Review of existing environmental and natural resource data bases

Technical Report · Tue May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:6821400

Olson, R J

Environmental and natural resource (E and NR) data are reviewed in terms of existing data bases, funding status of data bases, and long-term data base maintenance. Computerized E and NR data files and inventories of data files are described. The review is based on mail surveys, telephone contacts, and the 1983 Integrated Data Users Workshop, Data Resources in a Time of Fiscal Constraints. Twenty-four federal agency clearinghouse, referral, or data centers were identified that maintain inventories of E and NR machine-readable data files. One of the more extensive sources that can be searched to help locate available computerized data is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations National Environmental Data Referral Service (NEDRES). The NEDRES contains descriptions of over 13,500 data files. Over 130 national, computerized E and NR data bases are identified by title, geographic scale, time period, agency, and contact person. These represent a significant proportion of those files available for national or regional environmental studies. Five large integrated data base systems containing E and NR data are described. These systems provide selected data stored in compatible spatial and temporal formats with associated analysis and mapping capabilities to conduct integrated studies. The systems included DATAGRAF, GEMS, GEOECOLOGY, SEEDIS, and UPGRADE. Two systems, GEOECOLOGY and UPGRADE, are currently inactive due to funding cuts. There has been a significant reduction in the overall funding of statistical data collection within the federal government. The long-term maintenance of E and NR data includes updating files, documenting data and procedures, data base management, quality control, enhancing software/hardware capabilities, and other tasks to ensure that data will be available for analysis needs.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6821400
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-8928; ON: DE84012039
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

500000 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- (-1989)
510000 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- (-1989)
520000 -- Environment
Aquatic-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990300* -- Information Handling
DATA
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENVIRONMENT
INFORMATION
RESOURCES
REVIEWS