autographic records from reconaissance aircraft, rocket probes, 

 automatic weather stations, constant level balloons, and hundreds 

 of pilot balloon and radiosonde stations, and then add to these the 

 three-dimensional radar scope depictions of cloud and precipita- 

 tion systems from a multitude of radar installations and the atmo- 

 spheric-electric data from sferics stations over the globe, and 

 you may begin to have some idea of what I mean when I say you have 

 it within your power to swamp us beyond all hope of recovery. 



The only long term solution to this big problem is to begin to 

 take some steps that are long overdue. In our own particular case 

 these steps include the bringing together of -the instrument design- 

 er, the oceanographer , the data custodian, and the processing 

 equipment expert for the purpose of developing an economical and 

 efficient data system. A bit of data is really of no consequence un- 

 til it has contributed to some bit of oceanographic research or has 

 been used in reaching an operational decision. The instrument 

 designer and manufacturer nnay pride themselves on the fact that 

 they have been able to produce an instrument that can be sold for 

 $100 and that the operating costs are only $1 per observation. 

 However, if one followed the course of the data it produces, from 

 the instrument to the point where it has contributed to oceanogra- 

 phic knowledge, we might well find that the instrument is far more 

 expensive than we can afford. It is essential that an observational 

 systenn be produced which is economical and efficient in the total 

 sense. 



Before beconning specific it might be worthwhile to outline 

 several very broad instrumentation objectives as far as a data 

 center is concerned. 



In the first place, it is our feeling that in the future design of 

 instrunnentation a great deal more obeisance should be paid to the 

 concepts involved in "information theory. " It will be mandatory 

 that the final observational record present the maximum amount 

 of information with the smallest possible number of "bits. " It 

 may be necessary to pay some attention to instrumentation that 

 does not record or transmit all the information possible but only 

 that information which departs in some way from what has already 

 been recorded or departs from what oceanographer s already know. 

 Information that is redundant— or irrelevant should be filtered 



1/ As I note the word redxindant here I recall that when my secretary 



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