254 



Survey has interest in mapping the Continental Shelves and certain 

 deep ocean areas as well. The Navy has its own requirement for 

 certain types of bathymetric and geophysical maps of shelf and deep 

 ocean areas. In producing its special bathymetric maps for submarine 

 navigation on the U.S. Continental Shelves, the Navy obtains and 

 uses Coast and Geodetic Survey survey data. The Coast and Geodetic 

 Survey will soon conduct bathymetric and geophysical mapping sur- 

 veys in the northern Bering Sea in cooperation with the U.S. Geo- 

 logical Survey, as part of U.S. Geological Survey's program for 

 taking inventory of Bering Sea heavy metals resources. 



To produce its 1 : 1,000,000 scale bathymetric map series of the 

 east coast for the U.S. Geological Survey, the Woods Hole Oceano- 

 graphic Institution utilized Coast and Geodetic Survey survey data 

 almost exclusively for delineation of U.S. Continental Shelf waters. 

 There are a number of cases where special-purpose Continental Shelf 

 bathymetric maps are constructed by other agencies using Coast and 

 Geodetic Survey hydrographic survey data. There are no known cases 

 where other agencies have accomplished field surveys to obtain this 

 data. 



Only the Coast and Geodetic Survey has responded to date in accom- 

 plishing any part of the National Academy of Science Committee 

 on Oceanography's recommended program for mapping the world's 

 oceans (now called SEAMAP) . The Navy, in order to produce special- 

 purpose maps of the oceans for antisubmarine warfare and similar 

 military purposes, is now contracting for surveys in part of the SEA- 

 MAP area already covered by Coast and Geodetic Survey work. Prior 

 to beginning the contract work, the Navy asked for, and received, copies 

 of Coast and Geodetic Survey data. 



There is a long history of direct coordination, between the Navy and 

 the Coast and Geodetic Survey, in the areas of charting surveys and 

 marine data utilization. There is now direct coordination between the 

 U.S. Geological Survey and the Coast and Geodetic Survey in deter- 

 mining the degree to which Coast and Geodetic Survey can satisfy the 

 U.S. Geological Survey's needs for old survey data and for new surveys. 

 The Survey Panel of the Interagency Committee on Oceanography 

 (ICO) v/as used as a mechanism for jcoordinating survey activities 

 between agencies. This group was fairly effective in eliminating dupli- 

 cation of effort. The Marine Resources and Engineering Development 

 Council has now established a formal mechanism for coordination of 

 surveying and mapping activities in its Committee on Oceano Explora- 

 tion and Environmental Services of the Marine Resources and Engi- 

 neering Development Council. 



Mr. Keith. You mentioned an Advisory Board for Ship Time Allo- 

 cation, within ESSA, which evaluates requests from other agencies and 

 from universities interested in availing themselves of the capabilities 

 of ESSA's ships for their specific marine investigations. It seems to me 

 that such a board is a very good idea on a theoretical level. How has 

 it worked out so far? 



Do you feel that it would be advantageous to establish a multiagency 

 board, on which all agencies that operate research vessels would be rep- 

 resented, to perform a similar function involving all research vessels 

 operated by the various agencies ? 



