PROGRAM TITLE:  	Information Management
ACTIVITY STREAM:	Observations/Data Management (Data 
Management)
SCIENCE ELEMENT:  	Climate and Hydrologic Systems; Biogeochemical 
Dynamics; Earth System History

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

DESCRIPTION:   This program is NOAA's contribution to the national 
climate data and information service envisioned in the Global Change Data 
and Information System (GCDIS) plans.  The current NOAA Information 
Management Project contributes to this goal through these objectives: (1) 
provide the organization and focus through which data producers, data 
managers and data users actively participate in the design,implementation 
and review of the C&GC information management system; (2) assisting the 
construction of the data and information (metadata) sets required by C&GC 
researchers; (3) provide data users with easy access to the C&GC data and 
information; (4) manage the long-term C&GC data and information archives.  
This is accomplished through a set of continuing focused activities by NOAA 
and academic researchers.  New projects for FY-95 will make  NOAA data 
available thorough the GCDIS, and will make NOAA's contributing data sets 
more available to C&GC researchers, for example historical satellite and in 
situ data,and high priority C&GC data such as AVHRR, Clouds, Ocean 
Temperature, and Vegetation Index data.   In the short term, NOAA will 
improve  access to data and thus allow information to reach decision makers 
on a more timely basis, for example by creating more robust long term data 
sets that can be used with confidence 20 years from now.  These high quality 
science based data will reduce uncertainty in the USGCRP results.NOAA data 
represent the largest historical record on earth and the only significant global 
records for use by EOS.  In the longer term, through the Special Issue funding, 
most of NOAA data and information will be made available to the GCDIS for 
immediate on-line access by decision makers.  These data will be essential to 
both calibrate new EOS data and to extend the record in order to interpret EOS 
data.  Compatibility with GCDIS will be essential for ease of scientific use and 
promoting faster scientific research.

STAKEHOLDERS:   NOAA efforts in Data and Information Management for 
C&GC benefit national and international programs.  In the U.S., the primary 
linkages are to the GCDIS, the academic and interagency communities, for 
example providing data at no cost to C&GC researchers, and working with the 
Pathfinder and EOSDIS programs.  Internationally, NOAA C&GC data 
management efforts tie to the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program, 
the World Meteorological Organization, the Committee on Earth 
Observations Satellites, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 
(IPCC), and other Climate and Global Changerelated programs such as WOCE, 
TOGA, and GEWEX.

SHORT-TERM POLICY PAYOFFS:   As a result of NOAA's C&GC data 
management efforts, data and information available in NOAA are being 
made accessible to researchers and policy makers.NOAA data sets constitute 
the major portion of the existing climate record and  are the principal inputs 
for the IPCC assessment.Nations are using NOAA data to implement the post 
UNCED framework convention on Climate Change.

PROGRAM CONTACT:  Gregory W. Withee, Deputy Assistant Administrator 
for Environmental Information Services, NOAA/NESDIS, FB-4 Room 2069, 
Washington DC 20233, 301-763-7190, FAX 301-763-4011,OMNET: G.Withee