248 OCEANOGRAPHY 1961 — PHASE 3 



STATEMENT OE REAE ADM. E. C. STEPHAN, U.S. NAVY, HYDROGRA- 

 PHER OF THE NAVY AND HYDROGRAPHER IN COMMAND OP THE 

 U.S. NAVY HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE 



Admiral Stephan. Thank you, Mr. Cliairman. 



I have a brief statement which I will read, if I may. 



I am Eear Adm. E. C, Stephan, U.S. Navy, Hydrographer of the> 

 Navy. 



Mr. Chairman, I appreciate this opportunity to appear before you 

 and discuss: (1) the National Oceanographic Data Center, and (2) 

 our participation in the oceanographic instrumentation program. 



Acting on recommendations of the working group on data record- 

 ing and standardization of the National Academy of Sciences and 

 with the unanimous endorsement of the Federal Council for Science 

 and Technology, Dr. James A. Wakelin, Jr., Assistant Secretary of • 

 the Navy for Research and Development and Chairman of the Inter- 

 agency Committee on Oceanography, requested through the Chief of 

 Naval Operations that the Hydrographer of the Navy establish the 

 National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) under the administra- 

 tion of the U.S. Navy Hydrographic Office. 



The NODC was conceived in a spirit of cooperation, having been 

 founded on the basis of discussions and numerous conferences among 

 scientists and prominent representatives of Government. The NODC 

 is supported by six Government agencies: The Department of the' 

 Navy (U.S. Navy Hydrographic Office and Office of Naval Research), 

 the Weather Bureau, the Coast and Geodetic Survey, the National 

 Science Foundation, the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, and the 

 Atomic Energy Commission. Its policies of operation are determined 

 by an advisory board consisting of representatives of the contributing^ 

 agencies. 



The NODC was officially established on November 1, 1960. It 

 occupied renovated quarters at building 160 of the naval weapons 

 plant on January 16, 1961. 



It began its work with a nucleus of data contributed by the Hydro- 

 graphic Office, which represented over 10 years' work in oceanographic 

 data processing. Two types of data processing are now in progress 

 at the Data Center. These are oceanographic station data (physical 

 and chemical data from the ocean's surface to varying depths) and 

 bathythermograph data (temperature from the surface to varying 

 depths up to 900 feet). Oceanographic station data are currently 

 processed at the rate of over 5,000 stations per month. The total hold- 

 ings of oceanographic station data now consist of over 150,000 sta- 

 tions. Bathythermograph data are also processed at the rate of over 

 5,000 observations per month. Present holdings of bathythermograph 

 data now number over 670,000 observations. With new programs on 

 modern computers, the NODC hopes to process from 7,000 to 8,000 

 oceanographic stations per month. The goal for bathythermograph 

 processing is 6,000 bathythermographs per month. 



The NODC has been assigned the task of processing the data from 

 the International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE). In cooperation 

 with the National Academy of Sciences, the NODC is currently design- 

 ing and printing reporting forms and conversion tables to be distrib- 



