PB-219 071
National Environmental
Information Symposium:
An Agenda for Progress held a
Cincinnati, Ohio
on 24-27 September 1972
t/ol. 2 papers and report
Environmental Protection Agency
MAY 1973
Distributed By:
National Technical Information Service
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
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NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION SYMPOSIUM:
AN AGENDA FOR PROGRESS
September 24-27, 1972 .
Cincinnati, Ohio
PAPERS AND REPORTS
Volume 2
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
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r. Title and Subtitle
National Environmental Information Symposium*-
An Agenda for Progress - Papers and Reports
BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA
SHEET
1. Report No.
EPA/NEIS 1-2
PB 219 071
5- rvepori uate
£*MPV 1973
6.
. Author(s)
8. Performing Organizatic
No.
9. Performing Organization Name and Address
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, D. C. 20460
10. Project/Task/Work
11. Contract/Grant No.
12. Sponsoring Organization Name and Address
13. Type of Report & Period
Covered
i UTTI — P ft p P V R
14.
15. Supplementary Notes
Papers from Symposium held in Cincinnati, Ohio, September 24-27, 1972
16. Abstracts
This is the second volume of the National Environmental Information
Symposium containing all general session addresses, most working
session papers and forum session reports. Working sessions were
structured in four categories: scientific and technical; legal,
legislative and regulatory; management and planning; and socioeconomlc.
Information services covered in each of the categories included infor-
mation and data centers, publications, and document services and
referral activities.
17. Key Words and Document Analysis. 17a. Descriptors
Environmental Information
17b. Identifiers /Open-Ended Terms
17c. COSATI Field/Group
18. Availability Statement
NTIS
TRM NTIS-35 (REV. 3-72)
19. Security Class (This
Report)
UNCLASSIFIED
20. Security Class (This
Page
UNCLASSIFIED
21.
Pages
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Preface
The National Environmental Information Symposium: An Agenda
for Progress, held in Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 24-27, 1972,
was attended by more than 17*00 representatives of industry,
government, universities, libraries, professional and trade
associations, the press, and citizen action groups. The purpose
of the Symposium, sponsored by the U. S. Environmental Protection
Agendy (EPA), was to outline and clarify the difficulties of
interchanging information in the myriad forms now available, to
present the user of environmental information with a review of
the services available, their location, accessibility, and cost,
and to describe some of the solutions already being formulated.
The progrgjn was structured into four categories: scientific
and technical; legal, legislative and regulatory; management and
planning; and socioeconomic. The information services covered
included information and data centers, publications, and document
services and referral activities.
Interspersed in the program were a number of general sessions
with key speakers, designed to set the tone for the meeting, repre-
sent various segments of producers and users at policy-making levels,
and address specific issues. Two evenings were devoted to Informal
Forum Sessions to permit further detailed discussion on key issues.
EPA's National Environmental Research Center in Cincinnati
served as the host for the three-day Symposium.
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Table of Contents
Page
Introduction ......,'../*, '/>£i#U • 1
Andrew W. Breidenbach, Director, NERC-Cincinnati ,"
General Session Addresses
William D. Ruckelshaus ... 2
Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
John W. Townsend 7
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Albert C. Trakowski 12
EPA Office of Research and Monitoring
Richard R. Lugar 22
Mayor of Indianapolis
Shirley Temple Black 28
Council on Environmental Quality
Andrew A, Aines 37
National Science Foundation
W. A. Radlinski 44
U. S. Geological Survey
Peter G. Peterson 51
U. S. Department of Commerce
Davis B. McCarn
National Library of Medicine
Thomas E. Carroll ...................... 71
EPA Office of Planning and Management
Jules Bergman ....... . . ............. •,„
ABC News Science Editor
Working Session Addresses
A. Scientific and Technical
Comments by Moderator ...... .... 91
Henry M. Kissman, National Library of Medicine
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Information Centers and Data Centers
William B. Cottrell 93
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Edward L. Brady 112
National Bureau of Standards
Arnold R. Hull V.. . . 128
Environmental Data Service, NOAA
Publications
D. H. Michael Bowen 170
Environmental Science £ Technology
Bernard D. Rosenthal 186
Pollution Abstracts, Inc.
Document Services; Referral Activities
William T. Knox 226
National Technical Information Service
Marvin W. McFarland 243
Library of Congress, Science § Technology Division
B. Legal, Legislative and Regulatory
Information Centers and Data Centers
L. Clark Hamilton 279
Library of Congress, Information Systems Office
Lawrence H. Berul . 285
Aspen Systems Corporation
Publications
George Grossman . 311
University of Utah Law Library
Frederick R. Anderson (not available)
Environmental Law Reporter
Document Services; Referral Activities
James B. Adler ,. 331
Congressional Information Service
Victor John Yannacone, Jr 340
Attorney at Law
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C. Management and Planning
Information Centers and Data Centers
Claude T. Gurley ....... ........... 35°
Office of Economic Opportunity
John R. Totter .......
U. S. Atomic Energy Commission
Publications
Ramune Kubiliunas ...... ...... ..... .361
Predicasts, Inc.
Robert D. Shriner ........ . ......... 367
Indiana U., School of Public § Environmental Affairs
Leonard Lund . . .......... . ....... 382
The Conference Board
Document Services; Referral Activities
Arthur S. Jenkins .......... ........ 391
Computer Sciences Corporation
Joseph E. Sizer ... ................ 400
Minnesota State Planning Agency
D. Socioeconomic
Information Centers and Data Centers
David L. Edgell, Sr 4H
U. S. Department of Labor, Manpower Administration
John Rowe ......... (not available)
U. S. Bureau of the Census, Census Use Study
William B. DeVille ..... 420
Gulf South Research Institute
Publications
Ivars Gutmanis ...
National Planning Association
James G. Kollegger 43A
Environment Information Center, Inc.
IV
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Document Services; Referral Activities
Herbert N. Cantor . . .(see Howe Appendix, Page 514)
Public Technology, Inc.
Robert Howe . 509
ERIC Center for Science, Mathematics and
Environmental Education
Reports from Informal Forum Sessions
Air Information Systems and Services « 528
Peter Halpin, APTIC, EPA
Pesticides Information Systems and Services 530
Claudia Lewis, Div. of Pesticide Community Studies, EPA
Solid Waste Information Systems and Services . „ 539
John Connolly, SWIRS, EPA ;
Radiation Information Systems and Services 540
J. R. Buchanan, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Environmental Subject Category Listing 547
Phil Arberg, Research Information Division, EPA
International Exchanges 552
Dolores Gregory, International Activities, EPA
Environmental Libraries 555
Jean Circiello, Region IX, EPA
Need for a National Economic Water Model 557
Russell G. Thompson, University of Houston
Public Perception and Attitudes Relating to Environmental
Pollution 5631
C. Michael York, Georgia Institute of Technology
Science Information Assn. Group Associate Program 564
Robert M. Landau, Science Information Association
Integrity in Reporting 566
Robert W. Mason, Agatha Corporation
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Introduction
The concern for environmental degradation has rapidly become
an issue of public policy. The recognitions of our environmental
situation as a n^titjfnal and international problem has created a
demand for a', latgg variety of information and datfc to more clearly
define the problem and iaid in its solution. The widespread interest
in this growing field has resulted in the development of myriad
sources of information which vary in type, quantity- frequency and
Reliability, as well as means of access. It is safe to say that
even those who have spent their entire careers in environmental
pursuits are not totally aware of all sources of environmental
'information. The National Environmental Information Symposium was
.planned to provide a forum from which the existing sources could
be studied and examined from the point of view of user communities
across the length and breadth of society. The Symposium does not
represent an end to our search for environmental information; on
the contrary, it represents the beginning of what one hopes m?.ght
be the dissemination of knowledge and skills necessary to access
the total body of environmental information available today. It
is my feeling that those Who carried the burden of describing the
existing systems as well as those who commented upon their utility
met the .charge given by Administrator Ruckelshaus at the opening
of the Symposium. There now remains the more substantive task of
cooperatively developing some system by which we can effectively
retrieve and use the overwhelming bodies of information we have
collectively produced and which stand on the threshold of avail-
ability and'usefulness.
Andrew W. fereidenbach, Ph.D.
Director, National Environmental
Research Center, Cincinnati '
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GENERAL SESSION ADDRESSES
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THE CONQUEST OF THE OVERLOAD
William D. Ruckelshaus
Administrator
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
One of the most characteristic activities of 20th Century
man has beeti his relentless drive to master the natural world.
But what he understood as conquest was often jnindless intervention
resulting in undesirable change. The world environment is in bad
shape, and notwithstanding certain local improvements is probably
getting worsec
We may, indeed, as one scientist has suggested, already have
a substantial part of the scientific information we need to ensure
the protection and preservation of our common environment. Yet
we don't have timely access to it because retrieval systems are
uncoordinated or non-existent. There is as great a need to organize
and manage information as there is to make new discoveries.
After some digging I found out a few weeks ago that environmental
information is generated by some 75 different sources in the Federal
Government alone. More than a dozen Federal agencies play some role
in collecting and disseminating this information. Within EPA we
have identified a number of separate information systems.
Many of you have had frustrating first-hand experience with
this problem in industry, in academic life, in the media, and in
government, and the present conference should provide ample
opportunity to wrestle with it. I look forward to the day, hopefully
not too far distant, When all the research on any subject—and all
relevant administrative information--is instantly available to those
who need it. Our present repositories are hopelessly obsolete for
the job they have tp do.
The time and effort which must be expended to get out the
necessary data ajre often so great, I'm told, that scientists must
proceed without them. Occasionally; valid experiments are need-
lessly repeated because investigators had no knowledge of prior
work. For management, the lack of data can retard project timetables
render economic forecasting hazardous, mislead us on labor market
conditions and present obstacles to timely investment. Not having
information on hand about the social impact of government or private
programs can seriously disrupt communities. We simply can't afford
this kind of waste and confusion. Not when life itself may depend
upon the progress and swift dissemination of the findings of science
That is why this symposium is of historic importance. It is one
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of the first efforts of its kind in any discipline.
In the course of your deliberations you must lay the
foundations for a continuous dialog between the producers and
managers of environmental data and their fast growing clienteles.
You must make it easy for activists, trade associations, professional
societies and government agencies to analyze the common denominators
of their needs as they relate to the user complex as a whole. You
must help reporters get their stories so they can build public con-
sciousness of costs and benefits.
I personally will look forward to your comprehensive report,
which I hope will give due consideration to the kind of National
Referral Center recommended at the Stockholm Conference. From my
point of view as Administrator of EPA, the benefits of a broader
base of usable information would be dramatic.
We would gain a much sharper picture of the impact of pollutants
on biosystems. We could moiiitor both short and long-term trends and
take remedial action before a problem became too intractable. We
could develop a more sophisticated index of the true costs and
benefits of pollution control. And we might even speed the evolution
of a new philosophy of environmental stewardship if we could show
the connection between our ideology and rampant pollution, congestion,
ugliness, and decay.
As it iSj we are sometimes compelled to work in the dark. We
are often forced to take action on the basis of inadequate information
and we seldom have clear-cut options. If we were better able to
predict the consequences of our actions, many actions might never
be undertaken at all. We could abandon technological determinism--
the doctrine that we must do whatever we can do--in favor of consciously
deciding our own fate and the structure of society.
When that happens, the undercurrent of hostility to impersonal
science will fade away. Scientific knowledge, now suspect, can
become a benison which directs and controls all other resources.
Such knowledge is undoubtedly the most concentrated form of wealth,
the most enduring, the mest marketable. It may in time completely
transform our conventional choices — limiting some, vastly expanding
others, and making mere things obsolete as indices of personal and
social well-being.
At the same time, there are dangers. Information with a high
operational payoff will reinforce the power of managerial elites.
It will tend to broaden the gulf between those who command the new
technology and those who cannot. So information technology is
potentially anti-democratic.
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Moreover, it is in the nature of vested interests — govern-
ment, business, labor, education—to try to control access to
information that might thwart their purposes. Without careful
safeguards, data retrieval could become a force for monopoly
or special privilege and in the hands of a tyrant, a weapon to
control and' coerce. The information in scientific data banks
should therefore be open to all.
It is equally vital that government decision-making processes
be open to the people. I am convinced that if an environmental
decision is to be credible with the public it must be made in the
full glare of the limelight. It won't work for me to call a
conference, anr.ounce a complicated and far-reaching decision, and
let the public figure out later what has happened. We must lay
our evidence OP the table where it may be cross-examined by the
technically informed and the public alike.
But in order to make wise decisions, I need your help as
scientists, academicians, businessmen, journalists, and information
managers. I need the very best evidence and judgments that you
can give me. This is a contribution that you are particularly
equipped to make.
I fully understand the specialist's desire to seek a quite
spot to contemplate and carefully work out rational solutions.1 I
sympathize with his distaste of the hysteria that sometimes accom-
panies public discussion of environmental issues. However, the
demands of an open society will not permit the luxury of withdrawal.
Our obligation is to make a public accounting—to explain why we
have taken or refused to take certain actions. You must participate
in this process of public education if it is to succeed.
This means that scientists, computer men and information
managers will have to be more active in the public forum, laying
out the facts and helping to formulate and clarify issues. When
complex questions confound the layman there is no substitute for
reliable evidence and sound advice. No one opinion can expect
to dominate the formation of policy, but sound policy-making is
impossible without a thorough exposition of all relevant facts
and views. You may, therefore, be confident of your role in our
society. You are helping to assure a future that is prosperous,
safe, clean, comfortable, healthy and humane.
The image of the disinterested professional breaking down
the barriers of ignorance, wiping out misconceptions, discovering
new facts, laying the foundations for knowledge, prosperity
progress and peace—this image has been enormously influential and
persuasive as a model of stewardship, it will continue to be if
we treat technology as a means, and never as a goal in itself
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Today, information technology provides us with a potential
for formulating and ordering our priorities from the small
community to the world as a whole. It can greatly augment
managerial decision-making. It can liberate us from ignorance
and enable us to develop more depth as individuals. It can
narrow the gap between the haves and have-nots. It can facili-
tate cooperation for peace. But unless our information technology,
from commom language down to the newest computer, is used wisely we
will not be able to make policy effectively and we will surely
lose public support for science.
For a long time the benefits of science were accepted more or
less without question. But in recent years there has been a change
in our thinking. People no longer want benefits without being
informed of the dangers. They realize that inherent in the use of
nuclear electricity to provide air conditioning is an implicit
acceptance of the hazards of radiation and thermal discharge. They
realize that having cheap and plentiful food means putting up
with some crop chemicals whose safety can never be proven absolutely.
They know that having a car means tolerating the problems that go
with the convenience.
Until recently, it seemed there was nothing we could not do,
Now we are repeatedly and most cogently reminded that we depend on
living processes for survival—processes we only dimly understand
and cannot supplant. The conclusion is inescapable that from now
on our applications of technology will be monitored, subjected to
critical review, and modified in advance to meet social requirements.
This does not mean we should discontinue or^even slow the develop-
ment of new technology, rather that we need to better understand its
social and environmental impact. In the long run, this will be less
expensive than having to undo our mistakes after the fact.
The most important objective for the future of information
technology, therefore, is to place this rapidly evolving discipline
in its proper, relationship with man so that it can serve him and
not control him. It could bring us to the threshold of a new kind
of civilization. Whether we cross it and take the next step in the
endless evolution of mankind toward reason and serenity remains
to be seen. The choice, however, is with us--not with our machines.
Whe?n historians of the future look back on this period, they
will say it was an age of enlightenment when man first understood
that his limitless capacity to innovate always takes place within
nature, not outside it, and that maintaining the life systems,of
the earth is our most sacred task. It is a time of adjustment--
even for the best educated. But who is better equipped for the life
of creative adaptation than yourselves?
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With science integrated into the total culture of mankind,
I have no fear for the future. Man will not only survive, but
prosper, and advance in wisdom as a guardian of the earth.
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John W. Townsend, Jr.
; Associate Administrator
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
U, S. Department of Commerce
Mr. Chairman:
Two years ago President Nixon's Reorganization Plans 3 and 4
(of 1970) created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In his
message forwarding the plans to Congress, Mr. Nixon said:
"I expect, it (NOAA) to maintain continuing and close
liaison with the new Environmental Protection Agency
and the Council on Environmental Quality as part of
an effort to ensure that environmental questions are
dealt with in their totality and that they benefit
from the full range of the government's technical and
human resources." I/
The formation of EPA, NOAA. and the Council on Environmental
Quality illustrate our nation's concern for the quality of our air,
land, and water, and our nation's intent to improve, protect, and
manage the fragile, complex ecosystem we call our environment.
Although I could cite many, many examples of environmental problem
areas currently receiving national attention. I shall mention only
the Coastal Zone.
The Coastal Zone is a limited border between the two major compo-
nents of the earth's surface: land and water. It is rich in resources,
from grains and minerals to ducks, fish, and oysters. It is the scene
of constant human activity for both business and pleasure. Although
few people realize it, more than 50% of the population of the United
States lives in countries bordering the ocean and the great lakes:
by the year 2000 it is estimated that 200 million people may live in
the coastal zone of the United States.
I/ Press Release, White House, July 9, 1970.
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Unfortunately, the coastal zone is also the recipient of much
of man's pollution. It is a fragile interface in many ways, and 2j
requires careful, intelligent long-range development and management. -
To effectively carry out the necessary research, development,
survey, monitoring, and related activities, money is needed--and is
being made available. The Office of Management and Budget estimates
that in fiscal year 1971 the federal government spent $810 millidfj|f
in a variety of programs designed to analyze, describe, predict ana
protect the environment. The breakdown includes $40 million for
pollution monitoring and surveillance, $417 million for operational
activities, $128 million in research and development to observe and
predict weather and ocean conditions, $124 million for weather
modification research and development, and the remainder for ecolo-
gical and other basic environmental research. _/
These activities describe in part the complementary missions of
NOAA and EPA. Related NOAA functions include monitoring and predicting
the characteristics and changes of the atmosphere, ocean, sun and
solid earth. Primarily related functions of EPA are to assure the
protection of the environment by abating and controlling pollution
on a systematic basis. 21 Environmental data and information are
the key to success in both missions. For, as Mr. Ruckelshaus has
pointed out, scientific knowledge is "The resource which controls every
other resourcei" and "The most concentrated form of wealth."
Environmental data are essential to assess the "quality" of the
environment, to document its long-term trends, and to conserve its
resources for future generations. Where possible, contamination of
air and water must be reversed or at least regulated; but specific
decisions must be made rationally—on the basis of documentation of
the problem.
Essentially, this means the assembling and assessing of environmental
observations by EPA, NOAA, CEQ, and other Federal, state and local agencies-
as well as by international organizations--to describe and monitor the
character of our physical environment and to plan programs to preserve
its quality and conserve its resources.
2J Pre-pub Summary, C.Z. Workshop, Institute of Ecology, Whoi.
3/ Senate Report 92-945, 92nd Congress.
£/ U. S. Government Organization Manual 1971/1972.
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The interrelated functions and activities of the many multi-
disciplinary organizations and agencies involved—as well as those
of other groups in the private sector with similar or related
programs--could easily result in confusion, chaos, and duplication
of effort in the collection, processing, and dissemination of
environmental data and information. This must not happen. Not
only must NOAA's and EPA's data-related activities be coordinated,
but also those of federal bodies such as the Office of Emergency
Preparedness; Office of Science and Technology; Department of Health,
Education and Welfare; Department of the Interior, Department of
Defense; Atomic Energy Commission; and Department of Transportation;
as well as those of state and local agencies, of industry, academia,
and even—to the degree practicable—those of the international
community.
This obviously is an enormous undertaking. Yet it is clearly
our duty to insure that our essential—and limited-- environmental
data resources be employed to assure the maximum benefit possible.
Environmental data and information must be readily and economically
available to all users on a timely basis.
To quote the National Council on Marine Resources and Engineering
Development Deferring to oceanographic data):
"The potential of this information does not necessarily
lie in the quantity of material collected but in the
efficient use and integration of high quality, reliable
data for whatever requirement it fulfills for the data
using community."
As one example of this, I would point out that approximately 90% of
the users of NOAA's data services and products are non NOAA users —
the national and international scientific community, other government
agencies, industry, commerce, and the general public.
Given the awesome volume and myriad diversity of environmental
data being collected, we increasingly require—and NOAA is actively
participanting in the development of—a coordinated, national
environmental data and information system. This is essential if we
are to minimize duplication and—of even greater importance—provide
users with the types of environmental data and information they need,
when they need it, in the forms and formats they require.
Such a system should be designed around existing data and
information centers and systems, with new centers to be added only
as appropriate. It should function primarily as a data referral
and coordinating activity. Insofar as resources and the state of
the art permit, the centers should be linked in an interactive mode,
eventually leading to a computer-to-computer query and reply
capability. .. Note that this concept precludes consideration of
the monolithic data center.
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In its own areas of responsibility, NOAA is already moving
in the direction of a system of centers. Last fiscal year our
environmental data service responded to nearly 50,000 multi-
discipline requests for environmental data and information,
drawing from our Oceanographic (Washington), Climatological
(Asheville), and Geophysical and Solar Terrestrial (Boulder)
Data Centers; from our developing Great Lakes Center (presently
organizationally within our National Oceanographic Data Center)
and from our Literature-Related Environmental Science Information
Center (Washington) and its several technical libraries. In ^
addition, under an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences,
NOAA also has responsibility for a complex of 5 (of 8) World Data
Center activities. The World Data Center system was established
in 1957 by the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU),
to inventory and disseminate data for the international user 5
community during the International Geophysical Year (ICY). By
international agreement, the resulting network of data centers
has been continued on a permanent basis. WDC-A is located in the
United States, WDC-B in the U.S.S.R., and WDC-C in Australia, Japan,
and various countries of Western Europe.
The NOAA System of Environmental Data and Information Centers
coordinates its activities with similar federal systems in the
Environmental Protection Agency; Department of Interior (Bureau
of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife and U.S. Geological Survey); Department
of Transportation; Department of Defense (Navoceano, Office of Naval
Research, Air Weather Service, Naval Weather Service); National
Science Foundation (IDOE); and with a number of related state,
industrial, and academic activities.
The recent 114-Mation UN Conference on the Human Environment held
in Stockholm urged the "Establishment of an international referral
service for efficient...exchange of information on environmental
problems and solutions..." The need for environmental referral services
is no less critical at the national, regional, or local level. To
meet such needs, NOAA has, since 1969, been building an Environmental
Data Index or "Endex." When fully operational (target date, 1978),
Endex will provide convenient, rapid referral to existing NOAA
national, and global environmental science data files and sources, as
well as documentation concerning their quality, quantity, and character.'
A complementary, literature based system, OASIS (Oceanic and Atmospheric
Scientific Information System), will provide a paralled subject-author-
abstract referral service.
Since our holdings contain only a portion of the total body of
environmental data and information necessary to develop Endex, we must
seek our and document collections scattered through many federal
state, and local agencies and:'institutions. In some agencies such
as EPA and the Geological Survey, automated reference systems't
10
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major bodies of environmental data already exist or are planned.
Through the cooperative development of inter-agency linkages, NOAA
hopes to mutually expand the reference services of these agencies,
as well as NOAA's Endex, to achieve a. coordinated coverage of all
aspects of the environment, without costly duplication of effort.
A cooperative pilot project is already underway in this regard.
NOAA's reference files for oceanographic data, meteorological data,
and technical literature for the New York Bight area have been
loaded into the Information Retrieval System of EPA's Water Quality
Office. This interaction was undertaken to enhance the exchange of
oceanic and coastal zone marine pollution data so as to advance the
imissions of both agencies.
The Environmental Data and Information Centers and services of
NOAA and EPA—indeed, of all federal agencies — exist to serve the
user community, both individually and collectively. They must,
however, depend upon you, the user, to advise them as to what specific
data you need; how many observations are required (in space and time);
what forms and formats are most useful for your applications; and
what relative currency (in time) is required for the data and infor-
mation requested. Essentially, we need user guidelines to identify
those data which should be processed for high speed, flexible
retrieval, and those which are most useful in published summary form,
with the raw data stored in low-cost, microform media.
It is an economic and political fact of life that no data or
information center or system can be all things to all users. It
should, however, be as responsive as resources permit. Although
the primary objective of this symposium is to provide the opportunity
for you, the users of environmental data and information, to learn
exactly what data and information are available, where they are
located, and how to get them, we also hope to benefit from your input
and feedback. The symposium committee will develop a summary report
distilling your recommendations into "action items" that both the
government and private sector can act upon to improve their
environmental data and information products and services. In addition,
we seek your recommendations as to whether this symposium should be
but the first of a series and, if so, solicit suggestions as to topics
for and ideas to improve on the organization of the plenary and working
sessions of future symposia.
With these goals in mind, may I now urge you to study the
symposium program carefully and to participate in as many sessions as
may be of interest to you. We sincerely hope that each of you will
go home with a better working knowledge of what environmental data
and information are available to you and how to get them; in turn, we
hope to learn a lot more about your specific problems and needs. We
thank you for both your participation and your contributions.
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TECHNICAL INFORMATION PROGRAMS
IN THE
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
A, C. Trakowski
Deputy Assistant Administrator for
Program Operations
Office of Research and Monitoring
Environmental Protection Agency
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I am most pleased to be here
today to say something about environmental technical information services
and in particular those of the Environmental Protection Agency. To begin
with, I must tell you that I am a substitute. Dr. Stanley Greenfield, my
boss, and EPA's Assistant Administrator for Research and Monitoring, was
scheduled for this luncheon talk, but, unfortunately, he recently suffered
a severe break of his upper thigh-bone and is now somewhat incapacitated,
but recovering very well. Stan has asked me to convey his most sincere
best wishes for a highly successful meeting here, and express his regrets
that he can't be present. I'm always proud to act in his place, and hope
that I. can at least partially project his enormous enthusiasm and under-
standing .
Before we go on, I must express my appreciation, for the great turn-out
for this symposium. We're enormously pleased that so many people want to
know where _its_ _at, informationa.lly speaking, of course.
Todays topic is environmental information and data systems. Somehow
it has become fashionable to speak of these two concepts as though they
were one and synonymous. Although there is overlap and mutual dependency
between data and information, the systems for handling them are not the
same, or necessarily even compatible, and they do not necessarily serve
the same purposes or users. I've been involved in the design and operation
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of both types of systems, and I'm conscious of the similarities and
differences. Your deliberations at this meeting in the working sessions
this afternoon should address the problems that both separate and connect
environmental data and information systems and their users. But for this
moment, let me talk about both, and how we in EPA see them. Let me say a
little about what's going on in EPA.
We are all too ax-;are that the products of our activity, our research,
our technological development and our surveillance of the environment
are data and information. The usefulness and value of' these products
depend upon their timely availability to the using public. The complexity
of the environmental problems facing us today requires the best possible
generation, coordination, and dissemination of our data and information,
and we are well aware that the management and use of environmental data
and information must be improved.
