Marine Science Data Management: A Case Study Involving Computerized Marine Pollution Data Archives

Recent advances in electronics and data processing have given oceanographic vessels the capability of obtaining, in one cruise, as much information as was collected during the four-year deployment of HMS Challenger. This data explosion has resulted in the creation of computerized archives for oceanographic data and an inability on the part of the individual researcher to keep abreast of developments in the field through literature sources as has been the practice in the past. This study was undertaken to sample 1000 users of marine pollution data and determine their attitudes and biases regarding the success or failure of present archiving activities. In addition, the questionnaire asked the respondents to express their preference for an "ideal" interactive system through which they could access data contained within National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) files. Of the 1000 questionnaires mailed, 225 were returned. Answers to the questions posed in the sampling instrument were coded into numerical form and subjected to Chi-squared analysis in order to ascertain whether or not a given agency, position, or familiarity with computer systems had an influence on how the user regarded the value of the present system used by NODC. The results showed that more respondents still preferred hard copy sources (peer review publications, etc.) for their data. However, regardless of the attitudes revealed by the questionnaires, 90% of those responding agreed with the need for such archiving activities and 95% saw their interaction with such computerized data bases increasing over the next decade. The ideal computer system, as revealed by the respondent preferences, consisted of an interactive terminal with graphics capabilities which could access NODC data banks directly, via a buffer file. Based upon these results, recommendations were made to NODC regarding ways in which their operations might be made more compatible with the needs of the oceanographic research community.