C. Data Centers 



Present systems do not meet the need for a 

 coordinated system of data centers for archiving 

 and retrieving oceanographic information. The 

 efforts of the National Oceanographic Data Center 

 and the Smithsonian Oceanographic Sorting Cen- 

 ter and the National Weather Records Center have 

 barely been able to keep up with the present rate 

 of acquisition as well as the demands for data 

 retrieval. 



1. National Oceanographic Data Center 



The inability of the National Oceanographic 

 Data Center to carry out its mission effectively has 

 resulted from its peculiar nature: funded by 

 several Federal agencies with differing needs. 



The Center, while it should be aware of naval 

 requirements and geared to serve the Navy as well 

 as other government agencies, should be located in 

 a non-defense agency, which should budget for 

 and administer the funds necessary to maintain its 

 basic operation in acquiring, coding, and storing 

 data. Costs of work undertaken for non-Federal 

 agencies should be borne by requesting groups to 

 the extent of cost of reproduction. 



The storage and retrieval of data that do not 

 primarily vary with time should not be concen- 

 trated in a single agency, but should be left in the 

 hands of their principal users. 



The National Oceanographic Data Center is not 

 now involved in the management of real time 

 ocean monitoring and prediction systems and 

 should not become so involved in the future. 



2. National Weather Records Center 



The National Weather Records Center's primary 

 mission is to archive the National and international 

 weather records. Its marine functions include the 

 archiving and retrieval of all ocean weather, sea 

 state, and sea surface temperature data. The 

 National Weather Records Center has suffered over 

 the years from the financial constrictions and is 

 unable to meet fully the growing needs for marine 

 data. 



the need for expediting the analysis of biological 

 and geological samples. Sorted collections are 

 shipped to specialists located throughout the 

 world, permitting the effective use of the small 

 number of skilled taxonomists. The Center is 

 supported both by direct appropriation and 

 through contracts with several Federal agencies. 

 Present funding levels permit the sorting of 

 approximately 35 per cent of the samples received. 



4. A Coordinated System of Data Centers 



The needs of basic science for adequate data 

 centers will require that the Federal Goverrmient 

 insure that the activities of its principal marine 

 data centers operate as part of a coordinated 

 system. It is now a lengthy and difficult process to 

 combine synoptic data from different data centers. 



Recommendation : 



The National Oceanographic Data Center, the 

 National Weather Records Center, and the Smith- 

 sonian Oceanographic Sorting Center should be 

 adequately supported with funds to enable them 

 to keep up with the growing volume of marine 

 data and to take advantage of modem archiving 

 and retrieval technology. This will permit the 

 establishment of a closely linked coordinated 

 system of marine data centers. The National 

 Oceanographic Data Center should be organiza- 

 tionally lodged in a non-Defense agency to permit 

 it to meet the needs of the entire oceanographic 

 community more effectively. The basic operations 

 of the National Oceanographic Data Center should 

 be funded by the agency in which it is lodged and 

 work undertaken for other agencies should be on a 

 reimbursable basis. 



X. FEDERAL AND INTERNATIONAL ORGAN- 

 IZATION 



The panel has sought to determine whether 

 Federal or international organizational arrange- 

 ments meet the needs of basic science, and to 

 identify organizational conditions representing 

 obstacles to the effort. 



3. Smithsonian Oceanographic Sorting Center 



The Smithsonian Oceanographic Sorting Center 

 is a service organization developed in response to 



A. Structural Issues in Federal Organization 



Most scientists are satisfied with present institu- 

 tional arrangements, but there are difficulties 



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