The formation of EPA and the experiences of the past twenty months of
operation have re-emphasized the interrelatedness of our environmental
problems. The many factors of this complexity are directly transposed
into the data and information that must be handled and used to serve our
national needs. Let me mention a few of these problem factors.
First, the volume alone of environmental data and information is
growing at a staggering rate. There are now some 47 different federal
programs producing or serving as butlets for information on air pollution
alone.
Second, is the interdisciplinary nature of this information. As we all
know, our environmental problems have to be solved as total problems, in
which all the pollutants and the total ecology of a domain are considered.
We must deal wjth many technical disciplines such as physics, biology,
chemistry, medicine, all branches of engineering, and mathematics. We must
also consider the fields of psychology, sociology, management, urban planning,
economics, and law, to name a- few. The solution to any environmental problem
centers on no one discipline, it involves many. And any solution is usually
not unique, but is among several alternatives, each involving a different
set of disciplinary components.
A third kind of problem we face with our environmental data and informa-
tion is that there are a variety of kinds of people who need to use this
information,. The information must support the scientists and technologists
in agencies at the federal, state, and municipal levels, in academia and in
private industry. Also needing information are the managers and program
operatives of these organizations, legislators, and concerned citizen and
the press, and all sorts of non-technical people who need to act on scientific
and technical information.
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A fourth problem we have with our environmental cUtn and information
is that it can be found almost anywhere. Environmental information is^not
unique to agencies having missions in environmental matters. Information
in other organizations useful to environmental problems must be identified
and shared. Without knowledge of what is available in other systems,
duplicative and overlapping environmental information systems tend to spring
up. Often the managers of existing centers and proponents of new centers
do not know that systems and data banks that can serve their needs exist
elsewhere.
We are aware that the forces demanding environmental data and informa-
tion are very strong. We are also aware of the feelings of frustration
in people who cannot; seem to gain the material they so sorely need. We
are aware that these feelings tend to generate disregard of the systems that
exist as unresponsive, and support movement toward a new and omnibus central
system that will totally serve all needs. One vision seems to be a cubic
mile of computers in Kansas into which all environmental information from
anywhere is put, and from which all environmental information to anywhere
can be sent instantly, in any combination and for any purpose.
At EPA we observe that in our own Agency and throught the nation we
are already heavily invested in on-going and rapidly developing information
and data systems that", contain environmental material. We also see that it
is their separation end uncoordinated functioning that frustrates the users.
Unless a user knows which system contains what he wants, it is unlikely that
he will find it.
Our alternative to a new cubic mile of computers is to extract maximum
utility frow the sy;~i-p.ms that we already have, and reserve development of
new systems only for functions that cannot be handled by adaptation or
extension of existing systems. Our vision then is the development of a
system of systems such that material anywhere in the component system can be
retrieved through UFP of an integrating and interactive network. This net-
work cannot, be built in a day. It must evolve as the component information
systems, each needed for some specific purpose, are improved, and as the
most effective relationships among these systems are found.
The first step is to determine the requirements of that network and the
functions of the individual systems of which our network will be composed.
We must ask ourselves what, information and data we must have to fulfill our
many needs.
When setting up the EPA the President said:
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"Both by.itself and together with other agencies, the EPA
would monitor the conditions of the environment — biologi-
cal as well as physical. With these data, the EPA would be
able to establish quantitative "environmental baselines"
— critical if we are to measure adquately the success or
failure of our pollution abatement efforts."
Following this guidance, one of our first steps in. building our
information network at EPA is a study which has three major purposes:
One, identifying national requirements for environmental pollution
data;
Two, comparing these requirements with data collection activities and
resources already available within EPA and other Federal agencies;
and
Three, identifying those requirements for environmental pollution
data which are not being satisfied and which should have higher
priority for the commitment of new resources.
Once this study is completed, we will be in a position to. design
whatever systems are needed to coordinate and improve tha utilization of
environmental data. We will look at the feasibility of integrating
monitoring subsystems among the Various media.
Under the reorganization plan which created EPA, the environmental
programs of several agencies were consolidated into EPA. Resulting from
this consolidation xcere the inherited problems of compartmentalization,
fragmentation, and duplication. We have had to harmonize these different
elements, among them the area of information resources. Over 50 separate
information facilities — libraries and information centers — were passed
on to EPA. Supporting these information facilities was a wide range of
data handling equipment, and computer hardware and software packages.
To resolve this confusion, our agency, in 1971 formed an Information
Systems Committee. The group is composed of personnel from EPA Head-
quarters, tEPA*s 10 regional offices, and EPA's laboratories through out
the country. It,s objectives are: (1) to identify gaps in meeting the
information needs of EPA managers and. program operators; (2) to identify
possibly overlaps and duplications in the existing systems and data bases;
(3) to identify systems training and orientation needs at all levels of EPA
management and operations; (4) to develop standard data elements arid codes
for common-use items of information, and (5) to recomnend Agency-wide
information management policies and programs.
We are at work conducting a comprehensive inventory of EPA information
systema. The results will be used for research, analytic, and reference
purposes. It will include the production of a dictionary of systems;
construction of a profile of the kind of information currently available and
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proposed to be available; and determination of how current systems may be
used analytically as interactive tools for research in addition to the
library mode of use.
We are also making a survey of EPA computer equipment and facility needs
to determine hov? best to optimize equipment utility and physical location
with information system needs.
In addition, EPA Information Centers have been identified and steps
have been taken to strengthen the links among these facilities,
I could not pot-Kibly describe to you the status of all of EPA's current
data and information systems within the time I have bera today. However,
I would like to give you a quick overview of our present capabilities in
10 different areas. Tf you are interested in more detail about these or
other capabilities, I understand they will be the subject of informal forum
sessions tonight.
First, our Office of Public Affairs. This office provides cohesive
public infomation services and support to Agency programs and operations.
It develop:; public information including publications, audiovisual materials,
and exhibits. special attention :i K given to schools, youth groups, civic
action groups, and private citizens.
Second, our EPA Library System, It consists of soue 37 libraries.
There arc .libraries a u beadquarterc, in all regional offices except Denver
and At] ant-i ..at each of our four National Environmental Research Centers, and
specialized information, centers in satellite laboratories and program offices.
The collet tions of any of these librari.es are available to the EPA staff
at any location.
The National Environmental Research Center here in Cincinnati is the
centra] technical focal point for the Agency library system for cataloging
all scientific and technical books for the Agency.
Other libraries in the National Environmental Research Centers, Regional
Offices, and laboratories serve as liaison for the system with university,
State and .Local government, private organizations, environmental libraries,
and pub.l ishing offices in their locations,, in order to provide EPA with the
broadest possible coverage of all environmental information.
Our computer generated Journal Holdings Report includes all journals
received by any library in the system, and the computer generated Book
filp wil1 Permit immediate cataloging of any it ems alreadTTn the
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system. Bibliographies resulting from computer literatu-re searches or
manual methods will be available through normal distribution channels
and the Department of Commerce's National Technical Information Service.
Third, our information systems in the area of air pollution control.
EPA, since 1967, has accumulated over 20 million air quality (Storage and
Retrieval of Aetometric Data) data values and 6 million sources inventory
and emissions data values. The data bases (National Emission Data System)
are expanding at the rate of several millions of values per year. These
values come from internal EPA sources, state, local, and other Federal
agencies, the World Health Organization, the World Meteorological Organiza-
tion and from non-government groups. Currently, the system is accessible
only by EPA's National Air Data Branch, but remote terminal access from the
EPA Regional Offices is being initiated.
Our Air Pollution Technical Information Center (APTIC), in North
Carolina now has records on over 43,000 documents, with an increase of 700
to 1,000 per month. The sources of the documents referenced by the system
include EPA air pollution manuscripts, government reports, more than 1S100
domestic and foreign serial publications, patents, technical society papers,
dissertations, translations, and articles from books and proceedings.
With this record base, APTIC conducts literature searches which result in
abstracts from the complete file and from the latest month's additions, to
produce Air Pbl'ltit ipn Abstracts, -a monthly publication sold by the Govern-
ment Printing'Office (GPO), and to produce bibliographies and state-of-tlie-
art summaries for printing and sale by GPO.
In the future, APTIC hopes to provide access to EPA's regional offices
and to state and local air pollution control agencies by remote terminals.
The fourth information system I would like to discuss is in the area of
water pollution. STORET, a system initiated in 1963, is the central computer-
oriented segment of EPA's National Water Quality Surveillance and Information
System for storing and retrieving data and information on water quality;
water quality standards; pollution-caused fish kills; man-power and training
needs; municipal and industrial waste discharges; and waste abatement needs,
costs and implementation schedules.
There are presently 42 federal terminals throughout the country for
on-line access to STORET. Twenty states also have terminals. EPA is
encouraging the use of this system by other federal, state and local agencies.
Adding users ttf the STORET system will reduce, duplication of information
gathering efforts, and gain the use of data and information gathered by those
agencies at much lower cost than would be possible otherwise.
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The material in STORE! is necessary to EPA management decisions
such as definition of pollution problem areas, prioritized allocation of
Agency efforts toward abatement and control, determination of trends in
water quality control programs, identification of specific polluting waste
water courses, and municipal waste treatment facility construction needs.
The system also supports technical and scientific studies. For
example, a large field study may result in thousands of data values.
STOK.ET can perform the function of a filing and classifying system and a
data statistical analysis and evaluation system.
In addition to STORET, dissemination of water quality information is
provided by the Water Resources Scientific Information Center (WRSIC)
of the Department of the Interior under a cooperative, arrangement. EPA
supports eight "cenLers of competence," largely at universities, which
prodtice indexed abstracts in their respective fields. These are then
published by WRSIC as part of Selected Water^
The fifth information capability I want to mention is in the area of
pesticides. We are publishing two key periodicals here. One is the Health
° f Peg tic id e a _Ab s _tr act _ Bui 1 o t in . The other is the Pesticides Monitor-
an interdepartmental publication.
A combined effort of the Toxicology Information Program of the
National Library ot Medicine, the Food and Drug Administration, and EPA's
Division of Pesticide Community Studies, vhich publishes the abstract I
just i-'cntioned, has produced a generalized on-line, storage and retrieval
system, TOXICON. It accepts abstracts and data coming from the various
contributing program in a standardized format. I understand that TOXICON
is now available to the public, with access to the system by remote terminals,
Sixth, in the area of solid waste management, EPA offers the only
known specialized literature coverage of the solid waste field. Our Solid
Waste Inform.it 3 on Retrieval System (SWIRS) covers the published information
concerning current research arid technological developments in the solid waste
management field wm-lcl-wide. Computerization of the record base of
approxim-l-ely 18,000 references has been completed. SWIRS also provides a
bulletin of condensed abstracts of current acquisitions, which is published
bi-monthly,
Seventh is the EPA Office of Research and Monitoring 's information
system. We have established a new service called El-IVIRON, which stand- for
Environmental Information Retrieval On-Line. ENVIRON is an on-line
Interactive information retrieval system. " '
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ENVIRON is oriented towards information retrieval problems which are
characterized by difficult and vague subject definition, extensive
variance in term selection, changing scientific and technical terminology,
and imprecise search definition. Other government agencies, such as The
National Library of Medicine and NASA, have adopted the same computer
software included in ENVIRON. The use of this common software could
obviously improve the intergovernmental exchange of environmental
information in several ways.
As I said before, ENVIRON is a new system. So far, six files have
been installed in the system.
(1) EPA On-going Research Projects. This system will describe all
currently active EPA research and development projects, whether in-house
or by contract, grant or interagency agreement arrangement.
(2) Technical Assistance Data. This is a file of data on oil and
hazardous materials to provide quick access to technical information on
the hazardous compounds for technical assistance to pollution problems.
't
(3) Oil and Hazardous Materials Incidence. This file covers in-
formation on oil and hazardous materials pollution-events, including
details of their locations and recovery activities. •
(A) Water Quality Surveillance Network directory 'of all STORET
sampling stations, where they are and what they measure.
(5) Industrial Vlaste Abstracts, a file of selected articles and
abstracts from industrial waste publications.
(6) EPA final research reports, a file of reports produced from
EPA research and development project efforts.
The eighth information capability I want to talk aboxit is in a new
part of our Office of'-Research and Monitoring. Technology Transfer,
as this function is called,, is concerned with active transfer of the
methods and techniques resulting from EPA's research, and development to
practical use by the public."
Our Technology Transfer program has several vehicles for getting
information, to users. Most important, it has so far developed four
process design manuals for design engineers which describe the.'state-of-
the-art in water pollution control technoJ.ogy. These loose-leaf manuals
wrap-up EPA in-house, contract and grant: research pother Federal research;
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other governmental research; and private industry research, into a
format and content suitable for use by municipal, state, and private
consulting engineers. The current design manuals have been
distributed widely through the engineering community. The Technology
Transfer program is now expanding into all areas of pollution control.
First among these new areas will be air pollution and solid waste.
Also, to communicate new technologies to state and local government
decision makers, Technology Transfer has prepared a number of semi-
or non-technical publications.
The ninth information system of EPA which should be mentioned is
our new technical information system for noise. The Noise Information
Service (NOISE) will contain initially citations and abstracts of
various publications. These records are directly accessible from a
remote computer terminal. In the future, files on such areas as noise
research and noise programs may be created. This system uses the same
software package used by ENVIRON, the record base will soon become a
part of ENVIRON, and it will be accessible to the public through EPA's
Office of Noise Abatement and Control or through its Regional Offices.
And now the tenth and last area of information capability which
I would like to mention. The National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA) requires all Federal agencies to assess the environmeiT/al
impact of their programs and the activities that they support, an/i
file and Environmental Impact Statement. EPA is one of the maj/r
commenting agencies on these statements. To manage its Enviregimental
Impact Statement review process, EPA maintains in a central Computer
system a continuing record of the content and action on statements
being reviewed. Inquiries can be made on federal projects that
are expected to effect the environment and on what those effects
may be. (Office of Federal Activities)
We have a long road ahead of us in improving and integrating
these capabilities, but I think we have made very substantial progress,
,0f course, our system integration will also include attachments to
information systems outside of EPA.
In closing I would like to point out that this symposium is of
great importance to us in EPA. The scheduling of EPA efforts for
development of a network of environmental information systems has
been arranged so that we might take advantage of the results of this
symposium as part of our decision-making processes. EPA must consider
carefully the views of the users of environmental information before
making long-term commitments. These commitments will include
establishing integrated information facilities, purchasing computer
and telecommunications equipment to process and transmit data and
information, and establishing methods to insure that stored documents
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4
and items of data are properly correlated, indexed, easily retrievable
and effectively presented. We hope you will ..use this symposium to
let us know what you .think and what you need. We believe our data
and information systems must serve not only our agency, but must also
serve you.
serve you
Thank you very much.
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Honorable Richard G. Lugar
Mayor of Indianapolis
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The information that I want to provide this morning and likewise
that I want to seek may differ slightly in character from some of the
other requests that you've had, but it seems to me to be important
at the outset of these remarks from the standpoint of a city
administrator and one active in partisan politics to indicate that
there are very considerable difficulties which you have perceived
and which I perceive each day in thinking through environmental
considerations and policies and implementing these, given the
challenges and also the difficulties of the American Federal system.
Now, this is a system with which you have wrestled as political
scientists quite apart from work you may have done in the physical
sciences, but it's a system that needs to be understood well if in
fact a comprehensive environmental program is to be successful in
the United States of America. To oversimplify the dilemma at the
outset let me say this , . . that it is not easy for those at EPA or
those who give power to EPA from Congress and the national administration
to set environmental standards. Certainly the research and thoughtful-
ness, the degree of compromise involved in setting of these standards
is enormous. It is not easy for these standards to be encouraged
upon state governments, who may then set standards and attempt to work
at that level It is even more difficult, I suspect, for those
standards to filter to local governments. But the basic dilemma,
as I see it, of much of what we are looking at presently is
the fact that at the national level there is a desire to set standards
with regard to air and water pollution and there is a desire to make
certain that these occur in terms of compliance throughout the country.
But the problem with the environmental aspects as with many other
standards being set, whether they be educational or medical or
transportation or with regard to economic poverty in this country, is
that it is a great deal easier to set standards than it is to deliver
the goods at the delivery end of the American Federal system. And the
dilemma which I have and which I share with many other mayors, city
managers, councilmen, and those in charge of local affairs is'that
we are on the delivery end of the system. Ultimately, to take"a very
parochial case of Indianapolis, Indiana, the White River, which goes
through our city, will either have a degree of purity or it will not
dependent upon the efforts of the people in our city. And one of the
basic problems which we will have i- not necessarily defining the
purity of White River, but in finding both the money and die expertise
to do the job. Both are in short supply presently, and therefore the
results of the Institute's work in Cincinnati and in four other centers
elsewhere throughout the country is of the essence in Diving us the
technical expertise and hopefully legislation th^t- -,•«-£ *v
f r } j-cgj.aid.cion tnat is both compassionate
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and thorough with regard to the local problem and be helpful in the
second instance. But both will be required. It is simplicity
to suggest that in the event that Indianapolis, for instance,
really wanted to get on with the job and really had a passion for
environmental causes, the White River might be cleared on the basis
of our own technological or economic resources. Such, in my
judgment, simply is not the case, for several reasons. One again
reducing things to simplistic aspects for sake of time, there
are at least three major problems in cleaning up White River. They
include the fact that a tertiary treatment system will be required
and we have secondary treatment presently which we are told brings
about roughly 92 per cent purity more or less. If 97, or 98 or 99
per cent is required a third treatment system must be placed there.
Now there are some in America who are confident that they know
precisely what sort of a system ought to be placed at the Southwest
Treatment Plant. But most people in America are not very confident
that they know precisely what ought to be placed there, nor the price
tag that ought to be placed upon it. I think there is more confidence
that given 1975 or 1976 or 1977 the state of the art may give us a
great deal more confidence in terms of our investment. And therefore a
timetable ought to be set that recognize that people are hard at
work and are finding a great many things. And on occasion a bold
expert will come to our city and claim that he knows how it can be
done. But this is an extraordinary happening. By and large people
are more modest intheir claims and suggest that in all probability
certain things will follow. Now the reasons for this modesty are
not only a lack of technological expertise but also the history of
our city -- 480 miles of combined sanitary and storm sewers which
undergird Indianapolis. We are not unique in this respect. Most
cities of Indiana, and for that matter, most cities of the middle
west prior to 1960, these systems were built together as opposed
to being separated. The result is that when an inch of rain falls,
hits Indianapolis and Marion County, two billion gallons of water
gravitates to White River. 350 million gallons can be treated in
our secondary treatment plant. The other one" billion 650 million
gallons cannot. It misses and hits White River through various
tributaries and runoffs. In short, we have a problem not in common
with many areas of how to impound water for sufficient periods of
time to run it through a treatment system, either secondary or tertiary.
We have at the present time no caves, caverns or any sort of receptacle
in which to hold the water, and it has been suggested by some who
are not sympathetic with our cause if we did not allow it to run down
it would run up through people's toilets and sinks and into their
houses with disastrous consequences. So they are wanting it to go
down, although the counts in White River during this situation rise
to precipitous levels as regards standards. Now a third problem is
of course that even in the event that we have the tertiary treatment
system, all of Indianapolis and Marion County is not sewered and there
are many people who insist, I suspect for many years, that septic tank
systems are perfectly adequate. But notwithstanding their objections
we are determined to build sewers throughout our county. They will cost
approximately $120,000,000 at present costs. Nor if we have the money
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are we necessarily going to have the opportunity to build. It has
taken us one year fighting through the courts to manage to get a
bond issue for 9 million dollars of sewers, not 120 million, and
one of the reasons is that everyone in society is always eager to
see sewers built, even if there is a demonstrable need from an
environmental standpoint. This is simply to say that the politics
of one city and one county bring a very expensive situation to bear
and one which is fraught even with some dangers in terms of delivery
once this occurs. Now, we're assuming all along that there are going
to be the ways and means available, but these sorts of assumptions
are at least precarious in our American Federal system. They are not
insuperable and the course of these remarks this morning should not
be construed to indicate that I am throwing up one strawman after
another indicating why progress is unlikely. Quite to the contrary,
I think that progress is only a matter of time, not only inevitable
but desirable, but at the same time we do have a different system
of government in the United States of America than, for instance, our
British friends with whom I visited on much this same subject during
May and during a conversation with Peter Gordon Walker about shopping
centers, for instance, outside Sheffield, to take a hypothetical case.
He pointed out that his office had an opportunity to okay each
shopping center in England. I said, "each one?" He said, "Yes,
each one. Every single one." Now, with that thought one can make
certain that the transportation system brings people to the center
of Sheffield where shopping may be provided for people. Likewise, if
you want to turn off a number of private vehicles that enter the center
city one can do that. One can force a number of choices in regard to
transportation, location of many marketing situations, one can clear
off large stretches of housing and build high-rise housing on the
hillsides. One can do a number of things that effect the total
environment and do so through the central office of the super ministry
that Mr. Peter Gordon Walker heads in this situation. It is not
necessarily a unitary system, but it is a comprehensive central system
of government in which there is a dedication to a certain number of
environmental objectives and given the authority of Parliament, the
fact that one'? government is in power one could proceed to get the
job done. That is not the case in the United States of America. And
I think that unless there is a degree of political sophistication with
standards, with the degree of state cooperation or lack of it, the
degree of local enthusiasm, but very importantly, both the expertise
and the funds flowing through where they are required, unless this
occurs an enormous credibility gap will happen at some stage not too
far down the trail. And what I see at the local level is this sort
of situation. At 1976 or 1977 approaches, and people dip into White
River and pull out a. specimen of what had occurred and find out that
it is not clean, they're very likely to say to whoever the poor soul is
who is serving as mayor at that time, or to anyone around the situation
that you're either a fool or a dolt or you're Incompetent or you're
malevolent in regard to the environmental situation—totally unsympa-
thetic After all, at the Federal level people had the vision of what
should have occurred in America. We wanted clean air and clean water,
but at the local level those-of incompetence and general ingratitude
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with regard to our heritage, have frustrated the whole business.
Now, unhappily I suspect those persons caught in that situation
will be swept from office and a whole new raft brought in, but
they will be in no better condition. The credibility gap in regard
to government all along the way will stay, remain. And so what I
am suggesting very specifically, is, please, at the Federal level
do not create standards which are demonstrably unachievable at the
local level tmless you are prepared to provide the expertise of
how to do it and a good part of the funds to get it done. And the
reasons for this are very simple: In Indianapolis, Indiana the
means of local finance are property taxes, fines and fees. We are
not the recipients of the progressive income tax nationally, all
of the wealth that comes from our burgeoning economy is siphoned
off essentially to the Federal government via a progressive income
tax system. This is true of incomes of corporations and of individuals,
As a city we are the recipient of almost none of this. Unless we can
obtain a building boom, (this we have tried to induce,) promptly rush
out, assess and tax buildings and improvements, (this we have done,)
we have no funds whatever. And certainly no new funds for vast new
standards and changes in our lifestyles. Yet at the same time there
are revenues in our economy that are accruing and that must be applied
in these ways. They are essentially Federal revenues, they are
essentially ones that will need to be matched by sympathetic state
legislatures, and where this does not occur the problems will occur
in system. Once again not irresolvable but it is important to
perceive at this point. Now secondly, let us take a look at a
different type of dilemma that gets to the guts reactions of political
issues. I cannot imagine at this point, although some of you can
and are prepared to share this dilemma with me, precisely the sort
of reaction we are going to have at that point in our history when
we say to a citizen in a city, you cannot drive an automobile. Or,
you cannot drive an automobile under these circumstances, with a
growing list of circumstances. Or, you cannot use air conditioning,
or some other convenience to which we have become accustomed. Now
at this point, of course, as we discuss standards on the periphery
of our consciousness our thoughts to some of these prohibitions
might come into both, although we hope not for awhile1. There are
only so many battles that can be fought at one time. But it's
already being suggested, I suspect, by some who are perceptive of the
uses of power in this country, the castoffs in terms of pollution
involved in this, but there are some very tough decisions ahead of
us. Now my suggestion would be that these need to be perceived and
need to be hit head-on rather soon if they are contemplated at all,
because the backlash that will come at that point, that the specialist
who now believes he sees .something suddenly reveals to the ordinary
citizen that he is going to be without the car, and without the air
conditioner, that backlash will be very substantial. And my suspicion
as a politician is that the backlash will be substantial enough to
stop the environmental movement at that point very cold. Now, that
is a chilling thought for everyone involved who is interested in
environmental measures, but I believe it is a political reality.
And in short as opposed to moving down the trail in exotic terms
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that Ignore the general desires and wants and share thoughts of
people in this country, I suspect that we are going to have to move
in a way which takes into consideration the normal wants and desires
of people. I think that there can be consistency here, but at this
point I am not certain that there is. And once again looking at
things from a practical political standpoint, in our city the thought
really has not come into consciousness that in any way uses of power
for heating or cooling might be curtailed, or uses of automobiles
in any way might be curtailed. We have not attempted ,to face that
dilemma and we're not going to attempt to face it unless we have to,
simply because there are a number of other dilemmas that have very
high priority in process, and we're not prepared to fight battles
unnecessarily. If from the standpoint of your scientific expertise
we are going to have to fight those dilemmas we need an early warning
system because I have already suggested we are going to be fighting
a very severe dilemma of finance, of sewering where people don't
want sewers, of passing bond issues where they may not want bond issues,
of attempting to do something that at this paint people are not certain
that they want. Let me maVe this third noint -- that there has to be
a shared sense of belonging to this system of the environmental quest.
Now by that I mean that very frequently people have been sold the
thought that clean air and clean water, the protection of our birth-
right, the spaceship earth, the protection of all we have, etc. forces
essential continuation of life, and in many cases the students are
beginning to read books such as The ^imits of Growth, or at least
discussion of this variety in which the thoughts of population and
pollution and energy resources, pollution, etc. moving concurrently
toward a doomsday situation; this begins to take hold and have some
meaning. But even then one of the questions raised by The Limits of
Growth is an ethical and moral question which has not really been
discussed, to say anything about being resolved, and that is that in
most cases predictions or difficult./ are at least a generation off,
maybe two generations off. Now political dilemmas of that character
in the past have usually not been solved. To take a very practical
example, during the first times in which watsr taps did not emit water
in New York City-, the N^.^PJJjJimes^ and the Wall Street Journal
along with many citizens wondered, why? Why was there no vision in
the political system and the economic system, etc. Well, one of
the why's was quickly answered, I think by a sophisticated political
pervert. Each of the mayors involved had a term of only four years . /-"''
The fact is that the dilemma was twenty years away on occasion' with "
regard to water planning. It is maybe that far away with regard to
energy planning. It certainly is that far away with regard to some
of the things we -,,re talking about. The moral question is, given the
fact that some curves may be heading into intersections, do we as
individuals now have an obligation to provide at least the sustenance
of life for those who are our children and our grandchildren or
three generations down the trail? What is the nature of our'stewardship?
