC system. The system's pri- 

 mary function sliouhl be tlie acquisition, stor- 

 age, retrieval, and dissemination of historical 

 data. 



National Weather Records Center 



Unlike the NODC, the National Weather 

 Records Center lias been in existence for half 

 a century. Its primary mission is to store 

 national and international weather records. 

 Its marine finictions include the storage and 

 retrieval of all ocean weather, sea state, and 

 sea surface temperature data. Funded by the 

 Department of Commerce, it perfonns work 

 for other agencies on a reimbursable basis. 

 Large parts of its marine programs are sup- 

 ported by the Navy under such agreements. 

 It also retrieves and reproduces information 

 at cost for all non-Federal users. 



The National Weather Records Center has 

 suffered over the years from the same lack of 

 funds as NODC and is imable to meet fidly 

 the growing demands upon it. 



Smithsonian Oceanographic Sorting 

 Center 



Tlie Smithsonian Oceanographic Sorting 

 C«nter is a service organization which ana- 

 lyzes biological and geological samples. 

 Plankton samples, for example, may include 

 representatives of more tlian 50 major animal 

 groups, each requiring examination by spe- 

 cialists to assure proper analysis. Tlie Center 

 is supported by direct appropriation and 

 through contracts with several Federal agen- 

 cies, including the Department of the Inte- 

 rior, the National Science Foundation, and 

 the Navy. Its present appropriations 

 permit it to sort only approximately 35 per 

 cent of the samples it receives. 



Current legislation requires that all bio- 

 logical and geological specimens obtained 

 with Federal funds be turned over eventually 

 to the Smithsonian Institution. The Institu- 

 tion, however, is not equipped to handle prop- 



