556 



MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM 



The object of this activity is to provide a continuing institutional 

 and technical information service on estuarine problems. As such there 

 should be the in-house capability of operating a large automated data 

 and information library; but there should also be the capability of 

 recognizing data needs, finding and acquiring data, organizing infor- 

 mation for management use, and developing new techniques and appli- 

 cations involving management information. Given these capabilities 

 the elements of an information acquisition and service program for 

 completing and maintaining a current estuarine management informa- 

 tion program follow naturally from the information problem areas 

 outlined previously. 



1. Additional existing unclassified data from the Federal agencies 

 and other sources listed in table VI.2.1 should be compiled by contract 

 or other arrangement. The compilation of historical data from these 

 sources would be rather massive and it is not reasonable to expect such 

 agencies to either assign the task to personnel who are busy with other 

 tasks nor to acquire the temporary work force required. 



2. Keimbursible agreements on contracts should be let with data 

 contributors and others to provide for updating their input to the 

 inventory at specific intervals. 



In those cases where nationwide data blocks have been included in 

 the inventory, for example, mining use, volumes and costs of dredging, 

 commerdial shipping, etc., only updating would be necessary. 



3. A simple and direct reporting system should be implemented. 

 All studies wholly or partially funded by the Federal Government 



which deal with the estuarine zone, including associated land areas 

 (coastal counties, coastal SMSA's or parts thereof) should be required 

 to forward copies of raw data gathered and reports completed to a 

 central facility for processing and cataloging. 



The reporting system should require no special form or method of 

 submission, but simply copies of material gathered. (At the field level 

 where the actual vv^ork takes place, special requirements of data and 

 information submission would require too many man-hours to be 

 feasible.) 



This reporting S3^st€m will serve two purposes. First, it will serve 

 as an update mechanism for knowledge being gained in the estuarine 

 zone. Second, it will provide an accurate mechanism to help prevent 

 duplication of effort among federally financed programs. 



4. All entities wholly or partially financed by the Federal Govern- 

 ment, which monitor estuarine water q^uality parameters, including 

 sediments and sedimentation, should be identified, their sampling sta- 

 tion locations pinpointed, and copies of the data taken submitted to 

 a central location for processing. 



Unified identification of existing stations and analysis of the data 

 collected would point out current coverage and permit any expansion 

 necessary to proceed logically and without duplication. 



Much of the work of identification of the sampling points used by 

 Federal agencies has already been accomplished by the U.S. Geological 

 Survey and by the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration. 

 It is among States, university groups, and Federal grant program 