That's a theological question in some ways; quite apart from being
a practical political one, it's a very important one. The point that
26
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I am making is that it is not a shared question very wisely right
now, and it needs to be, because if the idealism of this is to
be sustained, if genuine sacrifices are to be made, they will
be made.propably in terms of our children and our grandchildren
as opposed to ourselves. And for many persons immediate consumption
and immediate enjoyment has always been the hallmark of life, and
certainly of political choice. Conceivably we can move into a new
era of sophistication in this regard. I believe we will need to
do so in order to be successful. If we do find some share existence
when we have discussed some of the absolute complexities of the
American Federal system,' even if we have some consistency there of
Federal, state and local situations, the fact is, and this is clear
I am certain to all of you who toil in the vineyard, reform, that
each cnange in the system brings about enormous ramifications with
regard to each of the other aspects of the political system. For
instance, in another field, the project Breakthrough — that's what
HUD attempted in eight of our cities -- one of the cities in which
it was attempted was Indianapolis. And we found that in order to
try to change perceptions of housing, the problems of zoning, problems
of code enforcement or changes in use of materials, use of land, the
whole political perception of anything that had HUD or government
involved in housing to begin with, ... enormous changes
27
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MRS. SHIRLEY TEMPLE BLACK
SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE CHAIRMAN
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
I have just returned from Moscow and I bring you all greetings
from my boss Russell Train, We had a most successful meeting with
the Soviets, the first meeting of the U.So-U.S.SoR. Joint Committee
on Cooperation in Environmental Protection,
President Nixon and Soviet Chairman Podgorny last May 23 signed
this historic agreement between our countries, and it was our job to
implement the agreement.
We carried out our discussions in a friendly atmosphere of
mutually beneficial cooperation«
We agreed to more than thirty specific areas of close cooperation
between scientists and political leaders on both sides.
We have taken a firm step forward in attacking such mutual
problems as air pollution,, water pollution, protection and management
of lakes and estuaries, pollution related to agricultural production,
enhancement of urban environments nature and preserves, marine
pollution, biological and genetic consequences of pollution, influence
of environmental changes on climate,, earthquake prediction, Arctic and
Subarctic ecological systems, legal and administrative measures for
protecting erviroranental quality.
You will be hearing mere about this historic agreement when the
report is in general release^
Today, I wish to speak to yea about some of the other major areas
of environmental work and cooperation,
If the past teaches us anything, it is that ev^.ry cause brings
its effect, ever/ action its consequence.
This crystal truth is the watchword of all of us who have worked
for years under the U.K. banner, or elsewhere, in the cause of the
human environment„
The very subject—environment—Is a devil's playground.
The cry "foul air" or "poisoned water" evokes shouts of dismay
and demands tor action. Elocd temperature rises, a calm stance becomes
more difficult, Icgic more elusive.
From one side rise cries tc correct environmental problems- from
the other, rise words to caution- "Not enough knowledge; no basis for
action; no money."
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Our immediate temptation is to try to accommodate everyone. We
think with our hearts, instead of our heads. The result? Pledges
that are vague. Promises for programs that do not start. A quagmire
of unfulfilled hopes and unsatisfactory compromises. Second-guessing
a bit, we might have been further along if years ago we had backed
off and taken a wider view of the problem.
Now we recognize that the quality of the human environment
reflects our powers, and recently, it mirrors our conscience. It is
intimately locked with the quality of our leisure; our adventure; our
challenge; our inspiration; and the spiritual renewal we all need at
some time.
For centuries we have sought to dominate nature. Even the Bible
sounds a strange note: In Genesis, one-twenty eight, of all places,
it says:
"Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the Earth,
and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of
the sea, and over the fowl of the air (no pun in-
tended) , and over every living thing that moveth on
the Earth."
These aggressive and exploitive capacities have had their day. Now
our sense of trusteeship has begun to re-awaken.
The international environment will change with us, or without
us. It is changing at a pace and scale to create both great difficulties
for individuals, business and government, and continued calls for more
flexible and responsive social institutions.
If one agrees that the international environment is changing,
should we not seek to guide that change in desired directions, and
not rely solely on uncoordinated national restraints by 130-plus
governments, industry, the market economy, and the individual? Of
course.
Nationally we are well-embarked on a cohesive program. The
President's Council on Environmental Quality^ since 1970, has served
as a compass in the bewildering complexities of this vast frontier.
Recognizing that the scope of the Council's responsibilities range
from the urban to the rural environment, from wildlife to human
populations, from the terrestrial to the marine environment, from
environmental law to the economics of environmental programs, from
environmental monitoring to institutional and statutory changes, from
reporting current environmental status to projecting future trends,
and from the domestic environment to the full range of international
environmental activities, it becomes clear that we can take great
pride in the success of our efforts to date.
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The EPA has been assembled at the same time to cope with the
practical problems of the environment. Joining with an array of
private and other public resources, we now are well on the way to
define the problems accurately, devise the solutions, and to hold our
own feet to the fire*
Cincinnati, with its durable history of work in sanitary
engineering, is a logical cornerstone to further work in pollution
control technology. With over 1,000 employees here, it is in the
interest of efficiency and effectiveness that the new science complex
should rise, and I am honored to be here to wish it completion on
schedule, and a very productive life.
However, professionals more skilled than I are among you this
week to speak on the scientific subtleties of national problems. I
would like to direct your attention to the not-so-subtle problem
that we live in a world of problems relating to the human environment.
The Monroe Doctrine is utterly passe when one considers international
environmental problems.
Three years ago in plenary session of the United Nation's General
Assembly I devised and delivered a speech about the need for mankind to
adopt a new environmenta 1 ethic. As I recall my theme, it was all well
and good to ring the fire bell, point the finger of guilt, and enact
law and regulation„ but treating symptoms of the problem was merely
cosmetic doctoring of blemishes. It was not getting at the root cause
of the problem. What was needed was a fundamental reappraisal of our
values, rethinking the concepts of affluence., growth» and quality of
existence. From this difficult review would gradually emerge a
revised series of attitudes to guide our individual and collective
actions, day by day, A ne>7 environmental ethic.
When we were in Stockholm, Margaret Meade, eminent anthropologist,
referred to this same aroused perception as 2
"A revolution in thought comparable to the Copernican
Revolution, by which, four centuries ago, men were
compelled to revise their whoj.£_sensejoj_thje_eacth' s
place in the cosmos„" ™"
Bold words from a first-rate scholar. Yet we all know there are many
steps to be taken between here, and there.
Those fourteen days of Stockholm were, in my appraisal, a re-
markable beginning. Imagine the problems of 114 delegations with
divergent national views, regrettable holdouts by the U.S.S R and
several other East European nations, a string of firecrackers'from
the People's Republic of China, and 10,000 concerned vocal but
unofficial, attendees. '
30
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During those fourteen days, however, we rallied all the
participating nations in support of a charter of principles, plus
an action plan containing some 200 recommendations covering pollution,
preservation of wildlife and plants, population control, establishment
of a new U.N. Environmental Organization and funding its effort to the
tune of almost $60 million.
As a measure of the universality of man's new concern for earth
achieved at Stockholm, listen to the opening words of the Declaration
of Principles on the Human Environment:
"Man has a fundamental right to freedom, equality,
and adequate conditions of life, in an environment
of quality, which permits a life of dignity and
well-being."
This most remarkable document then stresses that "man bears a
solemn responsibility to improve the environment for present
and future generations . . . ."
Many of you know it was not all hearts-and-flowers at Stockholm.
Our disagreements were often quite sharp. The Chinese rose several
times to harpoon the U.S.A. with bitter denunciations of ecocide,
herbicide, and general unworthiness. Coincidentally I was manning the
chair in plenary each time, and received the flow full in the face,
as I tried to maintain composure and take running notes for our
rebuttal statements.
On the opening day of the Conference, the Chinese surprised us
all with a demand that a new working group be formed to draft a new
Declaration on the Human Environment rather than the one submitted
as a result of our 27-nation working group which began work in 1971.
In fairness to the Chinese, and others, it is understandable that in
the final stages of consideration many members would wish to press
for inclusion of material expressing their main concerns.
The U.S. had initial doubts about the wisdoie of creating a new
working group starting from scratch again. New conflicting views
might w/ell create an insuperable deadlock, and make a generally
acceptable declaration impossible.
However, on June 8, we did create a new working group, including
China. This group met literally night and day until the final moment
of approval by th'e Conference. The final text preserves a number of
extreme^/ important principles of conduct for states in dealing with
environmental problems of international significance. Chief among
these is Principle 21, which declares that states have >"the respon-
sibility to ensure that activities within their jurisdiction or control
do not cause damage to the environment of other states or of areas
beyond the limits of national jurisdiction." Also of notable importance
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are such provisions as Principle 2, declaring that the earth's
living and non-living resources, and representative samples of natural
ecosystems, must be safeguarded for present and future generations;
Principle 6 stating that excessive discharge of toxic substances and
heat into the environment must be halted to prevent "serious or
irreversible damage" to ecosystems; Principle 16 calling for applica-
tion of appropriate demographic policies where growth rates or con-
centration of population are likely to have adverse effects on the
environment or on development; and Principle 25, declaring the obliga-
tion of states to "ensure that international organizations play a
coordinated, efficient and dynamic role for the protection and
improvement of the environment,"
Disagreements, viewed in the light of our accomplishments, only
serve to illuminate the common problems which gave birth to the
Stockholm Conference, and our common resolution to solve them.
Having been out of the country in Moscow until yesterday- and removed
from the latest political reports, some of what I read today rings
ominously of "isolationism."
We cannot have a misty Utopia which begins and ends at our national
borders. This would have serious overtones for the type of international,
cooperation that so many of us have worked so hard for,
Three decades of icy, irrevocable history has locked mankind &(a
large, mutual embrace and seldom a tender embrace. Be there a public
figure so naive as to reject the -notion that air and water encir>Ae
the globe without benefit of passport, bearing with them all tb/y
collect from every spot on earth, and leaving behind on every/land
and shore the residue? /
j
An example of a different sort of political action /a little
more inspired, occurred in Stockholm as we, among others, were
attempting to rally support for an international agreement for a
10-year moratorium on commercial whaling.
Despite regulation by the International Whaling Commission, world
whale populations have drastically dropped, to where all exploited whale
species are immediately or potentially endangered or greatly depleted.
This recommendation reflects worldwide recognition that .whales
inhabiting the international seas, are the concern of mankind as a
whole—not solely for economic reasons but also for their role in
marine ecosystems and for their distinction as the largest and possibly
the most awe-inspiring members of the animal kingdom.
Despite their size, the whale problem at Stockholm was submerged
by issues of more pressing importance, and on a vote we feared that
the whales would sink for lack of attention, until several hundred
young men and women appeared, and reinforced our delegation effort
32
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They formed a processional, created a float draped in black,
and marched around Stockholm demanding that the whales be saved.
Russell Train, Chairman of the U.S. Delegation, with his wife,
joined the march,; They paraded to my hotel, chanted for me to join,
which I would have except that at that moment I was working inside
the Conference Hall on the same issue. The net result: The whale
issue surfac&d for proper consideration; the resolution passed
thumpingly, with only 3 nay votes.
In these few remaining moments may I touch on several other
key accomplishments from the Conference. All are in the form of
resolutions. All are to be presented to the current 27th General
Assembly of the U.N.
First, organizational:
An Environment Secretariat, headed by an Executive Director,
to be established as the focal point for cooperation, coordination,
and effective management of environmental activities in the U.N.
system.
Guiding the Secretariat from a policy and review standpoint
will be a Governing Council for Environmental Programs, to consist of
54 member states elected for three-year terms on the basis of equitable
geographic distribution.
The Council is to report to the General Assembly through the
Economic and Social Council, not as erroneously reported, through
UNESCO.
To ensure cooperation and coordination among all U.N.
agencies, there will be an Environmental Coordinating Board, chaired
by the Executive Director, and to ensure efficient international
exchange of environmental problems and solutions, a referral service
is to be formed.
Hundreds of environmental information services and data are
in operation but except to relatively small user constituencies, are
relatively unknown and unused. The referral service would be a modest
and practical tobl to tell what information services exist, where they
are, and how to gain access to them. It would, in effect, place
countries requesting information of all types in contact with appro-
priate information resources in support of local, national, or inter-
national environmental programs.
\
Having thusr established an organization, we breathed life into it
with creation of a $100 million voluntary environment fund, to be
administered by the Executive Director and used to finance programs
coming out of the Stockholm Conference. Over 100 nations agreed to
participate, the U.S. has pledged $40 million, and when t was working
with U.N. problems in Geneva in mid-August, we had gone over the 75% mark.
-------
To pick out six specific program highlights:
1. We recommended steps to minimize release of such
dangerous pollutants as heavy metals and organo-chlorines into the
environment.
2. We recommended a global "Earthwatch" program to be
coordinated by the U.N,, to monitor and assess environmental trends
in atmosphere, oceans, land and human health*
3. We called for early completion of conservation
conventions, including the World Heritage Trust for natural and
cultural treasures and a convention restricting international trade
in endangered species.
The significance of this trade-restriction approach lies in
removing the incentives for killing wild animals for sport or pleasure,
morbid pastimes usually conducted by affluent alien hunters who safari
in primitive lands; and in removing commercial incentives for pelts,
horns, tusks, and feathers, again usually consumed in a different
land than they occur.
Other highlights:
4. We called for world programs to collect and safeguard
the world's immense variety of plant and animal genetic resources on
which stability of ecosystems and future breeding stocks depend.
5. We urged greater emphasis on population policy and
accelerated aid to family planning in countries where population
growth threatens environment and development goals.
This action stemmed from a very difficult decision to defer our
population concerns bearing on the environment of human eettlements--
which includes cities as we know them—to the special World Population
Conference scheduled in 1974. Although we supported this recommendation,
we also joined to support a new recommendation submitted by Norway,
bearing on family planning,
This called for the World Health Organization and other U.N.
agencies to increase family planning assistance without delay, and
intensify research in this area.
The recommendation was upheld in plenary vote, 55-18 with 4
abstentions after long debate. We welcomed this amendment based on
our conviction that the world population problem, with its great
environmental implications, should be faced in this Conference, even
though a World Population Conference is to ba held two years hence.
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And filially:
6. The Conference urged completion in 1972 of a global
convention to restrict ocean dumping.
Having first proposed an ocean-dumping convention in June 1971,
the U.S. strongly supported the proposal to refer our draft convention
to the U.S. Seabed Committee for comment, and thence via a special
meeting in London for final action before presentation to the General
Assembly this fall.
The draft convention itself is quite detailed and technical,
but in essence the U.S. supported the entire recommendation as it
urges states to take legal measures, nationally, regionally, and
internationally to bring major sources of marine pollution under
control.
The United States, however, was explicit in rejecting any inference
that international law be abused in the process. Particularly the U.S.
felt that appropriate controls on nuclear defense vessels should be
national controls, taking into account recommendations of the IAEA
and other competent agencies, which we pledged to follow as closely as
possible.
In conclusions may I leave this thoughvwith you.
No doubt, countless concerned people must see us, representatives
of. international governments, moving at an agonizing, almost dreamlike
pace. But move we have—and that is news. The official attention of
governments is at last swinging around to confront questions that have
been waiting for years to claim our attention—questions deeper than
the quantity of goods, questions focused on the quality of life. Life
not only for the few who are blessed with affluence but for the billions
who are not.
What, then, is to be our Stockholm Conference message to the
world?
Our report goes to many official addressees: To the United
Nations General Assembly, U.N. agencies, governments, scientific
organizations, universities, specialized groups of many kinds, all of
them involved in essential aspects of this most comprehensive of human
concerns, the environment of man.
But what of that other addressee, the most important of all--
the people of the world? What is there to say to those who lived at
the Hog Farm in Stockholm, those unofficial faces in the galleries,
those millions who listen from their vantage points in cities and villages
throughout the world?
35
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No doubt each delegate would write a different message. As an
American who believes that evils can be cured and wrings can be
righted, may I bring you, my friends, this message: \
Man, with wonderful and terrible powers placed ,in his hands by
science, stands in greater need than ever before of a new ethic to
guide his actions Environmental warnings around us are challenges
not only to our technical skill, but to our spirits. They warn that
we have been wounding earth. Earth, our home, the home of all the
billions of our children, and of their children* We aspire to live
well in this earthly environment--but to do so we must acknowledge
our kinship as human beings, and the obligations of that kinships as
the great law transcending nation, and ideology, and every other
interest.
It does little good to say that governments must not attempt too
much, or that man is not virtuous enough to rise to the occasion of
this ege.
My friends, he had better be virtuous enough. He had better rise
to the occasion. The virtues of foresight and responsibility and
compassion which he is now called upon to show as never before are the
only practical guide to a decent life in this crowded world.
That, my own friends at home, is one delegate's brief message
from a brief moment of history in Stockholm. I do not expect that a
sudden revolution of the spirit will pervade mankind just because we
worked intensively for 2 1/2 years, met for two weeks in Stockholm,
and approved an action plan with 200 recommendations. But a turning
of the spirit there surely must, and can be. It can be brought about,
not by us alone, but by the dawning on our spirits of new facts and
new truths--that man and woman, in all their glory and frailty, have
acquired the Promethean power to shape the future for good or evil
and for all time. And that this incredible power must be used with
more wisdom, compassion, and humility.
Thank you.
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Andrew A. Aines
National Science Foundation
I am thankful to my colleagues in the Environmental Protection
Agency for the invitation to address this distinguished gathering of
scientists, engineers, information scientists, librarians, industria-
lists, administrators, and others. It is my regret, however, that
an uncooperative calendar has made it impossible for me to be present
to hear the previous speakers and to participate in the important
business of the Seminar.
I am also thankful for the opportunity that standing before you
gives me to congratulate the sponsors of the Seminar and more
particularly the people who have worked so hard to make the Seminar
a reality: people like Woody Horton and Sarah Thomas and so many others.
In the brief time I have available this afternoon, it is my
intention to provide you with information pertaining to environmental
quality information and data activities going on in the National Science
Foundation and elsewhere, and to make several observations, more general
in nature, concerning the climate needed for attaining progress in the
development of a national EQ information program. I shall start with
the work of the National Science Foundation.
The concern for the health of the environment is strong in the
Foundation, a concern which is considerably more than vocal.
Early last year, the National Science Board forwarded to
President Nixdn a report entitled "Environmental Science - Challenge
for the Seventies". In its foreword, the Board paid its respects to
a number of organizations in and out of ths government and approximately
150 scientists, who made important contributions to the report. It is
not my intention to discuss this report in detail; it is available through
the Superintendent of Documents for 40 cents. There are five parts to
the report. After an introductions it discusses the past decade and
expanding horizons; the present day and the problem of timing; the
future and levels for action in disciplinary science, intermediate
scale systems, and. global systems; its last part deal? with resources
for environmental science, broken down into sections on manpower, funding
and organizati6n.
Of direct importance to us is the recognition given to the
information process. Hardly a page of the report fails to discuss the
need for information and data for researchers, for managers, for admini^
strators, for government officials. The requirement for an apparatus
that will link workers in the environmental field together in an infor-
mation and communications network more effectively than anything we
have today is repeated and repeated. Here are a few quotes selected
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~>t random that underscore what I have just said:
"Problems (involving pollution) can be mitigated, but
absolute solutions are probably unattainable. The best that can
be sought, therefore, is to optimize, to try to achieve the wisest
cost-benefit decision for society for each action contemplated. Such
a strategy requires a strong base of scientific knowledge and under-
standing of the environment, ability to predict its future course,
and especially the ability to construct models through systems
analysis of the environment..."
"Environmental science, today, is unable to match the needs
of society for definitive information, predictive capability, and
the analysis of environmental systems as systems. Because existing
data and current theoretical models are inadequate, environmental
science remains unable in virtually all areas of ar/plication to
offer more than qualitative interpretations or suggestions of
environmental change that may occur in response to specific actions."
"The natural environment is not a collection of isolated events
and phenomena, but rather a vast, integral, mutually interacting system.
The recent advent of new technology and technique (satellites, advanced
computers, instrumentation of many types, and the methods of systems
analysis) for the use of environmental science has, indeed for the
first time, provided feasibility for attacking the scientific problems
that this environmental system presents. The tasks ahead, however, are
of unprecedented magnitude and difficulty." (End of quotations)
The purpose of the report was to reflect on the criallenge of the
seventies, but it did not describe whit is going on in the Foundation,
which is the next order of business.
The first recommendation called for the planning and management
of human settlements for environmental quality. A check of the
various NSF Directorates' programs revels that there are a number of
projects in this area, amounting to about $15 million a year. Some
of the topics include work on water supply, sewerage, noise, family
planning, population and natural disasters.
The second recommendation deals with environmental aspects of
natural resources management to the tune of more than $40 million a
year. Here again a number of NSF bodies are involved in work dealing
with pest and agrochemical controls, waste recycling, forests,
wildlife, protective conventions, international protection for
ecosystems, genetic resources, fisheries, water resources, minerals,-"
energy, resource development, biosphere research, development and
climate, remote sensing, and my favorite, whales.
The third recommendation involves identification and control of
pollutants of broad international significance. About $13 million a
year are being spent on research on dangerous substances, knowledge
of pollutants, pollutant warnings, national air and fresh water
38
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monitoring, atmospheric monitoring, marine pollution, terrestrial
ecology and, information exchange.
The fourth recommendation includes research on education,
information, social and cultural aspects, which tallies up to about
$17 million a year. Research is going on in continuous social
diagnosis, education, training, public information, wetlands,
islands for science, endangered species, exchange of information
and referral service.
A check _of our recent grants and contracts awarded reveals such
titles as: "Research Needs Concerning the Incorporation of Human
Values into Environmental Decision-making", "Survey and Analysis of
Federal Environmental Law", "Interdisciplinary Investigation of
Environmental Pollution by Lead and Other Heavy Metals from Industrial
Development in the New Lead Belt in SE Missouri", "Predimability
of the State of the Atmosphere", and others.
In July 1972, NSF sponsored an environmental conference on
land use bringing together ecologists, biologists, geographers,
atmospheric scientists, psychologists, economists and many others.
About the same time, the Foundation made a grant for a statewide
impact of nitrogen fertilizers used in irrigated agriculture on
surface and groundwaters to be undertaken in California. Another
grant was provided Montana State University to study the effects
the $20 million Big Sky of Montana recreational complex will have
on the environment. As many of you are aware, the National Science
Foundation is providing funds to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
which is working on elements of an environmental information network,
which may make a significant contribution to a U. S. system for data
on ecological and anti-pollution activities. Several information
analysis programs, as well as several data bases, are being developed;
a number of these are already in operation, I believe.
The Foundation has in its Research Applied to National Needs Program,
a division of Environmental Systems and Resources, under Dr. Phillip
Johnson. There is also a Division of Environmental Sciences in the
Foundation Research Directorate, under Dr. Crary. The Office of Science
Information Service is involved with EQ information in a variety of
ways. Melvir, Day provided the U. S. Delegation at the Stockholm
Conference with his expertise. The recommendation to establish a
Referral Center internationally was generated and developed in this
office. Mr. Day h^ads an environmental information panel in the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), one of
the most important international organizations in the world. If all
goes according to script, the Committee on Science and Technology
will establish, with the approval of CEQ, a task group on environmental
information, whose task it will be to help CEQ and EPA and other Federal
agencies involved with EQiinformation in the development of information
and data programs. COSATI, as you are aware, is chaired by Mel Day,
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Head, of the NSF Office of Science Information Service.
As you have heard, the National Science Foundation has many
projects on the books that are directly involved with information
programs and others that in one way or another have an indirect,
but traceable, relationship. There are a number of people, including
the National Science Board, which governs NSFS deeply interested in
contributing to progress in this field. The Foundation fully
recognizes the lead roles of CEQ and EPA and considerable coordination
takes place with these organizations to insure that the funds provided
for research are placed to obtain maximum return. In short, NSF
should be considered not competitive, but supportive. We are an ally
in the crusade to improve the physical environment that surrounds us.
So much for NSF.
Earlier, I discussed the National Science Board Report, "Environmental
Science-Challenge for the Seventies" and the concern expressed for
improvement of the information process, I think it is fair to describe
the report as one prepared by concerned men and women outside the
government. New I would like to refer to a second report, "Environmental
Quality Research and Development", which was prepared by the Ad Hoc
Committee on Environmental Quality Research and Development of the
Federal Council for Science and Technology. You can buy this report
from the Superintendent pf Documents for the bargain price of $1.25.
This report is a review and analysis of Federal programs undertaken
by a fairly large group of government people from many Federal agencies.
All of the major sources of pollution were studied. I will not go into
detail; the report has 137 pages crammed w.th information and data, but
I would like to mention a few recommendations pertinent to our concerns.
One recommendation calls fo.r the acceleration of application of research
results. Existing knowledge must be more promptly and effectively
disseminated, organized, tested, and put to use to solve important
problems. Mechanisms for program coordination must be strengthened.
This includes better mechanisms for i;,traagency and interagency
collaboration and joint planning, closer cooperation at the project /
level, and other requirements that call for information and data inter-
change. More extensive use 01- modelling was urged, a program that ,-'
depends heavily on good information and data. The need for more sensitive,
reliable measuring and monitoring was recognized. Both instrumentation
and techniques are involved Greater awareness of knowledge already
available and not being used aid a more systematic and determined
effort to organize and apply such knowledge to the solution of important
problems were recommenaad.
Reading the two reports I have summarized .side by side reveals
the similarity of findings and conclusions; recommendations also turn
out to be uniformly standard. The need for better information and data
and for the apparatus that is employed to store and retrieve them is
cited over and over again. Both reports urge that known knowledge
be^better applied, although there is little said about the obstacles
that stand in the way of such desired treatment. Perhaps at this point
it would be worthwhile to discuss the present climate and what is
needed to establish a better national F.O information and data system.
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In the last decade, a considerable number of reports and studies
have been prepared dealing specifically with the prob]ems of scientific
and technical information and communications. Many of these involve
the general subject, but others, like the two mentioned earlier,
are concerned with the information problems in specific fields. I
wish I'could tell you that these reports have a powerful and immediate
impact on programs. Literally, hundreds of useful recommendations
have been made in recent years to improve the information process,
recommendations made by substantial members of the science community.
The response has been unenthusiastic. Hardly any of the recommenda-
tions are implemented.
The reasons that seem to be given for the inattention are many.
