225. JOINT OCEANOGRAPHIC ASSEMBLY: JOA 



A joint assembly of marine scientists held Intermittently since 

 1959. Sponsors have been various Interntlonal agencies working 

 cooperatively and have Included ACMRR, ACOMR (now MAOAO) , CMG, ECOR, 

 lABO, lAPSO, and SCOR, and meeting sites have been New York (1959), 

 Moscow (1966), Tokyo (1970), and Edinburgh (1976). The first assem 

 bly Is often referred to as Ocean World. 



226. JOINT ICES/ICNAF/IOC COORDINATING GROUP FOR THE NORTH 

 ATLANTIC: NAT 



An Intersecretarlat group established to coordinate the sys- 

 tematic studies of the North Atlantic, NAT meets biennially with the 

 representatives of International marine research projects In the 

 North Atlantic. 



227. JOINT WORKING GROUP ON RIVER INPUTS TO OCEAN SYSTEMS: RIOS 

 Formed as a result of a GIPME resolution of 1971, RIOS Includes 



members from ACMRR, ECOR, lAHS, and SCOR. Its programs Include the 

 Identification of ongoing research pertaining to RIOS, execution of 

 demonstration projects, training, and exchange of scientists. 



228. WORLD SCIENCE INFORMATION SYSTEM: UNISIST 



A joint UNESCO/ICSU effort organized In 1967, UNISIST studied 

 the feasibility of a world science Information system. Recommenda- 

 tions of the Central Committee, established to make the feasibility 

 study, were published In 1971. The report concluded that the estab- 

 lishment of a world science Information system Is not only feasible 

 but necessary. UNISIST Is now a major Component of UNESCO's General 

 Information Program (GIP). 



229. WORKING PARTY ON SCIENTIFIC ASPECTS OF INTERNATIONAL OCEAN 

 RESEARCH: SAIOR 



SAIOR was a joint group consisting of members from ACMRR, SCOR, 

 and WMO. 



D. DATA CENTERS AND OTHER FACILITIES 



A number of International data centers, generally sponsored by one 

 or more of the International organizations, have been established In 

 selected areas. With the exception of the World Data Centers, each 

 center is responsible either for specialized data or for data in a 

 selected region. 



230. AQUATIC SCIENCES AND FISHERIES INFORMATION SYSTEM: ASFIS 

 Proposed by FAO and IOC in 1971, and endorsed by IOC at its 



seventh session in 1971 and later by the U.N. Conference on the Human 

 Environment, ASFIS has been developed with financial assistance from 

 UNEP into an operating computer-oriented information system drawing 

 on many different data sources to provide services of various types. 

 At present ASFIS comprises three sponsoring bodies (FAO, IOC, and 

 the United Nations) and national centers in the following countries: 

 Canada, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Mexico, Portugal, 

 U.S.S.R. , United Kingdom, and the United States. FAO is the ASFIS 

 coordinating center. The literature put into the system comes from 

 4,500 serial journal titles, reports, books, monographs, pamphlets, 

 and information from seminars, workshops, and conferences all over 

 the world and questionnaires distributed by the Secretariats. Prod- 

 ucts and services currently offered by ASFIS Include: Marine Science 

 Contents Tables (MSCT); Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts 



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