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Committee on Oceanography in preparing programs and budgets 
for the next fiscal year, and a further review is provided 
by an Ad Hoc Panel appointed annually by the Office of 
Science and Technology. 
C. Areas for Investigation 
It is hoped that eventually the entire ocean will be 
covered with oceanographic surveys. This will necessitate 
that the Ocean Survey effort become a cooperative international 
program if this aim is to be realized in an efficient and 
timely manner. Until such international plans have been 
formulated and agreed upon, the specific areas for the United 
States effort must reflect the most urgent needs of the 
United States. 
Oceanographers are interested in a variety of scientific 
problems and in various portions of the ocean. For this 
reason, there is a variety of opinion as to what portions 
should be investigated first to collect data needed for the 
solution of basic research problems. Similarly, the various 
Federal agencies have requirements for data from various 
parts of the world ocean. Thus, to date, the decision as to 
location of the surveys has been made by the only agency 
which has a ship operating exclusively on this program. This 
decision was made on the basis of where adequate navigational 
control was available within the various areas in which there 
was broad oceanographic interest. Once the area had been 
decided upon, the various participating agencies and private 
oceanographic institutions were asked what interests they had 
within this area that could be advanced » 