User clamor for new systems is absent. Users are not .involved in the
development of proposals, nor are they brought into the planning of
systems. New systems are expensive to establish and the users are not
economically prepared to support them. Top management and policy-
makers have higher priority problems >to worry about. They are not
convinced that support of new investments in information systems axe
warranted. Information people have rtot been very effective in
articulating their cause. Little attention has been given to the
development of cost-benefit:desiderata. The assessment of performance
in the world of information systems ijs ;done more on a personal basis
than on an institutional or activity basis. The condition of flux
in this field, the rapidity of the proliferation of data and information,
and the insurge of new information technology make planning and orderly
growth difficult. The country has had; little Or no experience in
establishing sensitive and effective scientific and technical information
systems for sbcioeconomic problem solution, systems that would make
it considerably easier to cope with the complex problems that our
country and other countries face. Ther;e is much work to be done in
the development of policies needed to obtain action. Without policies
and guidelines that have been carefulI/I prepared with the participation
of the information-generating, infVrmation-handling, and information-
disseminating communities, concerted action rill be harder to achieve.
New mechanisms are needed to attain the 'interaction of the public
and private sectors. In a world that is; shrinking with the growth
of communications, as more countries become industrialized or enter
the post-industrial phase, the development of Federal, national and
international systems for science and technology - networks of
•knowledge - requires close interaction on an international basis.
To harness the new technologies to our n^eds effectively and
efficiently, it will take a>.considerable 'amount of engineering -
social, economic, and physical,
The requirement for the kind of actions I have just mentioned has
been recognized in only a few countries. The governments of Japan,
Canada, West Germany and the Soviet Union - and there may be more that
I a/n not aware of - have do/i& some of the hard thinking needed to
establish modern scientific and technical information systems. They
are s. long way from achieving their objectives, but at least they
kave broken the ice,
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Let us take stock at this point.
Environmentalists, scientists, engineers, administrators, and
Congressmen, to name a few critics, have made strong recommendations
for improved information systems. They rest their case largely
on t;he lack of information and data needed to make decisions, need
to obtain requisite knowledge wherever the lack of such knowledge
hampers reform, establish mechanisms wherever needed for better
sharing of information, and the like. They distust a system that
does not optimize freedom of information and the establishment of
highly organized series of data banks that provide for free flow
of information. There is a lack of concern for planning and organizing
the information process at high levels or if not concern, certainly
a measure of inaction. Policies and priorities are still to be
formulated in my judgement. The "bits and pieces" approach is not
worthy of a great country like ours,, but this is a personal assessment.
We lack a council to bring the many governments groups (Federal, state
and city) together with the private sector EQ community concerned
with the communication process. 1 do not consider the SEQUIP work-
ship nor this very important symposium adequate substitutes for
this requirement.
The third annual report or CEQ estimates, that the U.S. will spend
$287 billion on pollution control through 1980, nearly triple the
amount it had forecast for the first six years of this decade. In
reading this statistic, I could not help but wonder how much of this
sizable investment, will go to improve the basic, necessary informa-
tion processes involved; I wondered if such an appraisal had been
made; and I wondered what additional costs to the taxpayers of our
country would be the consequence if we did not engineer a more
efficient and effective information system.
I believe that these questions' need Co be -discussed at this
symposium, if you .have not already done sc. If this community is
unwilling to apply its intelligence to th-sse "gut" problems and
others in the same ballpark, it misses ah opportunity and shirks
B?esponsibility at the sams time, or so it seems to me.
Another point or txvo and I: am through. About two years ago,
minus a few months, a eeport was prepared for the President under the
auspices of tho Office of Science and Technology, entitled,
"Protecting the World Environment in the Light of Population
Increases.'1 The authors were representatives of nine Federal agencies.
The report made a case for stabilized populations, economic viability,
resource management, and environmental enhancement as very necessary
objectives for all mankind. It abounds with facts and figures to
buttress its findings.
I mention this report because it brings into focus the grim
reality that a whole new family of information and data systems are
mandated when we address our energies to the ta.sk of solving
multiple social, political and economic problems in an era of crises.
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This makes the task of blueprinting our knowledge-handling
systems even more complex^and difficult in the future. I am
confident that the-scientists, engineers, information specialists
and others that make up this audience will become increasingly
sensitive to the role of information and data in the crusade to
solve the problems facing the United States and all countries.
Moreover, I am confident that we will depart from our role
of somewhat passive spectators to active participants on the multi-
disciplinary teams in the public and private sector devoted to
keeping society and its institutions viable and healthy. The stakes
are too high for us to sit on the sidelines to watch the action;
there are no longer any comfortable sidelines on this troubled
planet.
In conclusion, let me point out that the challenge facing the
information specialist is great in the period ahead. Science and
technology can only flourish if they are free and untrammeled.
Information systems, if not designed to help keep them open-ended
and viable, can be counterproductive. This makes the task harder,
but even more necessary. We will respond to the challenge.
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W. A. Radlinski
Associate Director
U.S. Geological Survey
The Department of the Interior is by far the largest single source
of multi-purpose data and information about this Nation's land, water,
and mineral resources. It is the principal Federal agency for management
of our public lands; administering the National Parks System; protecting
our sports fish and wildlife; promoting outdoor recreation activities;
developing our water and power resources; and providing the answers to
basic questions about our landa water, and minerals,
Examples of Available Data and Information
From our libraries, distribution centers, sales outlets, information
offices, and from our operational units, you can get a plethora of reports,
maps, photographs, and statistical data which you could not begin to digest
in a lifetime. Let me cite some specific examples.
. If you telephone (605) 339-2270, a pleasant female voice will
answer in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and within minutes she
can tell you whether at our EROS Data Center we have a picture
of your area of concern taken from the ERTS-1 satellite that
is now circling the earth,. All you have to give her are the
geographic coordinates. She will also tell you when the
picture was taken, how much cloud cover it may contain, and
how tc order it0 Of course if you do not wish to telephone.,
you can write for the same information.
„ Maybt: instead of a picture, you would like one of those nice
topographic maps we produce,, In that case, write or call the
Geological Survey, Arlingcon, Virginia., (if you're east of
the Mississippi) or Denvers Colorado, (if you're west) and we
will send you the latest multi-colored edition for just 75
cents. We distribute over nine million such maps every year. ^
We can also provide you with the National Atlas of the
States, This 400-page hard-bound volume sells for $100 a
copy. ^'" ,s'''
/
„ Do you need some information about perlite, or alumi/ium, or
zirconium? You can learn all about them frop; a 1300-page
comprehensive document entitled Mirera! Facts and Problems
issued by the Bureau of Mines which includes 38 mineral
commodities,, This encyclopedia on our mineral resources is
updated every five years and costs $10,75 in the cloth-bound
edition.
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. Would you like to have the latest information on the status
of the trans-Alaska pipeline, or our geothermal program, or
the Southwest Energy Study? Write to FACT, Department of
the Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240, and you will receive
a single-page update on the current status of each. This
type of service is provided on most of the current issues
of Departmental concern.
. Let's say you're doing some research on the geology of the
West, or the East, or wherever. What better place to get
your background than, from the Geological Survey library
in the GSA Building in Washington. It contains over
$500,000 volumes, 325,000 maps, 360,000 pamphlets and 8,000
periodicals—the largest earth-science library in the world.
We also have smaller, but substantial, libraries in Menlo
Park and Denver.
. Do you have a need to know about the toxicity of DDT on con-
dors, or geese, or salmon? The Bureau of Sports Fisheries
and Wildlife can tell you. Its data system includes infor-
mation on the effects of toxic chemical substances on a
vast array of living organisms determined under an extensive
variety of laboratory and natural conditions.
Data Vs. Information
I could go on indefinitely with such examples, but let's pause for
a moment and consider what I have given you. As a sophisticated group
of information specialists—generators and users--you recognize that I
have cited a mixture of examples of data and information. What is the
difference?
Data, in a pure sense, are principally quantifications of field or
laboratory observations. The user must make his own interpretation of
their meaning with respect to his area of concern. Most data systems
are storage and retrieval mechanisms, providing the user with a do-it-
yourself kit for further analysis. An example would 'b° the measurement
of streamflow such as we record at 18,000 gaging stations in the United
States. These and other related data are availabla as statistical
summaries in Water Supply Papers of the Geological Survey.
Information, on the other hand, is knowledge derived from inter-
pretating data, such as digital models of stream systems ihat are
prepared from the streamflow data. These are presented in reports use-
ful for making water supply and water management decisions. Another
example is a geologic map. The geologist makes numerous observations
of the distribution, nature, and attitude of rocks; interprets them in
four dimensions, including time, and expresses the results on a geologic
map.
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Information Systems
The collection of data and presentation of information are both
quite necessary and important. But to be more responsive to the com-
plex resource and environmental problems of today—and tomorrow—we
must take further steps to help facilitate their use. Thanks to com-
puter technology, we have information systems designed to do just
that. If you will accept my definition, an information system is an
established way of combining, analyzing, and translating data in a
manner that conveys not only knowledge but also understanding. One
could also define it simply as any systematic process for receiving
and transmitting knowledge, or in a broader sense, as a functioning
organization for systematically collecting data, converting it to
information, and disseminating it. A well-designed information system
includes a reference system as well as a ready means of storage and
retrieval.
Information System Example—Water Resources
An example of one of Interior's many information systems (we
have 119 by a recent count) is the Water Resources Scientific Infor-
mation Center of the Office of Water Resources Research (OWRR). The
Center's information base includes: (1) citations with summary
abstracts of the literature on results of research and engineering
investigations, as well as selected legal and administrative documents
and (2) summary descriptions of research projects in progress. Both
types are computer stored and made available in published form in the
twice monthly Selected Water Resources Abstracts and the annual Water
Resources Research Catalog. The information is also used to prepare
topical bibliographies and other literature-search products. It
currently includes over 50,000 items and is being expanded at a rate
of approximately 16,000 items per year.
The summary descriptions of water research in progress is an
annual catalog prepared by the Smithsonian Science Information Exchange.
The latest edition of the catalog contains summary descriptions of more
than 6,300 research projects, including input from 80 foreign countries.
The Center also supports an experimental four-terminal national commu-
nication network, three &t universities, and cne in Washington. Each of
the terminals provides direct on-line access to the Center's computer
stored information base.
Information System Example—Public Land Use
Still another example of an Interior information system is one in
use by the Bureau of Land Management for the management of the 453
million acres of public lands under its jurisdiction. These vast and
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widespread acreages are sources of recreation, forage, timber, water
minerals and energy fuels, wildlife, open space, and lands to build
upon. As such, they are also the source of many environmental problems.
The system designed to cope with these problems involves the
collection of information about resource values, problems, potentials,
and public needs; an inventory of existing resources; and an identi-
fication of the various alternatives for development. An economic
profile is also prepared to analyze population, income, industry
requirements, and other related economic factors. In addition, a
profile is developed which identifies the social and organizational
factors, the planning area, local planning and land use controls,
commitments, constraints, and similar information. These information
frameworks are then used to prepare more detailed action and development
plans for the public lands.
Resource and Land Information Program
Other examples of data, information, and information systems of
the Department of the Interior are on display in our exhibit here at
the Symposium. There are of course many, many more and as you ladies
and gentlemen know from the discussions of the past two days, there
are also a. lot of information sources elsewhere, Even so, the
resolution of complex problems stemming from the interaction of popu-
lation and economic growth, resource depletion, and environmental con-
servation is often rendered more difficult because the data and infor-
mation required are not readily available to decision-makers. In
some cases the information needed simply doesn't exist. Too often it
exists but is in repositories unknown to the user. Even when located,
much of the time the information is presented in technical jargon that
is almost useless to the non-technical user.
Considerations of time and economy, and pressing environmental
issues, make it imperative that the work of the many existing organi-
zations that collect, process and interpret data for their own purposes,
but whose information can contribute to broad problem-solving endeavors,
be brought together under a cooperative, integrated program—a program
to analyze objectively the alternatives in land use, and to evaluate
the tradeoffs between resource development and environmental conservation.
Such a program was established in the Department of the Interior
by order of Secretary Morton on September 1, 1972. It is called the
Resource and Land Information Program, or, if you prefer acronyms, the
RALI Program.
The RALI Program is being designed to provide a national infor-
mation system network utilizing existing data acquisition capability,
encompassing conventional techniques, and sophisticated remote-sensing
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from satellites and aircraft, coupled with an interpretation, analysis,
and translation program to produce products that are directly applicable
by the user to his problem.
It will operate within a functional framework of a National center,
several regional centers, and a multitude of local centers. This
framework will permit a high degree of interaction with users at the
State and local level, as well as with the Federal agencies. It will
also facilitate the collection and dissemination of data and related
analytic services, and provide for the monitoring of data uses required
for efficient systems management. The centers at all levels will pro-
vide a reference service, via a catalog system of available data, to
other resource and environmental data held by Federal and State agencies,
universities, and private companies (for example, utilities).
A large area of immediate application will be in the preparation
of environmental impact statements. At State and local levels, where
many non-Federally operated centers will be established, data and
analytical services will be provided in support of the proposed Land
Use Policy and Planning Assistance. Act.
Information under the RALI Program will be provided in two broad
categories:
1. Comprehensive National and multi-State coverage for a limited
number of data attributes within the 1:100,000-1:250,000 map
scale range. Much of this map data will be digitized with a
density comparable to a grid format of from 40 acres to 1 km^ for
compilation, interpretation, analysis, and display via computer.
2. We will also provide detailed coverage of State or local
high priority areas with the scale or density and data attributes
(perhaps several hundred) appropriate to the area or problem.
These high priority areas, totaling perhaps 20-30 percent of the
country, would include national growth areas, economic develop-
ment areas (e.g., oil shale or coal strip mine areas and trans-
portation system nodes), and intensely managed public lands.
Within these data categories the user's data requirements can be
met in a number of ways, depending on his peeds and his ability to inter-
pret and use scientific data. For example, the user could obtain:
Raw data (e.g., geologic field data or fish counts). Some
users will prefer to apply their own interpretation to the
data while others may require the technical assistance of
the RALI analytic staff.
He can also get interpreted data (e,g=i landslide potential and
building suitability maps, both of which are successive derivatives
of geologic data). The extent to which the data are translated
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from their basic forms to a derived form which includes
engineering, economic, and socio-political considerations,
the more valuable they become to decision-makers.
The system will also make available certain kinds of
analytic predictions (e.g., flood potential resulting from
various patterns of land use).
Finally, the program will provide analyses of alternative
policies (e.g., the use of models and simulations to pre-
dict outcomes in advance of decisions).
The RALI Program will be designed to be flexible to cover or
include new topics, areas, or attributes as technology changes and new
problems arise or new solutions are found. Its essence is quick response
to user needs. As needs change, so will the program. Implementation
will involve working closely with a number of organizations to insure
that the program adequately meets the needs of the users it is intended
to serve. Several visits have already been made to State organizations
and others are planned*
Department of Natural Resources
The Resource and Land Information Program will be greatly facilitated
under a Department of Natural Resources which as you all know is one
of the new departments proposed in President Nixon's plan to reorganize
the Federal Government. With the Department of the Interior as the
nucleus, the new Department would bring together under a single wing
most of the agencies that now deal with the multiplicity of earth
resources, land use, and environmental problems, functions, and respon-
sibilities. Under the five principal Administrations—Land and Recreation;
Water Resources; Energy and Mineral Resources; Oceanic, Atmospheric and
Earth Sciences; and Indian and Territorial Affairs—the ability to
collect and disseminate resource and land information under an integrated
program will Be greatly enhanced.
In one of the proposed DNR Administrations alone, the Oceanic,
Atmospheric and Earth Sciences Administration (OAESA), the combination
of the Geological Survey's scientific and technical capabilities in
geoscience, hydrology, topography, geography and earth resources remote
sensingj with those of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-
tration (NOAA) in atmospheric science, oceanography, geodesy, geo-
physics, marine biology and meterological satellite technology will
provide OAE3A with the broadest spectrum of resource and environmental
scientific information in the United States and probably in the world.
Already we have begun to look jointly into the interface between the
Environmental Data Services of NGAA, including the National Climatic
Center9 the Environmental Science Information Center, and the National
Geophysical and Solar-Terrestrial Data Center, and the RALI Program.
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Conclusions
There is no way that I can cover all of the information services
of the Department of the Interior in the short time available for this
talk. In fact, I couldn't do it if I had all day. And yet, in spite
of these vast amounts of data and information., available from Interior
and elsewhere, they are not enough—nor are they always available in
a form that is useful-—nor are they integrated—or translated—or
interpreted-—or standardized—or easily accessible. Isn't this then
a clear case for a RALI type program?
I recognize that this is a Symposium on environmental information
and I have been talking about resource and land information—but, to
make meaningful judgments about the environment, the effects of the
availability and uses of our resources and our land should be taken
into account—and vice versa. And we will probably have to look
toward at least a linkage with demographic, economic, and social infor-
mation systems, even though vre do not incorporate such data into our
own systems. It is on this point that I will end my talk with a
quotation from the Third Annual Report of the Council on Environmental
Quality, under a section entitled "Interrelationship of Factors
Determining the Future", which reads as follows:
"All of the factors discussed above—pollution, food
supply, resource availability, industrial growth$
pollution technology, economic, government policy,
and other social factors—ara closely interrelated,
and they directly help shape our future environment.
They may be separated for some analytical purposes,
but. in fact they are part of a single, constantly
changing world, and if we are to look intc the future,
they must be understoood and treated as part of one
dynamic system."
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Honorable Peter G. Peterson
United States Secretary of Commerce
All of us, I suppose, have at one time or another harbored the
wish that we lived in simpler times than these, or that we could trade
20th Century conveniences for 18th Century serenity.
Our private lives are filled with complexity. The generation
gap, the sexual revolution, the atomization of family life and the
deadly lure of narcotics, for example, have made the job of raising
our children a nightmare of hellish dilemmas. The dominant public
issues of the day are of such surpassing complexity that even the
wisest men see only dimly how we can successfully negotiate our way
through the rocks and shoals that loom in the fog ahead.
All of you are here today, of course, because of your deep
concern about one such issue: how we go about halting our mindless
plundering of the environment so that we can ensure that our children's
heritage will not be a dangerously impoverished one -- indeed, so
that we can ensure that they will have one at all.
Finding a way to reverse the drift toward ecological disaster
clearly is the most urgent among many urgent tasks on the national
agenda. And no Administration., I would add, has devoted more energy
and resources to that task than the present one.
We cannot afford to temporize. And I do not defend those business-
men who want to put off the day of reckoning. The business community as
well as the public must face the problem head on and now. The price of
delay is exacted in unhealthful water, contaminated food supplies, diseased
lungs and a pillaged landscape. Delay could make America the Beautiful
into America the Wasteland.
The price of delay is simply too high.
For too long our business economy has assumed only the burden of
short-term labor and material costs while shifting the less obvious
social and environmental costs to the general public --,or I should
say future general publics. We must develop an effective means of
factoring these long-range costs into our business decisions by making
them n&rt of the corporate and social cost structure.
My saying 'these things may come as something of a surprise to you
because of the role traditionally imputed to the Secretary of Commerce
as the spokesman for business. I want you to know at the outset that
I do not see my job that way at all. It is true, certainly, that those
of us at the Commerce Department spend a great deal of time worrying
about the condition of American business. That is --' or should be --
a very different thing from functioning as the Washington agent for
the business community. My job, as I see it, is to assess the impli-
cations, of business activity for the rest of society and to encourage
that business activity which is positive for the nation while combating
that which is-not.
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Calvin Coolidge, you will remember, contended in that famous remark
of his over 40 years ago that "The business 'of America is business •"
That was not true then and is not true today. A more sensible
formulation would b§ that "The business of business is America." It
is my job to persuade businessmen to see it that way.
Having said that, I hope you will all listen now with an open mind
while I sound,, what my journalist friends may mistakenly refer to in
tomorrow's papers, as 'la cautionary note*" My cautionary note has
reference not to the goal nor to the urgency of the task. Rather,
it has to do with how we formulate the problem we face and how we go
about reaching the goal. For the way in which we answer the question
"How we get there" will probably determine whether we get there.
A Nation of Dr. No's
Let's look at energy policy as an example of the problems we
face. Almost no one sees the energy problem in all its complexity,
in terms of trade-offs in an interrelated system which -- if pushed
from one side produces a bulge on the other. Most look at it in terms
of their particular, and I must say, parochial interests. And that
kind of thinking can only buy an iatrogenic cure: That is, a cure
which breeds problems woTse than those it was intended to correct.
As you know, this country faces a severe energy problem over
the next 20 years.
One familiar proposal is that we solve our shortage problems by
relying on imports to make up the difference. While we may fulfill
our energy needs this way} froa an economic point of view over-reliance
on imports could be disastrous. Imports of oil and gas alone in
1970 amounted to $2.7 billion. The projected annual deficit by 1985
on the energy account -- assuming we import fuels at the level
projected by some -- is $25 billion. Giver our already serious
balance of payments deficit, and the existing monetary turmoil, this
by itself should be no insignificant deterrent.
Beyond this, the national security implications of permanent
and substantial reliance on fuel imports would be equally unpalatable.
The largest clean fueJ reserves are located in areas of low political
stability or areas where political interests have traditionally been
at odds with our own. The danger of suppl/ interruption at the source
and risk of adverse price manipulation are simply too great under
these circumstances to warrant wholesale dependence on foreign energy
sources.
While we are not presently prepared to accept these projections
without further study, we have heard i^ said by some that it will be
necessary to import an estimated one-half to two--thirds of our daily
oil requirements, to reach the total U.S. demand that has been projected
for 1985. According to estimates prepared by the Maritime Administration,
this would require by. 1985 a U, S. tanker fleet as large as the present
fleet of 160 million deadweight tons. To accommodate larger tankers --
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the supertankers -- and achieve the necessary reduced shipping costs,
the country will need to develop deepwater port facilities which,
ironically enough, are opposed by .some of the same environmentalists
who say we should not produce energy at home as being potentially
hazardous to the environment.
You may ask why it is so important that supertankers are employed
in the transport of our petroleum imports. It is important to realize
that almost 3/4 of the Free World's oil reserves are in the Middle East
and, therefore, any oil imports in the future are likely to come from
this area. Because of its great distance from the U. S., transportation
costs for this .oil will become a significant part of the ultimate cost
to the U. S. consumer. If the oil continues to be transported in the
average size tanker that now calls at our Atlantic and Gulf ports, the
annual transportation cost would be approximately 60 per cent more than
if it were transported in ships at least five times its size. Even with
full Otilization of the lower-cost supertanker, transportation would
represent 30 per cent of the landed costs of imported oil.
On the other hand, there are those who propose to solve our
energy shortages by encouraging greater domestic production through
new tax incentives. But here there would be an outcry from others,
who already feel grossly overburdened, if subsidies for increased
production added to their tax bills. There is a national security
consideration here too because it hastens the day when our finite energy
supplies will be exhausted.
There are others who insist that the answer lies in the development
of nuclear power plants. But there, too, we run into objections from
those who point to the environmental threat of thermal pollution and
radiation.
There are those who propose that we solve our energy problem by
reducing our consumption. While in the environmentalist's construct
this may represent an ideal solution, the pains of unemployment and the
loss of creature comforts it would carry in its wake, could produce a
backlash that could well sweep away all the gains we have made thus far
in the battle to protect the environment.
There is no easy solution to our energy problem nor is there an
easy solution to our environmental problem. I'm afraid there is no
way around the fact that energy costs are going to rise in the future
regardless of the course we choose. These costs will take different
forms and our goel, of course, will be to minimize them in the
aggregate. But it is naive to assume that we can solve a problem of
this magnitude by looting at a corner of it through, a microscope.
Every action has its attendant costs. The solutions will requirea
a careful systems approach if we are to successfully combine the best:
at the lowest cost.
We are, it seems, a nation of Dr. No's who know £cr certain what
we cannot do, who are transformed into Dr. "I don't knows" when asked
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to supply clues as to what we qan do.
Let me, at the same time, illustrate the importance of admitting
that we don't know by telling you a little about some projects in
my particular bailiwick. The Commerce Department is a thing of great
variety and, as you may know, one of its important responsibilities
embraces marine mammals. After a critical review of our information
on the Pribilof Islands' fur seals, which I would say with all humility
was inadequate, I have announced this Nation's intention to recommend
the establishment of St. George's Island (one of the two main Pribilofs)
as a control area to ban.the commercial harvesting of seals. This will
permit a critical and experimental evaluation there that will guide
us toward the soundest possible fur-seal conservation program.
Another major concern is the killing of porpoises incidental to
+iie taking of tuna. The retail value of our tuna fishery is $600
million to $700 million. The fleet is valued at $400 million.
But 315,000 porpoises died in tuna nets in 1970 and 205,000 in
1971. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the
Commerce Department has .undertaken a program designed ultimately to
eliminate porpoise deaths. And NOAA, after an intensive study, which
has just been completed, is planning research programs in fishing
gear development and biological studies that will help attain that
objective. The industry itself is testing nets with smaller-mesh
webbing which makes it more difficult for porpoises to become entangled.
What has impressed me in studying the fur-seal and porpoise
problems is how little of the hard information needed to make an
intelligent systems decision we have. We know almost nothing, for
example, about porpoise population dynamics. It is illustrative of
the cloud of ignorance that dogs our e>/ery step in attempting to
construct ''solutions" to environmental problems. You can't shoot
from the hip. Simplistic solutions are dangerous. You can meet
yourself coming around the corner with an upraised hammer in your hand.
Likewise with energy, decisions made primarily for environmental
reasons, or for tax reasons, or for security reasons or for transport
reasons, and which affect business generally, all have an enormous
impact on our ability to supply sufficient energy. The problem is that
the immediate considerations in ;ach of these related fields always
seem more important than considerations that will not have an impact
for another few years. History suggests that only when there is a
brownout -- or some other dramatic event -- can the people who make
energy their primary business get the attention of those who make
tax policy or security policy or environmental policy or transportation
policy their primary business.
It is not possible to address one part of an interrelated
problem without addressing all Other parts. We are all concerned
about our ecosystem. But that contraction stands for eco-nomic
system as well as for eco-logical system.
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Let George Do It
There is a kind of dream-world quality in the public's perception
of what it will take to clean up the environment. For example, over 40
per cent in a recent public opinion survey said they would not be
willing to pay anything for cleaning up the environment, yet everyone
wants a cleaiTenvironment. They want all of the benefits but none of
the costs.
The "Let George Do It" syndrome thrives' in a dream world. It
is the "Let George Do It" syndrome that permits simplistic unidimensional
solutions to our environmental problems to collect the force of public
opinion behind them. They offer simple and absolute solutions. Never
mind that they won't work.
Up to now, as a nation we have not begun to reconcile the conflicts
between environmental and economic concerns. It is a dialogue of
the deaf. The ecologist and the economist are talking right past each
other. Too many ecologically oriented advocates, for example, like
nearly every form of energy except the ones we have. On the other hand,
too often, the industrially-oriented^advocate has forgotten that GNP
stands not only for Gross National Product, but also for Gross National
Pollution.
The one dimensional Johnny One-Note can't really help us out.of the
fix we're in. Wiat we need is something akin to the Renaissance Man
who is accomplished at all disciplines, who is capable of a multi-
dimensioned view of the world. Unfortunately, we don't seem to have
many Renaissance Men at work on the environmental problem. So we
must do the next best thing. And that is we must pull together a
multi-disciplinary team that can launch a renaissance man's passionate
search for solutions that will match our passionate sense of this
problem.
In other words, we have to find a way to transfer the emotion
felt on this subject from its present focus on the magnitude of
the problem to a new focus on the search for achievable and reasonable
solutions.
The present national debate on the environment is one that has
produced an unfortunate polarization. If you are for the environment,
then you have to be against economic growth and, conversely, if you
are for economic growth then you are automatically assumed to be
against the environment.
That kind of thinking must stop. A partnership must be formed,
a kind of team spirit developed, that will allow an objective search
for answers to begin in earnest.
You remember the warning we used to get each /ear from the
urban specialists that we were headed for a long hot summer because
of the explosive discontent in the central cities of our nation. We
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had a few of those summers, you recall. Well, I am predicting
now that we are headed for a long cold winter if we don't resolve
the polarization between those who narrowly push for energy growth
and those concerned about the environment. An energy crisis --
because of the backlash against the environmentalists it might
produce -- might lead to a lot of cold and dirty winters.
We had a Manhattan Project during World War II which 'brought
together the ablest men in the field of atomic energy and supported
them with all the money they needed to develop an atom bomb. It was
a monumental project. That kind of team was also created when the
Nation resolved after Sputnik that we would go to the moon.
Now, we must organize a Manhattan Project to head off the energy
crisis and, at the same time, to prevent an ecological, disaster.
There are glittering technological possibilities for clean energy
development, for example. Our current energy research activities are
inadequate to the challenge we face. The theoretical opportunities for
breakthrough are endless. Clean energy sources may b<3 found in coal
gasification. The nuclear breeder reactor offers great promise. Fuel
cell research represents another potential source: magneto hydro-
dynamics and geothermal and s&lar energy are still other potential
sources with promise. Now we must bend our efforts toi unlock that
promise.
I am not yet prepared to give up hope that science and technology --
under the proper harness -- will not lead, us to safe ground. "The
intellect is a cleaver;" said Thoreau," -- "It discerns and rifts its
ways into the secret of things."
If we can forge a national commitment and if, on that foundation,
can construct national environmental policies, national energy policies
and national economic growth policies that are coherent and reconciled,
one with the other, we may well be af.e to solve our energy problem
and do it without compromising our legitimate national security concerns
and without seriously affecting our balance of trade. With such a
commitment, we may well be able to clean up our environment without
slowing economic growth. Tbij nation-has proved many times in the
past that it has a genius for accomplishing the impossible. We found
it was only impossible for the faint of heart.
It was precisely in the spir.it of national commitment that the
President issued his energy message net long ago, a landmark statement
that I believe history will record started this nation toward a new
conception and a. new direction. But I know first hand that he thinks
the program called for there is just that -- a first step. Much more
must be done. Much more is possible.
Implications of Zero Growth
Yet, i.'> the face of boundless possibilities, prophets of doom
abound.
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Not long ago, you will recall, there was a great daal of
controversy in Washington and in the media concerning a little
book called "The Limits of Growth" put out by a team of scientists
at M.IiT. and sponsored by a group of European businessmen and
intellectuals known as the Club of Rome.
The report argues that unless growth in population and in
industrial output are halted very soon-certainly within this century-
we will exhaust the planet's ability to provide natural resources for
industry, yield food for mankind, and disperse pollution in ways which
do not shorten or destroy life. It contended that the eventual crisis
will result in the collapse of industrial society.
Many of us have recognized for some time now that growth in
population cannot go on forever. But the Club of Rome'contention
that the time is at hand for also halting economic growth has been
accepted by some a little more readily, I'm afraid, than it would be
if its implications were fully understood.
Let's consider what some of those needs are and what meeting
them without economic growth would imply.
It may come as a surprise to. some of you that over the next
decade we must generate 16 to 20 million new jobs in our economy; @*f
face much higher unemployment.
We could meet the goal of zero or limited growth through cutting
the work week and the earnings of individuals presently employed.
A lower standard of living for those now in ths work force is the cost
which might be borne if new jobs are to be provided in a zero-growth
economy ... but whose standard of living are we talking about? Do
you know of any volunteers?
Another area where zero economic growth would present us with
difficulties is the continuation of government services at the
current level. If these services are to be maintained at the
contemporary level, over $25 billion in new Federal funds must be
found over the next four years. We are accustomed to gaining new
funds needed through economic growth. If, however; we opt for
zero growth, we have two difficult options. We can either increase
taxes or drastically reduce per capita services. Do we have any
volunteers? Neither alternatj.ve seems politically very palatable.
Some of our citizens apparently assume that w& have only to
tax business profits more heavily to provide Government with new
resources for meeting additional tasks they weald ask it to perform.
The public has some astounding notions about the amount of profits
that corporations have at their disposal to cope with these problems.
A survey done for the White ,House Conference on the Industrial World
Ahead this year showed the public's median estimate of the manufacturing
profits in the United States was 28 cents en a dollar of sales after taxes,
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This estimate was seven times the actual 1970 experience, and almost
three times the 10% return which the public estimates as "fair."
At 28 cents on the dollar, corporate profits would be $300 billion.
Even at the "fair" return of 10 cents on the dollar, profits would be
over $100 billion after taxes. That's a lot of income to redistribute.
But, unfortunately-, companies don't make 28 cents on the dollar, or
even ten cents on the dollar. They make more like four cents. Total
corporate profits are about $47 billion after taxes -- higher than in
most other major industrial nations.
If the fat cats were only as fat as people think they are, we
would do wonders.
Growth as a Safety Valve
That leads us directly to one of the most significant implications
of a zero growth economy. It would change our politics fundamentally.
Many of you In this audience are familiar with the game theory
concept of a zero sum competition. Briefly, a zero sum game is one in
which every gain by one player must result in a loss for another. Our
politics have never been that sort of competition.
Economic growth has meant that each year the resources available
for meeting needs of our citizens have increased. Seldom does a group
which successfully makes claims for new or increased funding do so
at the expense of some other group. As a rather melancholy rule of
thumb, funding levels once established are not subject to cuts unless
circumstances change greatly.
Now, I know that this is an oversimplified summary of the politics
of resource allocation in America, but it does illustrate a crucial
fact. Economic growth has for many decades been a safety valve in
this society- It has made it possible to respond positively to new
claims upon Government without drastically revising previous funding
decisions, and challenging existing constituencies.
With zero economic growth, the safety valve is shut off. We revert
to the politics of the zero sum game
Anyone familiar, for example, with the plight of our cities, and the
education and welfare needs of the poor, not to mention the requirements
of ecology, knows that realistically we must find ways to do much
that we are not now going. The acrimonious politics resulting from
attempts to cope with the many valid, claims of Government in a zero
growth environment would make the political battles of the sixties
seem nostalgically placid.
We must ask ourselves two questions. First, dare we grow
economically? Second, and I think more relevant, dare we not?
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The Club of Rome prognosis is that we no longer have the
option to expand our economy vigorously, if we wish to avoid
the collapse of civilization in anything resembling its present
form. If that is right, then the negative implications of zero
growth that I have specified here today are not sufficient reasons
for rejecting it.
My point is that we must be very sure that zero growth is a
necessary option before we embrace it as policy. Each of us will
pay harsh costs in terms of the kind of lives we lead if the M.I.T.
model of the future is valid. It is imperative that we understand
that halting economic growth is serious business indeed.
Growth as the Cure
Cleaner production methods will be available, for example, only
if the technology is available. The technology will be available
only if investment is made in environmental research and development.
Further investment is required in the control equipment itself.
Increased investment requires increased saving. The level of
saving can be increased only at the expense of consumption. Thus,
the magnitude of the costs we must incur for environmental improve-
ment dictates that consumption must decline if the economy is not
growing.
Only a growing economy car provide the investment funds necessary
to carry out research and development for the environmental technology
that will be needed to do the clean up job.
Only a growing economy can provide the investment funds for
pollution control equipment. Only a growing economy can provide
these investment funds without a sacrifice in consumption.
In short, only if the economic pie gets bigger will the slice
that is needed to improve the environment be sufficient.
And only if the pie is big enough will the nation be able to reach
all its other goals.
The choi'ce, then, is not between growth and improving the environment.
but rather between the economic strategy that will enable us to meet
the costs of an improved environment and one that won't.
I think I have made it clear that I am skeptical that The Club
of Rome thesis will be supported by future developments. I believe,
in particular, that it seriously underestimates the possibility of
technological solutions to the problems of resource depletion and
pollution that it projects ... once we all focus on the new questions
it suggests. It is hard for us to understand that in the innovative
process, inventing the problem can be as important as inventing the
solution.
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Focusing on the Future
What is clear to me in all this is that we must do a far better
job of forecasting the future costs of today's decisions. We must
find a way to require those who make today's decisions to assume
the responsibility for tomorrow's costs -- rather than burdening
those who come after us with problems that by then are almost sure to
have grown unmanageable.
The Club of Rome has done us a great service in that regard. They
have asked some important questions about the future. They have forced
us to consider trade-offs.
Of all our institutions, Government is one that has special
difficulty in focusing on the future for it is bound by elections to
a very regular, short-term timetable. In order to survive, any Govern-
ment has to think a great deal about the next election,. And that
leaves precious little time for thinking about the next generation. It
is a system that seems almost to have been designed to prevent a
future orientation. In the main, our approach to the future has been
to assume it will take care of itself.
Managing the future is of course a challenge every modern institution
faces. Since not too long ago I was what some might call a narrow-
minded businessman -- (of course, to many that's a redundancy; all
businessmen are narrow-minded) -- there might be some useful analogies
from the worSd of business. I do notice some important differences
between the way Government approaches the balance between the short-
term and the long-term, and the way Many of our best managed enterpriser"
do.
One yardstick I have found useful in assessing the real sfv^ngth
of a company, for instance, is how much time its very best people
could devote to the future. Wherever I saw most or all of ,ihe company
pre-occupied with today's and next month's, and even this year's
problems -- very frequently, I found, it was an enterprise either
that was in, or was headed for trouble.
Conversely, the best-managed corporations, I found, invested
substantial amounts of their most precious resource -- the time
of their top managers --in the future; projecting the future;
defining the problems and the opportunities of the future; snd
deciding how to best shape the future instead of being shocked by
it, As Louis Pasteur 3aid: "Chance favors tne prepared mind."
Before Procter and Gamble decides to put a new detergent on the
market it does exhaustive market tezti:, If Procter and Gamble can
do that with a product designed to clean up your shirts, why can't
the United States Government test policy options intended to clean
up the environment?
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When we make environmental policy decisions, we ought to make
them with a good estimate in hand of what the impact on the economy
is likely to be -- not in order to give ammunition to the temporizers
but in order to distribute the costs equitably.
And the costs will be high. The council on Environmental Quality
in its most recent annual report estimated that it would cost
$287 billion during this decade to do the environmental clean-up
job that is necessary. Of that total, $93 billion would go for required
new capital equipment and the remaining $194 billion for operating
costs. This estimate included not only the costs of cleaning up
our air and water but also the costs of developing protection from
nuclear power plant radiation, taking care of our solid waste disposal
needs and reclaiming land scarred by strip mining.
Must Be Aware Of Trade-Offs
Part of our "systems" consideration is that investments of that
magnitude in pollution control will have an impact on U.S. productivity.
Some economists have estimated that the expenditure of such sums
will have a negative impact on productivity gains of around 0.3
percent a year over the next 4 years. A study by Chase Econometrics
Associates, a subsidiary of Chase Manhattan Bank, indicated that by
1976 real output per man hour would be 1.2 percent lower because of
pollution control. However, that shortfall would drop to 0.1 percent
a year in the last 4 years of the decade, the Chase men, predicted.
Economists at The BrooV.ings Institution have come up with similar
figures.
The Chase economists estimated that it would mean that real
GNP by 1976 would be $13 billion less than a projected GNP in constant
dollars at full employment of $954 billion and it would mean an
increase by a tenth of a point from their projected 1976 unemployment
level of 4o4 percent. Now, they go on to say, that by 1980 the
impact on GNP will have moderated somewhat, but that, is based on an
assumption that ,the major part of the clean-up job will be done
between 1973 and 1976.
We ought to be as certain as we can at the start that we will
get what we pay for because a $13 billion bite ouc of the GNP is
a big price to pay just to exercise -- or exorcize, if you will --
our passion.?. Too many programs in the past h£.ve started with
passionate intentions and 10 years later after billions had been
spent ws have found they didn't _achisve their purpose because they
didn't follow the right approach. The way to avoid that is to be
aware of the tradeoffs you are faced with when the program is
designed and launched.
While reduced productivity will have immediate impact on the
supply of domestic goods and services, it wi1! >-- through its impact
on our international competitive position -- have a negative impact
on our standard of living and jobs.
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In the world economy, we are no longer the easy leader in
a slow field. The U./S. competitive spirit is suffering from
middle-aged spread, while the rest of the world has grown strong
and sinewy.
U.S. exports of manufactured goods in the decade from 1960
to 1970 showed less growth than;that of any of the other major
industrialized nations except the United Kingdom.
To a large degree, achieving full employment will depend on
our ability to compete in a changing world economy. And that, in
large part, will depend on our economy's rate of productivity growth.
In the last half of the 1960's, the productivity of American
manufacturing increased only 10 percent. During that same period,
productivity in France jumped 37 percent, 43 percent in Sweden,
49 percent in the Netherlands and 91 percent in Japan,
By its very nature, a systems approach would crank the costs
of reduced national productivity into the calculations that produce
a national environmental program, much in the way an aeronautical
engineer cranes in estimates of wind friction in 'shaping the wings
and the fuselage of an airplane.
Putting Growth To Work
The President's Government reorganization plans are aimed at
redesignin-g the Federal Government in a way that will emphasize the
systems approach. He has, as you know, proposed as one element -
a Department of Natural Resources to coordinate resource development.
Right now, the President's Domestic Council has undertaken a
comprehensive study of the energy problem -- that is aimed at a
coherent energy policy that considers together the economic,
environmental, technological, balance of payments, and national
security factors.
We in this Administration have not been twiddling our thumbs
and if the Seventies come to be known as the "environmental decade"
as some have predicted, it will be due in no small measure to the
efforts of President Nixon and of the man who led the list of speakers
at this symposium, Bill Ruckelshaus.
But, obviously, we have much to do and little time to do it in.
And lest you have misunderstood, I want to make it clear that I am
not arguing for a go-slow approach; i am arguing for an intelligent
approach to the environmental problems -- one that trices the
complexities into account. Tmi economic costs of cleaning the
environment must hot be used as an excuss for doing nothing, but
neither can these costs be ignored. When a policy becomes necessary
for the 'overwhelming public good, the inequities it may produce must
be dealt with, but they should vjot be a reason for deferring that policy.
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They cannot be successfully dealt with unless they have been
anticipated, unless their real costs have been fully gauged.
That is why your measurements, your indices, are of vital importance
to us.
I believe we can have clean air and water as well as full
employment, adequate energy supplies, a healthy trade balance and
an equitable tax structure if we can close the knowledge gap
through research and development. The possibilities are there
if only we can unlock them, if only we can develop the right
combination of men, money and organizational framework to do
the job.
We must unlock them. We really have no other alternative.
We must get on with the job of forging a national commitment, a
national partnership, to save our evironment, while at the same
time building a better and richer life for our people.
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Davis B. McCarn ]
National Library of Medicine
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I would like to begin by making sure everybody knows what the
National Library of Medicine is: it is the largest library devoted
to a single scientific discipline anywhere in the world, and I believe
it has been in the forefront of the development of mechanized and
improved information systems for at least the past 100 years. I'd
like to talk, chough, not from the point of view of the National Library
of Medicine today, but more from the point of view of an overview of
where on-line systems and networking seem to me to be going. I'll come
back and talk briefly about the service we provide from the Library of
Medicine, but I think in the long run it is more important to talk about
where this whole kind of activity is going.
I believe fundamentally we are now at a lift-off period in the
development of information systems. But there were prerequisites to
the actual building of nationwide information services for both pro-
fessionals and the public which are now at the point of being satisfied,
and I would like to try and document and discuss that point of view.
The first of the prerequisites was that there be good information
retrieval systems. In point of fact there have not been good information
retrieval systems until quite recently. As you may know, timesharing
itself came into existence only about ten years ago with the development
at System Development Corporation and at M.I.T. of time-sharing computer
systems. We have seen the burgeoning in the last ten years, then, of an
immense industry in the United States providing on-line computing services.
These services have been primarily computational with some small data
handling capabilities; they have not been for large information storage
and retrieval problems. And that's been for a very simple reason: the
smaller problems, the computational problems, were easy to solve on a
corcputer and make available through time-sharing systems to many users
in any one city or even in a multiplicity of cities„ The problem of
providing access to a large data base, however, has been substantially
more difficult. The first experiment that I know of in an on-line
bibliographic retrieval service was run in 1965- therefore, the actual
beginning of bibliographic retrieval was sometime back shortly after
time-sharing began. By 1968 there were a variety of services already
in existence, many of which you can see in their present form downstairs
in the exhibit area, including those of Roger Summit at Lockheed, the
Dialog System converted into the Recon System of NASA; the Mead Data
Central System, that provides access to legal information; and the system
that has grown into the system now existing at the National Library of
Medicine. In the time period that we have seen this kind of growth,
beginning with NASA information retrieval systems, we have also seen a
substantial concentration on the computer problem of information retrieval,
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There has been a lot of work on just how the computer can be used
effectively to store and retrieve information. There has been a lot
of theoretical work; there has been a lot of experimental work. There
has been a lot of controversy in the computer industry between full
text versus term searching, on how should we do information storage and
retrieval. We have seen a lot of emphasis on very complicated retrieval
systems that would do a multiplicity of things and fool the user—do
things that he had no idea they were going to do for him, and they
perform sometimes in very odd ways. I think some of that is changing
now. I think we have seen inadequate attention to the problem of
communications and providing services at a distance. We have also
seen inadequate attention to providing service to a variety of users
or multiplicity of users from one computer system. The systems I
have been discussing that began in the late 1960s typically could
handle from eight to twelve simultaneous users on standard, medium
scale computing systems; that's not very many users. Certainly not
comparable to the time-sharing services that have been available; it's
certainly not in line with what would be necessary to provide a viable
commercial information service. I'd like to talk, now, about what
actually is running at the National Library of Medicine in terms of what
we think is an example of where an information service,is going. When
we first began, we began with our experimental service, which was alluded
to in the introduction, called AIM-TWX, the Abridged Inaex Medicus via
the TWX network. As we saw it, the production of a useful computer
information service required three basic fundamentals. The first of
these was a data base that somebody was interested in. That's not
a trivial problem. It turns out there are lots of data bases and there
are lots of ways to structure data bases—some of which we actually tried-
that nobody wants to look at; there is no requirement for an information
service that dees not have a useful data base. The second major problem
was to build a retrieval system that could be used by almost anybody, not
just a librarian, and certainly not just the programmer, but hopefully by
any of a variety of users who required this kind of information. The
third requirement as we SEW it was some way of providing access to the
data base—the networking problem. How can one have access to an informa-
tion service without immense expenditures in terms of terminal equipment.
Some of these early systems, such as the NASA system, cost $10,000 for
the terminals. The Library of Medicine did not have the money to set
up 60 terminals around the country at $10,000 a copy. The solutions
on AIM-TWX, I think, are implied in the title. We made the data base
of the Abridgad Index Medicus, which was the top 100 journals in
clinical medicine, available for searching. Through iteration we built
a retrieval program wh5ch we thought was efficient and effective, and
the TWX portion represents the solution on the communications side that
we adopted, which was the connection of the computer to the TWX network,
a completely separate network from the telephone network in this country.
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That was the biggest mistake we made in the development. It turns out
that TWX is much too expensive a form of communication and that there
are substantially improved ways of communicating with the computer. The
service became available in mid-1970 so that it has now been running
for roughly two years. It immediately demonstrated a variety of things
to the Library, one of which was that there is a tremendous demand for
on-line information retrieval systems. In many locations, it demonstrated
the demand was not by the same clientele that had been using the library,
or had been interested in information services in conventional forms.
We found that our biggest users were hospitals. Of the top 11 users
on AIM-TWX, seven were hospital locations, and it was the staff of the
'hospital, who had never been going near the library before, that was
actually using the service. The ability to get answers in five minutes
from the retrieval system provided a capability that had never before
existed. Based on that experience, the library went ahead and installed
on its own computer the service that is now called MEDLINE (Medical
Literature Analysis and Retrieval System On-Line), which is on exhibit
downstairs, and I hope that many of you have seen it. It operates on
a 370/155 computer at the National Library of Medicine. We have access
to that computer through the direct dial telephone network; through the
TWX network; by Western Union Datacom lines, which provide access to
three major urban areas; and finally we are connected to the network of
TYMSHARE, Incorporated, which is a network covering some 35 cities all
over the country. I'd like to expand on that phase of our system—the
network activity.
It is possible in any one of those 35 urban areas to call a local
telephone number and with the appropriate set of codes run an interrogation
against the computer at the National Library of Medicine. That means there
are no long distance charges; it means there are no special terminal require-
ments, as any of a variety of terminals will work on the system; it operates
at reasonable speed, 300 words a minute, which is about as fast as you can
read; and, in fact, the access through that network provides reduced
communication costs both to the person using the system and in total.
The total cost of communicating a search through the network is roughly
$1.25 compared to $4.50, the cost of the average long distance call, so
that there is a factor of at least "L in the cost that's saved, to all
concerned, the public and the government through connection to the network.
The service itself runs 43 houis a week. Most days it's 10 A. M. to 4 P. M.
(Eastern times), Wednesdays and Thursday, it's 10 A. M. to 9 P- M., and on
Saturdays from 12 to 3. The data base for the service is now nearly 500,000
citations from the biomedical literature, from over 1100 journals, so that
it is a substantial data base that's being searched. The system performs
reasonably wall. Our average performance right now is a response time of
less than 4 seconds. We're shooting for keeping the system so that it has
less than a ten-second respor.se time. I don't know whether that's realistic;
ten seconds may be too long to ask people to wait for answers on computer
terminals.
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I'd like to come back now for a moment and talk more about the
network itself. As I indicated, it reaches some 35 cities right now.
In addition.ta the U. S. cities, as of September 1972, there was a net-
work node installed in Paris, and since the 20th of September, a
medical research institution in Paris, which is our foreign MEDLARS
Center in that, country, has been using it directly for several hours
every day. Yesterday we completed a demonstration for all of our
European collaborators in Geneva and ran for several hours through
that same connection, so that we are now in that same network operating
at the same communication cost to us on an intercontinental basis.
Who are our users? The first users of the MEDLINE service were
the Regional Medical Libraries that are supported by the National
Library of Medicine. They're another kind of network, a cooperative
network, which shares resources and shares collections. That kind of
network is also operated by the National Library of Medicine; it is
focused, on some 11 regional libraries that have specific regional
responsibilities in the United States, and coordinate the activities
of this bibliographic retrieval service that runs from NLM. In addition
about 75 per cent of the medical schools in the country are users of
MEDLINE. Several hospitals, other medical school libraries, many
Federal institutions are also users—we now have 120 institutional
users of the MEDLINE service all across the nation and about 250
terminals which have access to the service. We are operating at an
average of between 20 and 25 users simultaneously. The fact that we
have a distributed network means that anybody can access it when they
need it—there, are no dedicated responsibilities within the system—but
in addition it means that not everybody is using it at once. Fortunately
for us that means that we usually don't have more than forty people
simultaneously even though we have some 250 terminals that could be
accessing the system.
How has the system grown? One way to look at it is in terms of
the off-line print capabilities. You can sit at the terminal and say,
"I don't want to see all that on the terminal, please just print it
and send it to me." If you do that, we air-mail it the next day and
you probably get it the day after, so that: within three days you would
have a printed listing rather than an on-line listing at the terminal.
In November when the system first was operational, we ran about a hundred
of those; by'March it was a thousand, and in August there were three
thousand off-line prints. There is about one off-line search for every
three requests on the system, so that in August #e probably ran about
nine thousand requests, or searches, on the service. That's roughly
how many we were running in a year on two computers against the old
batch processing system, so that we are now doing ten times as many
searches as we could ever do before under the prior processing system.
We think we're operating now at over 100,000 requests a year--we
anticipate being able to meet a demand for 200,000 requests per year
against the. service.
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That's the beginning. We will probably have to put the service
on other computers; we have planned, as our computer is saturated, to
install it on other computers — then users will have an option of which
computer to call for using the service. We have continued to run the
AIM-TWX service, so that in essence we now have two computers on that
network. The library also sponsors a service called TOXICON, toxicology
on-line, that is also connected to this same network. A small number of
technical data bases in the fields of education and in other sciences are
being made available in on-line search nodes on computers connected to the
TYMSHARE network. The existence of more than 100 academic based medical
libraries in the MEDLINE network and the establishment of a low cost,
dial-up link to Europe via the Paris TYMSHARE node, has made it extremely
attractive for commercial development of other on-line bases on a common
network. Before the beginning of next year, it will be possible to sit at
a terminal in any one of 35 metropolitan areas and make a toll-free telephone
call (anywhere else you might have to pay line charges) to one telephone
number and search, in this case, some six different data bases, all major
depositories of scientific and technical information in the chemical,
medical, or education areas. In essence, my feeling is that we now almost
have a nationwide technical information network through which services of
this kind will be available. The systems that the National Library of
Medicine has built are the first, nationally available, on-line information
services that can be accessed from anywhere in the country without special
lines and without special equipment. The fact that they're on a network
means that they were part of a first national information service network.
The fact that there are two computers on a network means they're the first
multiple computer information service network. And probably last but not
least, the fact that it's a network has certain interesting other properties.
I believe we are the first organization to obtain communication services on
a resource pricing basis. That means we don't pay for every three minutes
or every minute of connection between a terminal and the user--we pay for
the number of characters transmitted between those two locations, so that
the amount of information is what's being paid for, not the length of time
somebody is sitting at a terminal.
I believe there are a number of constraints that are important to
keep in mind about this kind of activity, the first of which is that it
is costly; although our service costs only line charges, these other
services are going to be more expensive. Typically, time-sharing service
costs $10.00 to $15.159 an hour for connection and computing on a computer.
Data base storage and retrieval charges seem to be running $30.00 to $45.00
an hour, so that thev are about three times as expensive now as time-shared
computing. I think there is a second major constraint we need to worry
about, and that is the n£:cure of the data bases themselves. Many of the
available bases which could be used for on-line services were designed
originally for batch processing; they have esoteric structures; they're
complicated; they're intellectually difficult to use. I think as time
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goes on and these services become available we'll see new organizations of
data bases and simplicity. However, that's not true now. I think, in
addition, some of them are of questionable value. You could probably
pick any one of them and find people who tell you it's useless as a service.
That's a problem that will probably get decided in the marketplace. Another
major constraint and problem in the development of on-line systems is
librarian and user attitudes. Perhaps you have seen evaluations of information
systems which talk about precision and recall, as though the iItimate goal
of the user were to get a list of everything that was exactly relevant and
nothing else in his retrieval. That may be true of the batch systems where
one often got lists of one, two, or three thousand citations to look at.
It may be true in certain research and legal situations where you want
all the information that you possibly can get on a given subject. I have
heard it estimated that it's probably not true of the typical person
approaching an information system in more than five to ten per cent of the
cases, so that the continued emphasis on precision and recall is probably
irrelevant in the era of on-line systems where one can scan, refine, interact
and hopefully pass up anything that's not what he's looking for. A constraint
in the area of the introduction of on-line network information services is
librarian and user attitudes towards innovations. There are a lot of places
where they just don't want this kind of technology. Thare are libraries
where they want tc put that new terminal in the head librarian's office and
hide it and only allow the high priests to use it rather than allowing the
general public to use it. On the other hand, there are places where it's
out in the reading room and gets very widespread active use, but it just
doesn't happen all the time. In the same connection, as alluded to by the
prior speaker, our heritage of the free library is a constraint. As you
may all be aware, the heritage of free library and free information services
is one that is in serious jeopardy now. It is becoming more and more evident
that information systems cost money, the provision of information and library
services is expensive, and that some part of that expense is going to be
borne by the users of such services. One sees a trend toward payment for
services, but the residual feeling that all these services should be free
will probably deter the development of national information services. This
is compounded generally by the problem that people can't evaluate the value
of information. How does one assess the value of an information system?
Well, nobody's got any very good answers to that, and having been in a
position where I defend information systems, I know that's a hard question
to answer. I find it's a question that is often asked of library services,
but hardly ever of management information services. Management is quite
aware of how valuable information on managerial matters is and never asks
what the cost of the information is, but they're quite ready to ask the
value of scientific and library-type information.
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In spite of these constraints i, I believe that we're moving in
a specific direction and I would like to make it clear what that
direction is. I believe we're moving in the direction of networks;
that it will be possible and relatively simple to establish national
clientele for information services iso that one will be able to assemble
a very large group of users for any'given system. This has immediate
and immense impact, it seems to me, 'because it means that information
services need no longer be geared specifically to one small organization
or one university or one element or one geographic area. It means that
a mass market exists for information the same as it does for television
broadcasting. The existence of a mass market means that we can move
toward immensely larger and immensely more efficient and lower cost
information systems. It also means that we have a new law that will
be operating in information services. We've seen in the recent, past
many efforts to put many data bases together on one computer and provide
a comprehensive kind of service to a user which covers multiple data
bases. I believe that what will happen as networking becomes feasible
is that this trend will be completely reversed; that the cost, the
capital cost, of putting up a data base, will be borne by one computer,
and then the service from that computer will be provided to multiple
users all over the country. That computer, no matter how large, could
be saturated with any one of the large data bases that are available.
Thus, we should see a decentralization of data bases over the next two
or three years, with a single computer servicing a major large data base.
We may still have a few multiple small data bases, but it seems to me
that in general the direction we are going is toward dedicated services.
I think they'll be big data bases. We've had, as I indicated, both an
Abridged Index Medicus service and an expanded service available; one
covered 100 journals, and one covered 1,100 journals. I was completely
convinced when we put up the larger data base that many hospitals and
physicians would really prefer to look at the smaller data base. It
was the clinically relevant material, and I thought that they'd rather
stick with the smaller retrieval, a faster system, against the larger
data base. I was completely wrong; nobody stuck with the small data
base. We dropped from 15 users to an average of less thai one on the
small data base when the large data base became available; the large
data base drives out the small data base.
Those, then, are my predictions about where information systems are
going -- I think much faster than any of us realize, we are moving toward
nationally available information services at reasonable to moderate costs
through networks with mass markets. And I think that means an immense amount
of planning of library activity and the provision of public services in
libraries and information centers throughout the country.
Thank vou very much
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Thomas £. Carroll
Assistant Administrator for Planning and Management
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
Bill Ruckelshaus and all of the rest of us at EPA deeply appreciate
the time and effort you have devoted to making these sessions extremely
worthwhile. Be assured that your suggestions on how best to mobilize
enormous information resources in both the private and public sectors
have been closely listened to by those of us in public office. We will
study them carefully --to learn how we can best use the influence of
our office in providing the necessary leadership to protect the environ-
ment, acting in the public's interest.
It is my privilege to take this opportunity to thank our hosts of
this large and distinguished gathering. A special thanks must go to the
Honorable Thomas Luken, Mayor of the City of Cincinnati, without whose
deep interest in the environment these meetings could not have been
conducted in such a warm and friendly atmosphere. We also appreciate
the hospitality of Bill Starnes of the Federal Executive Board.
Andy Breldenbach, Director of EPA's Research Center here in
Cincinnati, has once more demonstrated his center's activist spirit
in seeking innovative approaches to environmental problems. He and
his staff deserve a special "well done" for their hard work.
Among the distinguished invited speakers to thie Symposium are
some of the nation's most dynamic environmentalists. On behalf of the
Administrator, I want to thank the Honorable Peter G. Peterson, Secretary
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of Commerce; Jules Bergman of the American Broadcasting Company, who
will follow me and close the Symposium; Mrs. Charles Black of the
Coimcil on Environmental Quality; John Townsend of NCAA; Bill Radliiiski
of the U. S. Geological Survey; Davis McCarn of the National Library of
Medicine; and Mayor Richard Lugar of Indianapolis.
Last but not least, to the hard-working moderators, workshop
chairmen, panelists, and committees which planned this conference
go our thanks for undertaking the burden of the main program and
agenda. They deserve a special citation for what has pr"oven to be
an immensely productive and stimulating meeting.
I have been tremendously impressed by the very broad cross-section
of different organizations represented here at these meetings the last
three days. Our hope was that this forum would provide an opportunity
for sharing —•, a sharing of both common problems and, hopefully, mutually
beneficial solutions. I believe there are too few occasions for close
interaction between state and local government officials and the "Feds,"
between citizens and civic action groups and government people, or
between academic and research institutions which produce basic informa-
tion and the larger number of user groups which use that information.
I believe we all recognize that a rigid, universally acceptable
definition of "environmental information," or common agreement on the
various needs for environmental information are extremely difficult, if
not impossible objectives to achieve. Our primary goal here has not
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been to seek a unanimity of viewpoints, rigid definitions, or the
formulation of some impractical or unrealistic consensus on how to
strengthen environmental information. Rather, our keystone objective
has been far more modest — to provide a forum for the exchange of
views and the sharing of common problems, .whatever your professions,
affiliations or interests, and to make users of environmental informa-
tion aware of what is being produced by the sources of this data.
Five or ten years from now information technology, as Bill
Ruckelshaus pointed out, could become an area of public concern
and protest as grievous and difficult as "the environment" is today.
As today's policymakers we must prepare for what has been called
tomorrow's largest Industry — information — from broad, not narrow,
perspectives if we are to plan for the effective and efficient
utilization of this new technology in the solution of man's pressing
priorities.
Many problems impede man's efforts to halt environmental deterio-
ration. These problems feed on ignorance and apathy. This Symposium,
as well as the recent international conference on the environment at
Stockholm, mark positive steps toward eliminating these attitudes. By
increasing the availability of information, we enable man to fulfill
his responsibility to improve the environment", we come closer to
reaching our goal — an environmentally safe and clean nation, an
environmentally safe and clean world in which to live.
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But it is becoming increasingly clear that science and technology
alone will not solve all of the problems related to the environment.
From all sides we are being exhorted and admonished to listen to the
citizen, to you. Few issues in the remaining decades of this century
are expected to touch the man in the street so profoundly and in so
many ways as the issue of what we do about the so-calted "ecology
crisis." Indeed, the newly shop-worn phrase "quality of life" is
often used antithetically with the environmental crisis. It would
seem axiomatic, therefore, that if the private citizen is to under-
stand and grasp the implications of this crisis, he must have adequate
information. And this information must be made available to him
quickly and in terms he can readily understand. This is your task.
This is our task.
At the national level, information must be treated as a major
resource --no less important than dollars, land, rivers, or roadbeds.
Information must be available not only to the citizen, but to policy-
makers and planners as veil. As we have collectively learned here in
these past several days, information must be tailored to the needs of
the particular user groups which it must serve. Ebw it is organized,
how it is processed, how it is formatted and displayed, all have a
bearing on its timeliness, utility, and ultimate value. Fortunately,
our information technologies have provided us with a tremendous array,
of tools and techniques to help the producer tailor Ms information
to the user. The fine exhibits we have seen here at this conference
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provide us with an excellent demonstration of the range of these
advanced methods and concepts in information handling. The challenge
now is to focus these tools on the prioritized solution of environ-
mental problems.
My sincere hope is that new channels of communication will have
been opened up between and among the various groups represented here
today>wand particularly with those of us in government. It is
absolutely essential that the results of research generated from the
university and other institutional centers be made available to all
levels of government, to industry and to all concerned with solving
our ecological problems. Industry must continue in the spirit of
free enterprise to seek cost effective ways of applying the new
technologies in solution to these problems. Secretary Peterson in
his remarks, and Administrator Ruckelshaus, both stressed this central
theme — the need for close collaboration between all sectors of the
nation. Finally, the press and publishers must give wide, deep, and
thoughtful coverage to successful pollution techniques, citizen-
initiated actions, new laws and regulations which affect us all.
Central to this tteme of collaboration and interdependence of
efforts is the interchange of information. At the federal level,
many different departments and agencies have responsibilities for
exchanging information on the environment, Dr. Townsend touched on
many of these programs. We learned in the presentation and workshop
sessions what these specific programs are and what arrangements have
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been made to avail ourselves of the products and services offered. We
hope, through the medium of follow-on deliberations stemming from your
recommendations and actions here, to further identify and strengthen
these information facilities and resources. And we hope to improve and
more closely integrate the entire network of facilities and systems, as
well as simplify subscription and other ordering and accessing arrange-
ments .
EPA, with the cooperation of other federal departments, is currently
involved in establishing information exchange agreements with other
countries, to extend our help abroad. Some of these programs will be
reciprocal. We are also participating in many intergovernmental programs
within our own country which are designed to accelerate and enlarge the
flow of information between national, state, and local levels of govern-
ment, as well as with the private sector. All three major pieces of
EPA' s own enabling legislation, the Clean Air Act, the Federal Water
Pollution Control Act, and the Solid Waste Disposal Aet^, contain specific
provisions mandating the Environmental Protection Agency to disseminate
information and basic data bearing on the quality of our physical and
biological eco-systems.
You have heard from other speakers something of the important
programs of their organizations. We seem to have no shortage in their
variety and number^ our challenge seems to be, rather, to tighten the
bonds tbat link them together and improve their usefulness to you, the
user.
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In summary, the challenge of our Information environment is perhaps
more difficult to "see" than that of our physical and biological environ-
ments. But it is no less real or tangible, and it must be dealt with
aggressively by utilizing the most modern and innovative approaches we
can devise. Other speakers and discussions in the working sessions have
highlighted for our attention the danger that the new information tech-
nology may be used to control, manipulate, repress, or otherwise destroy
freedom and self-growth. Assuredly these new technologies have inherent
characteristics which will influence policymaking -- both the process
and the substance of the decisions themselves. It is therefore up to
us to identify tnose influences and channel them into constructive
directions. Our challenge seems clear: to reduce and eliminate
conflicting data, and to establish handling mechanisms and repositories
capable of responding effectively to the diverse needs for information —
diverse in terms of scope, format, timing, and other parameters.
Your deliberations here have identified a wide array of approaches,
strategies and concepts wMch we must now examine under the microscope.
All of your ideas have been suggested in a spirit of constructive debate
and discussion. Some may not later hold up to rigorous analysis. Many,
I am confident, will prove to be extremely valuable. It is up to us now
to go forward with your reconanendations.
In a few TEoaients Mr- Jules Bergman will take on the not-so-enviable
task of summarising this milestone conference for iis. I look forward to
hearing him, as I'm sure you do. In concluding my own remarks, I want
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to thank each of you here present for accepting,our invitation; I hope
you've found it worthwhile. Speaking for the Environmental Protection
Agency, and on behalf of the many other federal departments and agencies
who have assisted us in this meeting, I want to express ay appreciation
for your exceptional efforts to make these meetings the success I believe
they have been. My congratulations for recognizing a need for which you
have voluntarily shared your time and talent in an initial collective
attempt to marshall our efforts for the ultimate collective good.
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AN J^GENDA FOR PROGRESS:
NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION SYMPOSIUM
Jules Bergman
Science News Editor
American Broadcasting Company
Trying to do a thorough analysis for this symposium
would probably take longer than the symposium itself has
taken up-to-date. And obviously there is not time for that.
Obviously you are all tired and probably have been satiated
by too much in the last three days. But I thought I'd make
a few points that may or may not be helpful. First of all,
trying to be or to fill the role of an objective summarizer
for a conference like this,which is what the requirements
stated,is a little bit like a drowning man thinking he might
begin taking swimming lessons if he could just do it all
over again.
And I cariv.ot be an outsider looking in nor an insider
looking out, ss tha program called for, because there are
really no longer those distinctions nor those, kind of people
in our society today or in this world. Ve are all both in-
siders and outsiders — God help' us-—and we are all drowning
aboard a foundering planet unless we learn to act and act
together, Too often what is going on is a non-diaiogue or
as Commerce Secretary Peterson put it earlier this morning
a dialogue of the deaf with ecologists, economists, govern-
ment officials, industry, and those of us in the news media
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or business talking right past one another. All primarily l
far the laek of facts; facts objectively reported, using new
types of information methods perhaps or replaying old-fashioned
types that are applied for the first time in tkis generation
with a terrible sharp scalpel, if you will, the scalpel of
truth applied anew. Truth not blurred by generality, with
specifics not given a back seat to fit a format, a speech,
a conference, political objectives or anything else. And
the time is now.
There is a climate of controversy, confusion, and often
outright hysteria compounded by exaggeration in this country
that has broxaght us to a crisis I submit in intelligence, in
confidence in ourselves; a crisis of credibility to where we
are near totally disbelieving one another in this country—
the media and the government, the people in the government,
and sometimes the people in the media. There is an environ-
mental crisis as we all know. It is both worse .and better
than the way we all think it is and it is going to get a
hell-of-a-lot worse if we don't learn to use technology and
learn to start talking to one another-
The day's news sometimes leaves those of us in the news
business ourselves feeling so stupifiad. outraged and so
helpless that it reminds me of the story about i:he 91-year
old Australian farmer who was asked for his views on homo-
sexuality, and replied, "they used to hang men for it in my
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grandfather's day; in my father's day they put people in
prison for it; now, it is permitted. Well, I want to get
out of here before it becomes compulsory." Or as one of my
researchers puts it "remember it's always darkest just before
it gets totally black."
Well, there is no question we are at a crossroad of
credibility, if you will, in this country. A crossroad
where we can truly tackle what has to be done with a series
of super Apollo programs, if you will, to save our environ-
ment, to rebuild our cities, or a crossroad where we can
cop out and watch the world crumble in half truths, broken
promises, and exaggerations from politicians who don't care.
The quest for a decent world and decent environment—
a livable world—is the quest of all of us here and of all
the people in this country, I think too. Reminds me a bit
of Christopher Columbus. When he departed he didn't know
where he was going; when he got there he didn't know where
he was; when he returned he didn't know where he had been;
and he borrowed the money tc do it all with. 'Well, we don't
know where we are exactly except we do know we are in deep
trouble. We are not sure where we are going except we know
there isn't much tiro a to get there an:1, obviously all the
money can't be borrowed. It will have to be paid for by all
of us and in realistically higher prices for cleaner products,
We know too well that cars are going to and already cost more,
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Energy does and will cost .at least 25 percent more in the
next decade. Every item we use; every molecule of our
existence is vitally affected by environmental considerations
As a newsman, I am deeply concerned before we even get
into informational exchange and display methodology. I am
deeply concerned not to say panicked because we don't have
the facts or seldom do; we seldom get the facts. Let me
give you a few examples, the Council on Environmental
Quality, in its 1972 report issued a few months ago, declared
that air quality is improved somewhat but water quality is
somewhat worse, and it will cost more to bring both up to
acceptable standards over the next decade. Three-hundred
billion now, not the 150 billion estimated a year ago or
the 80-odd billion estimated two or three years ago. The
CEQ report calls for more accurate and timely information
on the status and trends in our environment, information
needed to shape sound public policy and to implement environ-
'mental quality programs efficiently. But realities as we all
too well know seldom measure up to intentions. The CEQ
report itself is based on air data, gathered in 1970, though
the report is dated 30 June 197,2. Even vorse, thfi report
itself fails to break down the hazards caused by individual
pollutants. Ws still don't have an overall index for air
quality in thi,s country and a major shortcoming is the lack
of knowledge concerning the medical 'effec't's of air pollution
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hazards. Our air pollution indices themselves are still
uncertain, not to say scary or controversial.
Water quality is even more confusing. We now have more
than 20 thousand measuring stations, but only a small number
are equipped to monitor as many as eight of the variables
we are interested in. A vastly expanded program of monitor-
ing toxic substances is a vital national need before we can
get accurate data for the information outflow we are talking
about. We may even be missing chemicals that we should be
tracking carefully, so we have to begin to understand what
we are trying to do or we can blow the whole bit and lose
track of the real goals and objectives. Obviously, what is
required is a U.S.-watch or an America-watch even before an
Earthwatch program, as advocated at Stockholm, so we can get
full-time, real-time data on what's really happening in this
country- A U.S.-watch that is scrupulously accurate and can
be reported by those of us in the news business with meticu-
lous objectivity--or Lord help us. The sensors and data-
gathering devices must precede the informational outflow
methodology -
Some of the agony and the arguments we have heard here
are the same agony and arguments that reverberate across
this Nation. They proceed from the mass confusion of a
people who are bombarded with often contradictory statements
from Congressional Hearings, environmental groups, self-seeking
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politicians, agencies trying hard or sometimes not trying
hard enough. The original fact lost in all this is so im-
portant that it is almost unbelievable by the time we get
to it. Well, we have learned, many of us in the news busi-
ness too often kill stories rather than mislead the public,
and that might be a lesson for many of us here. We kill or
don't use news items, for example, of promising cancer cures
that have worked only on a few experimental animals before
we will mislead the public or at least I kill those kind
of stories.
Some examples out of the shattered past of the last
few years might be useful, though they don't directly apply
full-time to the environmental discussions we have been
having. We might look, back and reconsider the case of the
SST. The SST may be the biggest environmental hazard since
the New York City Sewer System and Mayor Lindsey. There's
just no telling. It is unlikely to be an environmental /
•hazard at all but you would never know it by what proceeded
in the Congressional Hearings, in the press and from environ-
mental groups. The SST was killed on a cross of sxaggeration,
half fact, and hysteria, not real fact.
We might briefly talk about saccharin and cyclamates.
FDA killed them and killed their use with a data base so
incomplete that the medical profession just laughed at it.
There was no real data base and ?DA managed to ignore, for
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example, solid .empirical evidence gathered over the last
century on the case of saccharin. You might then look at
yesterday's paper and consider the banning of hexachloro-
phene by FDA, Ask your family pediatrician or internist
or GP about that or ask any hospital administrator. Hexa-
chlorophene has caused no human fatality in this country
that's known. There was the terrible case in France. But
by the same token, we could have overdosed ourselves with
salt or aspirin, manufacturing quality controls could have
gone wild in a Bayer factory or anywhere. But the fact is
that 90 percent of staph infections in this country have
been wiped out in the last decade by hexachlorophene and
hundreds of thousands of lives of infants saved. But FDA
panicked over the case of DBS where it was too late and it
triggered an overreaction in itself and killed hexachloro-
phene. My point is simple, common sense has to prevail.
We need to begin to effectively tell the American people
about what we are using up in our society and when I say We
that means all of uss it doesn't just mean people like myself i
and the news media, it means all of you in government agencies,
environmental groups, industry, etc. We need to tell the
people the resources we are truly using up, how rapidly we
are using them, and what can be done to preserve them.
How many, for example, know a few simple figures that I
keep perusing at 3 o'clock in the morning. Figures that came
85
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fro_m a speech by a fine man named Pecora, who died a few
mxDirths ago, from the Geological Survey that his s?cientists
ha,.d gathered. That we are now going to use over the next
20 years 6-1/2 quadrillion gallons of water in this country,
7-1/2 billion tons of iron ore, 1-1/2 billion tons of
aluminum ore, a billion tons of phosphate, a hundred million
tons of copper and so forth. Water usage will triple, energy
requirements will triple and by the year of 2000 we will have
to construct as many houses and other facilities as now
exist in all these United States now. Those are all en-
vironmental considerations, yet our people know few of those
facts. The news media has been given little of them and
has been given less cooperation in most cases by most Federal
agencies in developing stories on that.
The era of using up energy on a one-time basis in this
country, one of Bill Ruckelshaus' favorite themes, has also
largely been ignored by all of us and the news media. Sooner
than 2000, Mayor Lindsay is going to have to ban or restrict
auto traffic in Fun City, and we are going to have to do the^/'
same thing in most of our other cities.. Most important, we
have to seriously start developing new energy systems not
just talk about them, which we have been doing for two decades
How many of you know the simple faces for example or have
spread them that 2/3 pds of electrical energy today is lost
in the plair.. act of transmics ion? That the thermodynamic
86
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efficiency of the internal combustion engine is only 10 to
12 percent. The frictional losses of rubber tire vehicles
are. four times greater than those of rail vehicles. The
automobile itself was an accident. The internal combustion
engine just happened to happen conveniently and kept on
working up to now in most cases. How many of us have brought
home to our people the true figures on energy losses from
air conditioning and heating in our buildings? How many of
us have told our people about the. massive quantities of air
conditioning that are required for the glass sheathed palaces
we build ourselves in our big cities, instead of using more
efficient insulation that is available now and preserving
resources for our children and generations beyond them? How
many of us have really talked about new sources of power,
not just geothermal energy but collecting power from satellites
and beaming it to earth via microwave dishes as microwave
energy. I guess my point is simply that I don't think any
'of us have done an adequate job. We have dealt too often
in shattered, battered fragments of exaggeration-and some-
times not j£n. exaggeration but-too often in shattered specifics.*
and lost track of the whole. And what has happened out of
all this is the destructive climate that has prevailed over
this country, and I see it everywhere I go on stories and
speeches: a new climate oj: hysterical disregard for the
technological needs and the human needs of this world has
87
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sprung up in this country. It is obviously a world that
would starve and succumb to disease if we tried to return
to things the way they were a century or two ago.
The phrase I like first comes from that favorite
maverick of mine, Admiral Rickover, who warns of a new era
of McCarthyism if we wipe out the technology we need to
control pollution and better our environment, instead of
harnessing that technology. The point is that the technology
now in danger of being wiped out is neutral. As Rickover
beautifully put it, "half truths are like half bricks, they
can be thrown much further." Too often the American people
have been left confused without knowing where to go by all
the facts that we have thrown at them. I would like to
read you one paragraph which is a distillation of a survey
sociologists made that reads, "Deep in our crisis in this
country is the individual's fear that he has lost his
identy as well as his power to do anything about what's
happening to him. He feels hopelessly trapped in an ocean
of polluted air, jammed roads, run-down houses, and broken
promises. Promises that now have to be kept.". Well, the
great hope is that perhaps we have begun to discover some
of this in time and in many cases perhaps because of the
news media that same media, especially television by the
way, that's accused of distorting the news and sometimes
'does by accident or mediocrity, seldom by intent. Well,
88
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that same media may. just have saved us by focusing attention
on all of these crises in time, before they knock us out of
the ball park completely.
In closing, I would like to deal briefly with the
' > - , ":
specifics that I distilled out of the brief time I had at
this conference and the reason I am doing it this way is I
only had a brief time at this conference, and I refuse to
distort the few things I learned. Obviously, this confer-
ence has to be the beginning not the end. I think EPA is
to be commended for having the foresight to gather all the
people here. What is needed obviously are follow-up
conferences like this with more time to plan the actual
agenda, and more time to plan where things actually should
go. Obviously new informational display and distribution
methods are needed in this country- The U.S.-watch I
referred to should in prototype be an information display
that can be computer-fad or CRT-displayed in TV stations,
•radio stations, newspapers, libraries, schools, where
anybody can crank in the actual information on the environ-
ment they need. It will be costly but I submit it will
probably be Xtforthwhile because it will bring our people
back in touch with what's really happening in this country
and begin to restore to them the sense of belonging, the
sense of identity too many of them are missing, and. will
convince them they are not third person pluralistic fragments
floating around :',r. polluted air- So naw informational display
89
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cte-thods are required. Beyond that the task Is the job of
£0:mr o.r five, or six conferences to: lay out the s-fecifics
in terms of fine-grain medical knowledge that has to be
distributed, in terms of eliminating the duplication we
occasionally indulge in as Bill Ruckelshaus referred to it
the other day and some of the other speakers have.
You know, we are working on the prototype program for
a new science series that we hope to do with MIT, Human is tic
Science, and the first show we will probably need to do is
on human communications, if you grant there is any such
thing, sometimes we wonder. The producer of the show and
myself as technical advisers made ourselves up. five sentences
that are watch-words on how to proceed which I will read to
you as I go out the door at high speed. If you can't find
the solution, then you are asking the wrong question; if
you ask the right question, there has to be a solution;
if there isn't a solution, there can't be a question; and if
there isn't a question, there can't be a problem; and if
you can't find a problem, then you are not asking the right
q uest ions.
Thank you.
-------
WORKING SESSION ADDRESSES
90a
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SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION
AN INTRODUCTION
by
Henry M. Kissman, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Specialized Information Services
National Library of Medicine
Bethesda, Maryland
Ladies and Gentlemen: I would like to welcome you to this first
session of the scientific and technical information group of the National
Environmental Information Symposium.
By way of introduction, let me start with some definitions of scope.
Like most of the knowledge that we must have in order to deal with basic
societal problems, "knowledge about the environment" does not fit into
neat boxes. It is a continuum reaching from the social sciences on one
side to the physical sciences on the other. Also, it often cuts across
the standard scientific disciplines. The three sessions of this part of
the Symposium will deal with that part of the continuum that ranges from
biology through chemistry and physics to mathematics.
I would like to use this opportunity to state a point of view which
is certainly more a matter of personal bias than provable fact. I believe
that even though many of the environmental problems that face us today
have been caused by the rapid growth of science and technology during the
last hundred and fifty years, the solution to these problems will come
mainly through more science and technology. And if more science is needed,
then information support for that science is also required, because the
91
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i
scientific information base tells us where sciencewhas been and where it
A',
now stands, so that it can be decided where science must go from here.
Let me now tell you something about the organization of our frart of
this Symposium. We propose to present to you a survey or a "shopping list"
of information resources in science and technology, which might be required
by those active in various areas of environmental work. These potential
users need not be scientists themselves, but they require scientific and
technical data to perform their functions.
Furthermore, the "shopping list" has been deliberately designed for
the ultimate user of the information, rather than the information middleman—
the librarian, information scientist, builder of data bases, etc. In fact,
the entire National Environmental Information Symposium is arranged primarily
to tell this ultimate user about the information support which is available
to him and, conversely, to give him an opportunity, in the discussion
sessions, to come back to us—the providers of information products and
services--and tell us what he needs in addition to—or instead of—these
resources we have described to him.
Those of you who are, like myself and my fellow speakers, in the infor-
mation business, will hear much in these sessions which is familiar to you.
But please don't turn off your mental hearing aids, because you might also
hear about specialized services and resources that may be new to you and
you will certainly be able to contribute much to the discussion sessions
by drawing on your own experiences with existing products and services.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I do hope that you will all retrieve a great
deal of useful information from this Symposium,
-------
ORNIr-TM-3997
Contract No. W-T^05-Eng.-26
A SURVEY OF THE BIOLOGICAIr-SCIENCE-RElATED INFORMATION
CENTERS LISTED IN THE SEQUIP REPORT
(Paper prepared for Presentation at the National Environmental
Information Symposium, September 24-27, 1972)
by
Wm. B. Oottrell
OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
Operated by
UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION
for the
U.S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION
93
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Table of Contents
Page
Abstract v
1. Introduction. 9 1
2. Centers and Organizations Covered. 2
3. A Study of Information Provided and to Whom • 3
k. Results of a Specific Information Request. *. * 7
5« Discussion • « 10
6. Conclusions • 11
7* References • => 13
94
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Abstract
For a summary presentation at the National Environmental Information
Symposium the author was asked to discuss those information centers con-
cerned with the biological sciences. Since the SEQUIP Report provides a
general description of these centers the author conducted two surveys to
develop additional data. One survey identified the information provided
by the center, who was served and from what resources. The second survey
consisted of en individualized inquiry sent to each center in order to
evaluate its response. The results of both surveys are evaluated and
many significant conclusions drawn; most poignant among them arej l) a
satisfactory response was obtained from only about half of the "centers"
contacted,-and 2) personal contact will elicit the best response.
95
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. SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION CENTHS
CONCERNED WITH THE BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
1. Introduction
Thank you Mr. Chairman. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a pleasure for
me to be here to day to talk about one of my favorite vocations — scien^
tific information centers. I also feel honored to be scaring this lec-
ture pe-riod with my two distinguished colleagues Dr. Bra^jr and Mr. Hull.
I shall be discussing information centers concerned with the biological
sciences, but in order to do so, .1 would like first to introduce a defi-
nition of information centers so that we can all be tuned in on the
same wave length. I realize that there is some risk in doing xhis, as
I'll appear much less profound by being clear, simple, and straight for-
ward, but c'est la vie. I have selected as my definition — and there
are many to choose from — the one developed by the President' s Selene
Advisory Committee in their report "Science Information and Gove^rjatfent,ul
published a decade ago, to wit:
"The specialized information center [is] primarily ae
njLcal institute rather than a technical library. It must
be led by professional working scientists, who maintain the
closest contact with their technical professions and who by
being near the data can make new syntheses that a-re denied
all those who do not have the [information] at their finger-
tips. ;The specialized center should become the accepted re-
tailer of information, switching, interpreting, and other-
wise processing information from the large wholesale deposito-
ries and archival journals to the individual use*."
The significant points in this definition are that l) the center is
led by scientists, and 2) they - the scientists - process the information -
not just the documents which contain information. At this point, .1 would
like to call your attention to these significant differences between an
information center and a good library. A library, as well as an informa-
tion center, may acquire, store, retrieve, and disseminate information in
the broad sense, but the information center, on the other hand, is consti-
tuted to provide technical evaluation of the information thus "processed."
Furthermore, the basic unit processed by a library is generally a book,
journal, or document; whereas in the information center it would be the
96
BEST AVAILABLE COPY
-------
knowledge itself, not necessarily the source in which this knowledge is
contained. This fact brings us to two other significant characteristics
of an information center not explicitly included in the preceding defi-
nition: (l) the knowledge which is processed in an information center
is "indexed" for retrieval purposes to a much greater depth than in a
library, and (2) as a consequence of this processing depth, it is not
generally considered practical for information centers to approach the
breadth of technical libraries, and in actual practice they have extremely
narrow fields of interest.
You will note that I have made no distinction between information
centers and data centers. Indeed, as far as I am concerned, "information
center" is the general term, and a "data center" is merely a unique type
of information center in which the knowledge being processed is in numeri-
cal form. So much for definitions. It is the purpose of my talk to dis-
cuss for you the information and the related problems and opportunities
available in dealing with one class of information centers in the U.S.,
namely those concerned with the biological sciences.
2. Centers and Organizations Covered
In, the organization of this symposium it was decided to have two or
three speakers in each of these presentation sessions. In this session
we had three speakers and thus the necessity of dividing the«,subject mat-
ter .into three areas. My subject area is information centers concerned
with the biological sciences; Dr. Brady's area is information centers
concerned with physical sciences; and Mr. Hull's includes all data cen-
ters. In order to further delineate the bounds of each speaker's respon-
sibility this afternoon, we partitioned the centers listed in the direc-
tory contained in the SEQUIP report.2 For those of you who may not know —
SEQUIP stands for "Study of Environmental Quality Information Programs"
in' the Federal Government. The study was undertaken at.a workshop in the
spring of 1970, The first draft of the SEQUIP report was distributed in
the spring of 1971; a second draft in 19J2 and it is expected to be re-
leased soon* In any event, the SEQUIP Directory lists a total of 73
97
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environmental information and data programs. Of these the 11 centers that
were uniquely concerned with data were assigned to Mr. Hull, 25 dealing
primarily in the physical sciences to Dr. Brady, and 29 dealing primarily
in the biological sciences to myself. For those of you who are quick at
arithmetic, I will add that the remaining information programs in the
SEQUIP Directory were obviously not information centers in the context of
the previous definition and were therefore not included in our partition.
3. A Study of Information Provided and to Whom
Now I could rehash the information in the SEQUIP report on the 29 cen-
ters assigned to me, and I will to some extent. However, in order to de-
velop additional information I prepared a questionnaire and sent it to
23 of the 29 centers of interest here, as well as to 139 other centers
of potential interest. A copy of the questionnaire and cover letter are
included herewith as Attachment A. I will not report on the results of
the larger survey other than to say that exactly 50% (i.e., 8l out of
162) responded. Eight of the inquiries were returned with the notation
"Moved — left no address," or "Moved — not forwardable." The response
from the SEQUIP Centers was some better, i.e., 65% (15 out of 23 inquiries
sent), but still much less than one would expect from true information
centers organized to serve the technical community. The results of this
survey of the 29 SEQUIP Centers are summarized in Table 1.
It is not possible to say why the other eight centers contacted did
not respond. There are at least two obvious reasons: l) they are not true-
information centers, and/or 2) they are established to serve a specific'
mission rather than the technical community in generel, or at least, in
particular, the technical community represented by my inquiry - which in
this case was as a member of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
However,, analysis of the questionnaire from 15 centers which did
respond does provide us with some valuable information on these centers
as individual entities, as well as providing us with some interesting
insights into the information center business as a whole. The principal
points of interest are:
98
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i
r
Ho.
1?
15
17
16
19
21
22
24
25*
*r
27
Table 1
%
,j
Same
Division of Health Effects
Research
Division of Pesticflj^*
Community Studies
Division of Planning and
Research
Ecological Information and
Analysis Center (EIAC)
Ecological Sciences Infor-
mation Center
Ecosystem Analysis Infor-
mation Center
Emergency Operations Con-
trol Center (EOCC)
Engineer Agency for Re-
sources Inventories (EAHI)
Environmental Hygiene
Agency
Environmental Informa-
tion System
Toxicology Information
Response Center
Environmental Patent Pri-
ority Program Information
1..
"
Characteristics of 29 Biological lAC's Listed in SEQUIP Report
based upon a survey Aug-Sept. 1972
(Asterick denotes Centers which, have an exhibit at HEI Symposium)
Users Served
Agency Mission (from 3EQDIP
report) _ .. . . _ _ Govt . Govt . -,.._ Gen.
Indiv. Univ. Indus. c
EPA Effects of air pollu-
tion on health
EPA Effects of pesticides Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
on health
Dept. of Int. Compile outdoor rec-
reation projects
BKt-AEC Bioenvironmental and Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
ecological infor.
OEHL-AEC Environmental pol-
lutants in various
ecosystems
OHHL-NSF Into on biomed ;
program i
KAPCA Provide info to local Ho Ifo Yes Yes Ho Ho Ho j
authorities on air \
pollution episodes j
Arm> Environmental Planning
documents
Army Support Army preventive Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Ho
medicine program
OHNL-BSF Biblio. references and
data on environmental
information
ORHL-NIH-HEW A response center on Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
the hazards to man due j
to charcoals , :
Patent Priority processing of No No No No No No No '
environmental patents
Information Provided
So. £: ~ *• ***>«* ™* SDI Sir «*«
1
Yes Yes Ho Yes Ho Ho Ho Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Ho
Ho Yes Yes Yes Yes No Ho Ho
Ho Ho Yes Yes No No Ho No
Yea Tea Yes Yes Yes No Ho
Ho Ho No Ho No Ho Ho
-------
Bted in SEQUIP Report
t. 1972
libit at DEI
Information Provided
Ace. Staff
doc/yr
Brochure
Remarks
CW
Yes Yes No Yes No No No Yes 3000
Yea
Yes Yes Yea Yes Yea No No No 2000 2 No No
Ho Yea -les Yes Yea No N6 No
No
Ho No Yes Yes Ho Ho No No 100 10 No Ho
Not contacted
No reply
No reply
Hot contacted
Ho reply
Not contacted
Yes Yea Yes Yes Yes No No
Ho No No Ho No No No
6.5 Older Yes
consid-
eration
Ho
No reply
-------
26
29
"30*
'31
32
— -^-_
33
3*
37
38
1*0*
~
.
•_Jf5*
51*
6l
62*
65*
66
68*
I
ority 5ragran> Information
Environasrsal foliation gf-
. facts cc Aquatic Resources
Progrsc
Environissztsl and Radio-
logical Bealta Labora-
tories
EnvLFOoaen^al Science In-
formsticc Center
Environssss^sl Systems Ap-
plication Center
Environaestal Technical Ap-
plicatices Center
Eutrophlestion Information
Prograa
Flora Horth America Pro-
gram
Information Center fcr
internal Exposure
Health Sciences Informa-
tion Center
Medical Literature Analy-
sis 4 Betrieval System
(MEDLAHSj , - - - -
National Meteorological
Center
Nuclear Safety Informa-
tion Center
Smithsonian Inst . Library
Smithsonian Science
Information Exchange
Technical Information Cen-
ter
Technical Information Ser-
vice Branch
Toxicology Information
Program, _ ~ '
BOAST— - -
Air Force
NOAA
3ept. of Coram.
Indiana
Univ. -RASA
Air Force
University of
Wisconsin
Smithsonian
OHNL-AEC
STEERS -HEW
NU1-HEW
NQAA
Dept . of Com.
OENL-AEC
Smithsonian
Smithsonian
AEC
NIOSH-HEW
_
NIK-HEW '
environmental patents
Kcolugicot info an -Uu
ColuBfcia River 4. Puget " " ^ - - - -
Sound !
Provide Technical support
for Air Force missions
involving environment
Supervises NCAA's en-
vironmental info
Provide environmental
information services i
Provide environmental Referred request to higher authorities for reply
data --. - ,
Provide info on eutro- Yes " " Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes \ Yes Yes'
phi cat ion of inland
bodies of vater '
Info on vascular plants ' '
of Korth America ' __ . . [..
Estimation of dose due ' ,
to internally deposited i
radionuclides . . !
Provide info for pro- Yes Yes Yes" Yes Ho Yes Yes Yes Yes
gram planning- ' |
All info on medicine and No Yes No les Yes No Yea \ Yes Yes
related fields :
1,
Analysis and prediction No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes '., Yes Yes
of air pollution pot en- -
tial '
Infc on safe design i Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
operation of nuclear
facilities 1 handling
nuclear materials
Characteristics of biota No No- No No No So Yas j Yes Yes
Info on ail types of Yes Yes Y*s Yes Yea Yes Yes| Yes Yes
current and -basic re- . i •
search - ,
All national and inter. . . j.
nuclear science lit. ... ; .. ,-:^..
Info on occupational ' „-•••••'"•" .-\ -"t ''••
health 4 safety ... -- '-- „• ^ . .' • - -fl
A response center- on Bequests to this center, are processed Jy the Toxtcology Infornation
hazards to man due to > . ,'. ., '•-- ;-" j 99 - , i . —-
chemicals ' - „ .' -- • 1- . . ' /?
- ^-
..
--' *' '"
~,i* .
'•':•'.,'•
-« i-
Yes Yes Yes So
•/.£ -
*•-•' :}*'.•,.-
^Sfes
Yes Yes Ho 'Bo ^
Yes Yes No Yes
Yes •..- ' ;yss Yes Ho
~~ ' /^-^
,' '
Yes Yes Yes Yes
'; *>~ . ''
\ "\ '-. T
Yes Yea vBb Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes
,;
" -1 . '""•
. . .^- •
-- \
Response Center, 86 above ^\
^^V
No
-------
fc
*l
fr
Yes Yea" Yes
Yea Yea So Bo Ho 1*00
lea Yea
Yes Yes
Yea
Yea
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Ho Yea No 13,000 60
Yea Yes Yes
Yas Yea
Yes Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yea 15,000 12
Yes Ho Yss No Yes 18,COO 52
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yea 100,000 32
gy Information Response Center, 86 above
No
Yes No No Yes No 1+
Yea No Yes No No 700,000 10 No
Ho
No
Ho
Yes
No
tinder Yes
consid-
eration
No
Yea
So
Yes
No reply
Not contacted
Hot contacted
Not contacted
Ho reply
Ho reply
No reply
No reply
-------
1. Who is served? (Table 2)
2. What type of information is provided? (Table 3)
3. From what information resource? (Table k)
The survey results on each of these three points is summarized below.
It is not really surprising to see that individuals, without connec-
tions, are the least served, i.e., 6l%. Perhaps, on the other hand, it
is surprising that such a large fraction of the centers will apply their
technical resources to the needs of an individual per se. The only other
surprise in the matter of users is that while 85$ of the centers will
serve government contractors, only 10% serve other government agencies.
Table 2. Users Served
Individuals 6l%
Universities 77$
Industry JJ%
Government Contractors 85%
Government Agencies J0%
There was almost complete unanimity that a center's functions in-
cluded the preparation of reports. All centers did so (except the Patent
Office which has a distinctly different function anyway). This procliv-
ity toward report preparation would be excepted from the very nature and
purpose of technical information centers, even if not because, as govern-
ment entities, one would expect such a product anyway. In addition to
report preparation all centers, with two exceptions, answer technical
inquiries and provide technical consultation — functions which are com-
monly expected of them. Most centers (77$>) also prepare bibliographies
(both general and specific) and presumably provide this bibliographic
information as needed in response to specific requests. In fact, many
centers have their information files computerized so that bibliographic
searches.may be programmed to the specific needs of the user. Not
i
Too
-------
surprisingly only 30$ of the centers provide SDI. Only one center charges
for it's services, but several others are considering doing so. Only 30$
of the centers have a newsletter as such, although several others have
periodic publications which serve this purpose to some extent.
Table 3. Information Provided
General Bibliographies 77$
Specific Bibliographies 77$
Answer Inquiries 85$
Provide Consultation 85$
Prepare Reports 92$
Develop Data 5^$
SDI 30$
Publications 30$
Others 30$
Considering the limited statistics it is difficult to come up with
significant numbers in terms of documents processed per center technical
staff member, since this number is influenced so greatly by the other
work performed by the center. Thus, while the ranges indicated in Table
k are taken directly from the survey returns, the mean values might better
be defined as best—judgment values, where 1/3 to 1/2 of the technical
staff time is spent in accessing information and the remainder in the pre-
paration of reports and other services.
In this discussion of response to this survey, it is also note-
worthy that only 5 of the 15 centers which responded also enclosed the
brochure that was requested. This would suggest that there is room for
improvement in the mechanics of our operations to avoid such simple
oversights.
--•—
-------
Table k> Information Resources
Documents Per Year Staff /Documents Per Yeai
Range Mean Range Mean V Staff
100 to 700,000 ~10,000 2-60 10 1000
k. Results of a Specific Information Request
It is one thing for a center to identify the services it provides,
and to whom, in response to a survey; it could be an entirely different
thing to obtain information under "field" conditions. • Therefore, being
inherently an experimentalist and possibly also somewhat of a skeptic,
I conducted a little experiment. I wrote to each of the 29 SEQUIP cen-
ters assigned to me and presented each with a practical information in-
quiry within the scope of their center. In order to maintain the ob-
jectivity of this experiment, I assumed the identity of a corporate
research director doing graduate work on an environmental problem under
a corporation scholarship. With the information provided by the centers
I was then in a position to evaluate their response.
A 'typical inquiry is included herewith as Attachment B and consisted
of a letter giving my assumed background and interest in a particular
area, following which it identified 2 or 3 specific topics and requested
three itemsj
1. a bibliography on each specific topic,
2. an opinion on a specific issue, and
3. a brochure of the center.
I also requested the response within two weeks.
The results of this survey are summarized in Table 5. The number of
centers listed thare is 2J since I omitted my center, NSIC, (#51), and
the Toxicology Information Program (#68), since I was advised that their
response would be handled by their satelite center at ORNL's #26 Toxicology
Information Response Center. Of the 2.J information programs contacted,
k or 15%, did not respond at all. Of the 23 which responded,the average
102
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29
30*
31
32
33
34
37
38
1*0*
45*
61
62*
65*
66
A
B
fects on Aquatic Resources
Program
Environmental and Radio-
logical Health Labora-
tories
Environmental Science In-
formation Center
Environmental Systems Ap-
plications Center
Environmental Technical Ap-
plications Center
Eutrophication Information
Program
Flora North America Pro-
gram
Information Center for
Internal Exposure.
Infomiation Storage and
Referral Section
Medical Literature Analy-
sis & Retrieval System
(MEDLARS)
National Meteorological
Center
Smithsonian Institution
LJ braries
Smithsonian Science Infor-
mation Exchange, Inc.
Technical Information Cen-
ter
Technical Information Ser-
vice Branch
Dept. of Commerce
Air Force
HOAA
Indiana
Univ. -NASA
Air Force
University of
Wisconsin
Smithsonian
ORNL-AEC
ITIEHS -HEW
NIH-HEW
NOAA
Dept. of Commerce
Smithsonian
Smithsonian
AEC
NIOSH-KEW
Responsive and to the issue with substantive mat
Responded to the subject but
not deeply
8-10
8-10
8-10
8-9
8-8
6-8
8-8
8-9
8-9
8-9
8-9
8-10
e-io
6T9
erial
8-17
8-21
8-21
8-2°
8-15
+9-S1
8-16
8-17
8-17
8-15
8-31
8-15
8-18
8-22
7
11
11
20
7
43
8
8
8
.6
22
5
e
13
C Response
D R<
esponse
Govt! 1st
Govfc. 1st
37i, 3rd
Govt. 1st
8^, 1st
16#, 1st
40<(, let
Govt . 1st
'4
-------
' • > - "o-;^ _ Senfc Received "±-« fuauoBe
13*
1^
15
17
18
19
21
22
24
25*
Division of fk-alth Effects
H"-:--.-in-h
DlvKJon uf IVnticldo
C-siranuuUy Gtuil1.cn
Division of Pluiming and
Research
Ecological Information and
Analysis Center (EIAC)"
Ecological Sciences Infor-
mation Center
Ecosystem AnaJysis Infor-
mation Center
Emergency Operations Con-
trol Center (EOCC)
Engineer Agency for Re-
sources Inventories
(EAHI)
Agency
Environmental Informa-
tion System
26* Toxicology Information
27
28
29
30*
31
32
33
3*
37
38
4o*
45*
61
62*
65*
66
A
B
Response Ceivter
Environmental Patent Pri-
ority Program Information
Environmental Pollution Ef-
fects on Aquatic Resources
Program
Environmental and Radio-
logical Health Labora-
tories
Environmental Science In-
formation Center
Environmental Systems Ap-
plications Center
Environmental Technical Ap-
plications Center
Eubrophication Information
Program
Flora North America Pro-
gram
Information Center for
Internal Exposure
Information Storage and
Referral Section
friedicsl Literature Analy-
sis & Retrieval System
(MEDLARS)
National Meteorological
Center
Smithsonian Institution
Libraries
Smithsonian Science Infor-
mation Exchange, Inc.
Technical Information Cen-
ter
Technical Inforaation Ser-
vice Branch
Responsive ana to the issue t
Responded to ".he subject but
liPA
EPA
Dept , of Interior
BMI-AEC
ORWL-AEC
ORNL-NSF
HAPCA
Array
nay
ORNL-NSF
ORML-NIH-HEW
Patent
NOAA
Dept. of Commerce
Air Force
NOAA
Indiana
Univ. -NASA
Air Force
University of
Wisconsin
Smithsonian
ORNL-AEC
NIEHS -HEW
NIH-HEW
NOAA
Dept. of Commerce
Smithsonian
Smithsonian
AEC
NIOSH-KEW
8-4
8-4
8-10
8-9
6-9
6-10
8-9
8-9
8-10
6-10
8-9
8-9
8-8
8-10-
8-10
8-10
8-9
8-8
E-8
8-8
8-9
8-9
8-9
8-9
8-10
e-io
8-9
;ith substantive material
not deeply
8-9
6-21
8-15
6-22
9-6
8-15
O-24
8-21
8-24
8-25
8-17
8-21
8-21
8-29
8-15
+9-r:i
8-1.6
8-17
8-17
8-15
6-31
8-15
8-18
8-22
C Ree
D Re!
5
17
6
13
28
6
11
15
16
7
11
11
20
7
43
8
8
8
6
22
5
e
13
jponoe
sponse
Govt. 1st
Govt . Air
8rf, 1st
2W, 1st
Govt. 1st
Govt . 1st
Govt , Air
24 J, 3rd
32,24,8,
1st
Govt. 1st
Govt . ' 1st
Govt . 1st
37i, 3rd
Govt . 1st
84, 1st
16V, 1st
40<, 1st
Govt. 1st
4
-------
time for the initial response was 11 days, with IT of the centers ge
their reply back within the two week period as requested. Two of the
centers, i.e., #62 — Science Information Exchange, and #51 — Environmental
Systems Applications Center expressed a willingner.r to provicV information,
but had a charge for doing so. I did not proceed further- in i.h> "valua-
tion of these centers.
My evaluation of the responses was based upon the relevance of the
response to the questions asked, the usefulness of the material which
was provided (bibliographies and/or documents), and the assistance pro-
vided by the center's staff in responding to the technical opinion which
was requested. At this point, I would inject a word of caution since I
am sure that any other evaluation would come up with a different rating, '
as the matter is so subjective. Furthermore, one sample from a center
is no adequate indication of the overall effectiveness of any center.
Hence I would ask that this evaluation be kept in perspective for what-
ever merits it may have based upon the averages, and for the insight it
provides to the problem of information communication.
Nevertheless from the point of view of a prospective user, the
response from these inquiries ranged from extremely gratifying in some
instances, to very disappointing in others. I have rated half (ik] of
the responses either A or B which I consider as satisfactory. The other
half (15) included k which did not reply at all, 2 which charged for such
services, 1 which wanted more information, and the remaining 7 from whom
the replies were just inadequate. In addition to the bibliographies which
1 requested, I have received enough documents to start a small library.
This apparently came about from two principle factors; first, several
denters, which apparently were not equipped to provide special bibliog-
raphic searches, sent large published bibliographies, and/or copies of
abstract publications; and second, many centers volunteered copies of :
relevant articles on the subject in question. >
Only about half of the replies addressed themselves to the specific
issue regarding which I had asked their opinion, but in only a few
instances did I have the impression that a qualified technical person
•>
had provided me with any real insights on the problem.
104
-------
I fared a little better this time in obtaining brochures, since
eleven of the centers contacted sent same, as opposed to the 5 brochures
which were returned in response to the general survey.
Another interesting bit of information relates to the return com-
muniques themselves. Half (lU) of the centers responded using official
government envelopes for which no postage was required; all of these
were first class except three which responded by airmail. Of the other
half, most were non-government organizations operating under contract
to a government agency, but under such an arrangement they have to pay
postage. These responses included two third class mailings and one air-
mail, the remainder being first class.
* 5. Discussion
A person with an information need first must find out where he can
go to have his need serviced. This in itself is more difficult than it
Would appear as it involves the answers to several related questions, e.g.,
1. What information centers have a technical scope which includes
my need?
2. Do these relevant centers provide the service I desire?
3. Am I eligible to receive services from these centers?
k. Is there any charge for these services?
5. What is the technical quality of the information I receive?
6. How long will it take to get the desired information?
Some, but not all of the above, is covered by the various compilations
of information centers which "exist and this meeting should generate a more
complete and current directory.z>3>*>5>6 on the other hand, I have at-
tempted here to provide this information for the SEQUIP centers assigned
to me. One of the biggest problems in soliciting information, is that
«
the name of a group is often misleading as to its technical scope. Another*
problem lies in the fact that many groups and organizations whose names
are appearing on lists of information programs these days, are not pre-
pared to provide information to the "outside" user and probably should
not have been listed in the first place. If you have any doubt about
the responsibility of any group it would be better to talk to them first,
105
-------
and find out what they are indeed constituted to do. Again, the infor-
mation in this paper will give you some insight as to -what to expect from
this group of the SEQUIP centers.
The concept of talking with a center (or visiting same in person)
before initiating an inquiry will in most cases save you time, the center
time, and result in a more satisfactory response. By so doing, the user's
needs can be best matched to the center's information scope and services,
thereby achieving a better result than is normally possible from a simple
letter request. Talking with the center not only helps direct attention
to the important aspects of your problem, but also overcomes such obstacles
as the center's apparent inability to read (witness the previously cited
difficulty in getting brochures).
Several centers are automated, thus the incremental cost of providing
a user with certain information is minimal. With such a capability,
special bibliographies can be prepared in minutes (although a day is more
reasonable) and SDI may be routinely sent to thousands of users. In fact,
the capabilities of centers are so enhanced by such automation that I
would expect it to become an essential requirement in the very near future
for all but some of the smallest, most specialized centers.
Most centers neither provide nor sell the documents they refer you
to. Hence one should anticipate that the response from an information
center will not solve your problem, but provide you with the awareness
of the existing tools for the job. The rest is up to the user.
6. Conclusions
1. Not all information programs listed in the SEQUIP report and
most other compilations are technical information centers constituted
to provide information outside the sponsoring agency.
2. For true technical information centers there are significant
differences, as well as similarities, in the users served and the
services provided which should be confirmed in some manner before
initiating a request.
106
-------
3« Information responses vary widely and are most relevant and
meaningful when the user understands what he can expect, and the center
understands the user's needs. This is best achieved by some personal
contact (as by phone) in addition to a letter.
k. If we assume the inquiry is directed to the appropriate center
and the communication link is such that there is good understanding by
both parties involved, a wealth of valuable information, opinions, and
insights may be readily assembled. Given the complexity and interrela-
tionships in today's technology, this^ is one of the principal functions
of an information center.
5. Preparation of reports is a common characteristic of all infor-
mation centers, as are such other services as preparing bibliographies,
answering inquiries, and providing consultation. Other information out-
(
lets, as SDI and periodic'publications (journal, newsletter, etc.), are
much less common-.
6. In a center of any size, mechanization of the information-base
in some form (e.g., computer retrieval) is essential to an effective
operation.
7« At the present time all but a feV centers provide their services
at no charge — if they provide them at all. Charging schemes are under
consideration in at least 2 of the 7 other centers which responded to.
this question, and due to its inherent logic can be expected to become
more commonplace in the future.
8. The services of a majority of the centers are available to all
comers, although an individual is somewhat less likely (6l$) to be
served than either a university or private industry (77$)/ both of which
are second to government contractors (85$). The lower service eligibility
of other government agencies (70$) may reflect a reluctance on the part
of one agency to do work for another.
9. The conclusions and opinions expressed in this paper are mine and
do not necessarily reflect those of either the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
or the Atomic Energy Commission.
107
-------
7- References
1. President's Science Advisory Committee, "Science information and
Government," January 10, 1962.
2. "A Study of Environmental Quality Information Programs in the Federal
Government," Repbrt of thfeySEQUIP Committee to the Office of Science
and Technology, May 1971 (soon to be released).
3. Z. Combs, D. K. Truby, and J. R. Buchanan, "Directory of Environmental
Information Sources," ORNL-EIS-71-5, October 1971-
k. "Directory of Selected Specialized Information Services," Ad Hoc Forum
of Scientific and Technical Information Analysis Center Managers,
Directors, and Professional Analysis, CONF 651131, November 19^5 •
5. "Directory of USAEC Information Analysis Centers," January 1972, USAEC.
6. "Directoiy of Federally Supported Information Analysis Centers,"
January 1970, Prepared by Committee on Scientific and Technical Infor-
mation Federal Council for Science Technology, COSATI-70-1, PB 189300.
108
-------
OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY
OPERATED BY
UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION
NUCLEAR DIVISION
•AR SAFETY INFORMATION CENTER
«18'483-8«1 I: 3-7233
PTS «1B/4B3 7253
POST OFFICE BOX Y
OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE 37830
August 16, 1972
NUCLEAR SAFETY JOURNAL
618/483-ael 1: 3-5483
FTS 618/483-8483
The Nuclear Safety Information Center was established by the U.S. Atomic
Energy Commission to serve the nuclear community by collecting, storing,
evaluating, and disseminating information relating to the safe operation
of nuclear facilities. Although the technical scope of NSIC has always
included a nominal effort on the consequences of effluent releases from
nuclear power plants, as of four years ago, our efforts on environmental
effects were significantly increased. The complete technical scope of
NSIC is shown on the attachment hereto. Over JQ% of NSIC's total effort
(11 technical man-years) is allocated to the site and environmental cate-
gories (Nos. 2, 14, IS, 16, 19, 20, and 21) listed on the attachment.
For our users, we frequently undertake special bibliographic searches as
well as undertake to provide technical answers to specific questions. In
view of the detailed specialized knowledge required to respond to many of
the questions, we are frequently confronted with the need of referring
some inquiries to more specialized information sources. However, before
doing so on a routine basis, I would first like to ascertain from you the
nature of the response that such a referral to you could be expected to
elicit. This wilS enable us to best respond to the inquiries we receive
and to ascertain that the user is directed to the best information avail-
able for his need. It would permit us to direct to you only those poten-
tial users that you are in a position to accommodate. Toward that end,
i have prepared the enclosed brief questionnaire, which I hope you would
be so kind as tc fill out and return, together with some descriptive
literature on your program. For your information and use, I am enclosing
a brochure of MS!C.
JRBrjc
Enclosures
R. Buchanan, Assistant Director
'Nuclear Safety Information Center
109
-------
Attachment A (2)
NS iC Environmental Questionnai re
(Pleas® complete and return to NSiC by September l» 1972)
Yes No
(1) Does the scop© of your activity fall In or Include any of
the following InformitSon categories?
Siting of Nuclear Facilities , _ .. _„„_,
Radlonuclide Release and Movement In the Environment __ _ _
Invt ronrosntal Surveys, Monitoring, and Radiation Dot* ' ~
Measurements ______ _^
Meteorological Considerations T . ~7^
..Radiation Dos® to Man from Radioactivity Release to the1
Envi ronmont ' __ _ _ ^.ni_
Effects of Thermal Modifications of Ecological System ___ _
Effects of Radtomiclldes and ionizing Radiation on
Ecological Systems _ _ .
•
(1) Do you provide information to the following users? Yes Me
private Citizens • _ _ ^^_
Universities • _ _ . __ .
Private Industry ^^^ ___ ^
Governn^nt .COR tractors _ .
Government Agencies _
Other (explain) _ _ ^^
(3) What type of Information d© you provide? Yes No
General Bibliographic Searches __ _ ii|tf
Special BlbHogfaphf c Searches ,_—iii> .
Answers to Technical- Inquiries __^_ 2H
Consultation _____ .
Reports _____ _
Data "x*.. _ _
Selective Disseml nation ©f information _ _
Newsletter _ _ _ _
Other (explain) _ __ _
a ,
(k) What Is the six© ©f your InfomwtSon base asid equivalent 'full time technical
personnel?
We access approxln»ately _^___ , documents per year.
We have a technical itafT'oT^"^' equivalent full-time people.
(S) Which, if any, ®f th@ above services do you charge for and how much? Please
explain. —
This questionnaire w&s completed by M n i .......... | _ ^ on
_ _^^_. ,_____.jj^_,^_.^^m^mmm
-------
Attachment B
August 10, 1972
Mr. James E. Caskey, Jr.
Environmental Science Information
Center
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA)
Rockville, Maryland 20852
Dear Mr. Caskey:
This letter is a request for information with which I understand your
Information Center is involved. First as regards to my interest and
need, I am Assistant Research Director of Environmental Engineering and
Research Corporation (EERC) of Memphis. Since the first of this year I
have been on leave of absence to do work on my doctorate at the Univer-
sity of Tennessee. My thesis work is supported by EERC because of its
potential industrial applications in the control of liquid effluents.
I learned from a colleague that you were Director of the Environmental
Science Information Center which was established to collect and evaluate
scientific and technical information for the National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration and outside groups, and that you very probably
would have information of value to me by current investigation. I am
particularly interested in the following;
(l) Effects of large municipal sewage effluents released in
or near the ocean on aquatic plants and marine animals.
(2) Research conducted during the last three years on methods
of upgrading these effluents.
I would appreciate receiving a current bibliography on the above topics
from your information files, as well as your own evaluation of the most
effective methods of reducing BOD in effluents from paper mills. To be
of greatest value, I would need to receive this information by August 25.
In addition,,! would like to get a description (e.g., brochure, circular,
etc.) of your Information Center. I appreciate your cooperation and
assistance in this matter.
Yours truly,
Thomas B. Cantrell
10^33 Grovedale Drive
Concord, Tennessee 37720
111
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£. L. Brady. Talk, MEIS, Cincinnati, Ohio, September 25, 1972
INFORMATION CENTERS CONCERNED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS:
PHYSICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
The program for this symposium clearly shows that the committee
•
that planned it recognized a high priority for science and technology
in environmental problems and their solutions. Science and technology
are responsibJe not only for many, if not most, of the problems of the
environment, but they also offer the greatest hope for solving those
problems, if applied wisely. However, solving the technological
problems of our environment may turn out to be far easier than solving
the political and financial problems.
In this session this afternoon the speakers will identify and
describe a number of sources of scientific and technological
information, concentrating on those sources called "information
centers." This term also includes "data centers." First I should
explain what 1 mean by the terms "information Center," "Information
Analysis Center," and "Data Center." They seem to be almost self-
explanatory, but experience has shown that unless the audience is
composed mostly of so-called "information specialists," they need some
clarification. Henry Kissman asked me, therefore, to begin by briefly
describing the activities and functions of information centers.
112
-------
A basic premise of this symposium is that the audience consists
largely of users of information rather than information specialists.
That is, you are people who are faced with the necessity of solving
practical problems connected with the environment, and you need
miscellaneous types of information to help solve those problems. As a
physical chemist myself, concerned with the problems of effective use
of physical and chemical information, I know that the community of
physical chemists in this country is only dimly aware of the sources
of information that are available to them. I assume that other types
of physical scientists and engineers are not better informed, nor are
economists and other social scientists.
An "Information Center" is an organized group of individuals who
collect documents and other recorded information in a specified field
of knowledge, select and store appropriate portions of the collected
information, and then use this stored information to provide a.variety
of services to people who may need it. These services may be
abstracts, bibliographies, data compilations, critical reviews,
recommendations on new research, or any other output derived from the
stored information. Information centers show great diversity in their
operational practices and in their policies for charging for their
services. For example, some may provide their services free to all
comers; some may provide them only to a defined set of qualified
users. Some may charge a nominal fee, while others may charge a very
substantial fee.
113
-------
Now I want to define what I mean by the phrase "Data Center,"
since the word data is one of those words with several meanings and
therefore can mean anything the speaker wants it to. By the word
"data" I mean the numerical result of a quantitative measurement.
Such a result may be, for example, the rate constant for the reaction
of ozone with an unaaturatetl hydrocarbon. Or, it may be the vapor
pressure of water in the atmosphere at a specified time and position
on the earth's surface. The essential nature of "data" is that they
are the quantitative results of a measurement of some kind. A data
center then is a special kind of information center, one that
collects, manipulate*, and disseminates results of measurements.
Now I would like to consider the types of products and services
%
provided by information centers. In Figure 1, I have listed in the
left-hand column the sequence of activities that take place within a
center. The right-hand column lists the type of output that might be
associated with a particular kind of activity opposite it in the left-
hand column.
The first activity within a center is collection of relevant
information. This procedure usually involves examining large masses
of material that may be candidates for inclusion, and selecting
appropriate material for retention. The candidate material may be any
form of record whatsoever —- formally published papers, government
reports, photographs, audio or video tapes, or any record from an
instrument. The result of this selection process may be of interest
114
-------
to another person who wants to know what material is available
relevant to a certain area. The center may therefore produce a
listing, or a bibliography, with the entries organized into a number
of relatively broad classes.
The next step within a center is indexing and storing the
material. Usually a center will index ia much greater detail than is
customary in the broad-scale abstracting and indexing services, such
as Chemical Abstracts or Physics Abstracts. As a result of this
indexing activity, sometimes a highly-detailed indexed bibliography is
produced. For example, the National Bureau of Standards Alloy Data
Center has produced a detailed index of alloy systems. This index
tells the composition of a system, what properties were measured, over
what temperature ranges, who made the measurements, how they were
made, where they were published, and various other special explanatory
facts. Many other centers put out similar material.
The next step within a center is selection of appropriate
information and data to use in a particular product. This product
might perhaps be a state-of-the-art report or perhaps an uncritical
data compilation.
The next stage shown on the figure, that of critical evaluation,
is attempted by only a relatively small number of centers. If so, the
center is called an "Information Analysis Center." Let me digress to
call to your attention a source of information about such centers.
This source is called a "Directory of Federally Supported Information
115
-------
Analysis Centers." It was prepared by a panel of CQSATI working
closely with the National Referral Center of the Library of Congress.
It is available from NTIS, identified by number P3 189 300.
An information analysis center is directed by specialists in the
subject matter in which the center is focussedi because only
specialists have the sophisticated judgment required to carry out an
evaluation in a sufficiently critical manner. These specialists
evaluate the information stored within a center and produce new
knowledge which contributes to the progress of the science or
technology with which the center is concerned. This new knowledge may
be a critical review, a critical data compilation, a recommendation,
an answer to a problem, or one of the other products shown, I want to
emphasize as strongly as I possibly can that this critical evaluation
process has alvays been an essential element in the progress of
science and technology. Critical evaluation identifies sources of
error, analyzes discrepancies, and compares experimental results with
theory. A center that carries out a critical evaluation is not just
manipulating documents or data stored in a computer; it is producing
new technical knowledge. An information analysis center is a
management device for ensuring that critical evaluations are performed
systematically and comprehensively.
Most Federal government agencies and many other sponsoring
institutions have found that operating an information analysis center,
or a whole series of them, contributes effectively to their missions.
116
-------
For example, the national Bureau of Standards operates about two dozen
such centers within the National Standard Reference Data System. The
Office of Education of HEW operates 18 information analysis centers,
called Educational Research Information Centers, each dealing with
some specialized aspect of education — examples of the subjects
covered are junior college education, educating the retarded child,
and primary school education.
Sons centers operate in a discipline of the physical sciences,
the biological sciences, or the earth and atmospheric sciences.
Others are mission-oriented, rather than discipline-oriented. Many of
them provide information and services of great value to people who are
trying to solve problems relating to the environment.
With this introduction I can now tell you how we have organized
this session today. In the rest of the time allotted to me I will
describe a few of the centers providing information services in the
physical sciences, concentrating on those cente'rs that obtain most of
their information from documents and other written records. Dr.
Cottrell will then discuss the centers that are concerned with
biological effects, and the interaction between physical phenomena and
biological systems, again concentrating on those centers that obtain
most of their information from documents. Mr. Arnold Hull will then
describe the activities of some of those centers that deal with
observational measurements — that is, data — of geophysical
phenomena. These measurements are the actual quantitative description
117
-------
of our physical environment and the way it behaves. They include data
on weather, oceanography, aeronotny, and many other aspects of our
environment. We realize that this is an arbitrary way of dividing up
-" - i
our task; the boundaries are fuzzy and some of the centers that we
deal with could just as well be assigned to one of us as to another.
However, we agreed that the rationale that we are using is as
reasonable as any other we could think of — and more reasonable than
some.
*
My assignment, then, is to focus your attention on those centers
concerned with the physical sciences. Much of this information can. be
found in the SSQUIP report, which I hope will shortly be readily
available. The SEQUIP report, for those who are not familiar with it,
is the report of the "Study of Environmental Quality Information
Programs" in the Federal government, instigated by the President's
Office of Science and Technology a couple of years ago.
The National Standard Reference Data System (NSRDS) is first on
my list. Its objective is to produce critically evaluated data on the
physical and chemical properties of substances for use by scientists
-/
and engineers concerned with solving the technological problems of ^
society — air and water pollution, the energy crisis, new materials,
solid waste management. This program is administered by the National
Bureau of Standards under directives from the Federal Council for
Science and Technology and the U.S. Congress.
118
-------
table I lists some of the NSRDS publications containing data that
are important for environmental scientists. A list of all the
publications now available in the NSRDS series can be obtained from
the National Bureau of Standards booth at this conference. A status
report now in preparation will tell you about all of the other data
compilations and critical reviews that have been published or that are
under way at the present time. We will be glad to send anyone who
wishes it a copy of this status report; just write me a note.
However, the properties dealt with in the Standard Reference Data
Program cover only a small part of the knowledge of physical science
needed to understand and to protect the environment. Four agencies
share the primary responsibility for studying the physical nature of
the environment and providing information to those who need it, as
well as using chat information themselves in achieving their own
specific mission goals. These agencies are: the Environmental
Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the
Department of the Interior.
I can mention only briefly some of the activities that appear to
me as being of special interest in the areas that I am trying to
cover. I remind you that Mr. Hull's review will deal with several of
those centers that collect and process data on the physical behavior
of the environment. These centers are the principal producers of
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Interpretations and codified knowledge about the-, physical behavior of
the world we live in.
One o£ the important features of our physical world is the water
it contains — resources of water, quality of water, and pollution of
water. The Office of Water Resources Research in the Department of
Interior has established a Water Resources Scientific Information
Center, which has been assigned responsibility to coordinate and
supplement the technical information activities of Federal agencies
concerned with water resources of all kinds. This Water Resources
Scientific Information Center publishes at regular intervals a Water
Resources Research Catalog, which is intended not to give results of
research already done but to let people know what is now going on.
The latest edition describes more than 5000 current Federal, state,
and local water resources research projects. This center also
publishes a bi-monthly publication entitled "Selected Water Resources
Abstracts," containing abstracts of publications from all over the
world.
The abstracts and the catalog contain material gathered from the
several dozen agencies that share responsibilities in the water field.
These agencies are listed in the SEQUIP report. I will mention just a
few to give you an impression of the range of organizations involved:
Bureau of Mines, National Marine Fishery Service, Bureau of Outdoor
Recreation, Bureau of Reclamation, EPA Water Quality Office, and
Office of Saline Water. Many agencies that conduct contract research
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work in the water resources field require the organizations that
submit proposals to them to show evidence that the Water Resources
Research Catalog has been consulted before they will give serious
consideration to a new proposal.
To be sure that it has adequate coverage of the fields of science
and technology of concern to it, the Water Resources Scientific
Information Center supports a number of documentation centers focusing
on highly specialized topics. Typical examples of such topics are
animal feed lot wastes, textile wastes, and thermal pollution.
The Office of Water Data Coordination of the U.S, Geological
Survey issues a "Catalog of Information on Water Data." This catalog
contains observational data on water sources and their quality. I
refer you to the SEQUIP report for additional details and lists of
agencies that have significant responsibilities in this field.
In the field of air quality and air pollution, the Environmental
Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration undertake the largest programs, with major emphasis on
data collections. Other projects of these organizations are concerned
with biological effects and will be discussed by Dr., Cottrell.
To understand the atmosphere adequately, information is needed on
the properties of each molecule to be found in the atmosphere,
mechanisms of their reactions with other molecules, and their
thermodynataic functions. Additional data are needed on the behavior
of the atmosphere on a macro scale •— for example, on Che transport of
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mass and energy through the atmosphere and through the interface of
the atmosphere with the earth's surface. Many of these kinds of data
are provided by EPA, NOAA, and the NBS Standard Reference Data System.
Probably the most extensive literature services on the properties
of air are provided by the Air Pollution Technical Information Center
of EPA. This center prepares a monthly abstract bulletin containing
descriptions of papers from more than 1100 sources, including
journals, government reports, patents, proceedings, etc. This center
is also prepared to conduct literature searches and to prepare
bibliographies. It sponsors translations of individual documents and
a few cover-to-cover translations of journals. This center probably
would not be called at the present time an information analysis
center, although I believe it comes quite close.
I must mention the Scientific Information and Documentation
Division of NOAA because I don't know where else it might be
discussed, and I would not want to see it neglected in this symposium.
The program of this Division includes library„ editorial, report
writing, and other documentation services covering much of HOAA's
activity. Its total output is important to anyone interested in
environmental information, although probably only a relatively small
portion of it is in the specific areas assigned to me in this
symposium.
Now I xrould like to mention briefly a sampling of activities in
other areas. In solid waste management, the Solid Waste Information
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Retrieval System of EPA endeavors to collect, index, and store
published information on current research and technological
developments throughout the world. It publishes "Refuse Collection
and Disposal Annotated Bibliography" and other relevant material.
Symposium participants interested in radiation effects of various
kinds will find that the centers that deal with the biological effects
of radiation also include physical effects and other aspects of
radiation in the environment. For example, the Bureau of Radiological
Health of the Public Health Service collects literature and provides
various services in the fields of x-ray physics, particle
accelerators, radioactive substances, nuclear reactors, fall out,
radiation standards, etc. Dr. Cottrell's own center on nuclear safety
is another example of a center that provides a great deal of
information on the physical behavior of some aspects of the
environment.
Further, the broad-range documentation services to be discussed
in detail later in this symposium serve the fields that I am dealing
with as well as much of the rest of science and technology. Those
persons who need to know what research projects are now current, what
their basic approach is, and who is responsible, can consult the
Smithsonian Science Information Exchange, Inc. All government
agencies are expected to submit a one page description of new projects
and an annual updating of continuing activities to this organization.
As might be expected, the coverage varies xd.th the agency.
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Unfortunately for those people Interested in the physical sciences,
the coverage in these areas is not nearly so good as in the biological
sciences. SSIE prepares a number of research catalogs at the request
of various other agencies. For example, it prepares the Water
Resources Research Catalog previously mentioned.
Similarly, anyone who is interested in results that have already
been obtained rather than what research is now under way, should
become familiar with the services of the National Technical
Information Service of the Department of Commerce. The Director of
this organization, Mr. William T. Knox, will speak later in this
symposium on the activities of NTIS. I will mention only that NTIS
receives tens of thousands of technical reports per year, abstracts
them, indexes them, and announces and sells them to all comers. It is
the principal source of Federal government report literature for those
persons not on primary distribution lists.
OTIS has tens of thousands of customers and distributes millions
of documents per year, in both- paper copy and microfiche. It is
recognized by people all over the world as a treasure house of
information.
This talk has been a sketchy survey of some of the information
center activities now under way; the details of none of them have been
presented to you. I have tried to give a general indication of types
of activities and where you can go to learn more about then. The
essential message I want to get across is that many resources are
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available to the scientists, the engineer, the regulation writer, and
the citizen who needs, or just wants, information relating to the
physical features of the environment and the things that civilized
societies do to the environment. Learn how to use them*
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ACTIVITIES
N3
CRITICAL REVIEW
SOLUTION TO PROBLEMS
CORRELATIONS
-------
TABLE I
PUBLICATIONS OF NSRDS
SELECTED LIST
1. Band Spectrum of Carbon Monoxide
NSRDS-NBS-5
2. Tables of Bimolecular Gas Reactions
NSRDS-NBS-9
3. Thermodynamic Properties of Ammonia
NSFJ3S-NBS-19
4. Gas Phase Reaction Kinetics of Neutral Oxygen Species
NSRBS-NBS-40
5. Kinetic Data on Gas Phase Unimolecular Reactions
NSRDS-NBS-21
6. Photon Cross Sections, Attenuation Coefficients, and
Energy Absorption Coefficients from 10 keV to 100 GeV
NSRDS-NBS-29
7- Critical Micelle Concentrations of Aqueous Surfactant Systems
NSRDS-NBS-36
8. Selected Values of Heats of Combustion and Heats of Formation
of Organic Compounds Containing the Elements C, H, N, 0, P, and S
E. S. Domalski, J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data, JL, 221 (1972)
9. Properties of Molecules Important in Air Pollution Studies
la Press
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FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL
DATA CENTERS AND SYSTEMS
Arnold R. Hull
Associate Director for Climatology
Environmental Data Service
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
U. S. Department of Commerce
I INTRODUCTION
Our environment extends from the center of the Earth to the center of
the sun. There is hardly an area of human activity in which environ-
mental data are not needed daily to improve man's understanding and
use of his environment and its living and non-living resources.
Every minute of every day thousands of observations are made
concerning the myriad aspects of our environment. Eventually, many
of these data--whether collected in the ocean's depths, outer space,
or a country field—wind up in one of the Federal Government's
environmental data centers or systems, where they are generally
available to all. The questions I shall answer during this presen-
tation are: (1) Who has what data? (2) What specific products
and services are available to users? (3) How do users plug into
the system?
II FEDERAL DATA CENTERS AND SYSTEMS
I will limit detailed discussion to the centers and systems that
collect and monitor large volumes of environmental data. Copies
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of a listing of user contacts, as well as addresses and phone numbers
(Appendix 1) .for these activities are available at the NOAA booth
(no. 266) in the exhibit area.
The centers and systems I will discuss are, for the most part,
described in outline form in the SEQUIP (Study of Environmental Quality
Information Programs) Directory, part of the SEQUIP Report, prepared
for the President's Office of Science and Technology. Bob Freeman of
EDS will lead an informal forum session on SEQUIP at 8 p.m. this evening.
All are welcome.
Department of the Interior
(1) National Water Resources Data System.
The Water Resources Division of the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS)
conducts investigations and research on the occurrence, quality, quantity,
distribution, utilization, movement, and availability of surface and
underground waters. One of the Survey's most important activities in
this regard is the systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation
of data to evaluate the Nation's water resources. These data are
computer processed for storage, retrieval, and dissemination.
Types of Data Available
USGS data collection and water-resources assessment are carried out
in every State and in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Pacific
Trust Territories. General-purpose water-quality information is
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acquired on a continuing basis at nearly 5,700 sites. Special-purpose
water-quality data gathered by monitoring toxic metals, pesticides, and
radiochemical constituents at selected locations are also available.
In addition, the Survey acquires, processes, and publishes water"
discharge, and water-quality information for some 18,000 streamflow
stations and 28,000 ground-water observation wells. Finally, more
than 860 areal investigations, covering about three-quarters of a
million square miles, are or were in progress during 1972.
Records for about 220,000 station years of streamflow data on
Some 35,000 wells and 4,000 water-quality stations are available.
Streamflow and quality-of-water records have been placed on magnetic
tape. Information concerning the availability of these data and
the publications listed below may be obtained from USGS (see Appendix 1).
Publications
Streamflow, water quality, and ground water level data are published
in annual data releases according to State boundaries. The principal
USGS hydrologic data publications series are: (1) "Surface-Water
Supply of the United States," (2) "Quality of Surface Waters of the
United States," and (3) "Ground-Water Levels in the United States."
In addition to these basic-data reports, other publication series
describe the magnitudes and frequencies of floods, as well as
noteworthy floods that have occurred in each year.
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NAWDEX
To facilitate the movement of data between agencies and individuals
working in the fields of water-resources evaluation, development and
management; the Geological Survey will establish a National Water
Data Exchange (NAWDEX) in FY 1973, General capabilities of NAWDEX
will be: (1) To coordinate water-data files of member agencies.
(2) To produce a verified, standardized, and consistent data base.
(3) To incorporate units of measurements within both the English
and metric systems. (4) To respond to requests in required time
frames. (5) To be responsive to national requirements. (6) To serve
as a model for emerging non-Federal, water-data handling systems and
eventually as a linking mechanism between such systems.
USGS plans to have a limited NAWDEX operational capability by
mid-1973 with full implementation scheduled for 1975.
(2) Earth Resources Observations System (EROS) Data Center.
Photographic products acquired by NASA from surface, airborne, or
space-borne platforms for research and experimental use in NASA's
Earth Resources Survey Program are, except as may be prohibited by
law or regulation, available for purchase by private and public
parties, both foreign and domestic. These data products are sold
to the public by the Department of the Interior's EROS Data Center
as well as by NOAA's Environmental Data Service, and USDA's
Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service.
The EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is operated
by the Topographic Division of the Geological Survey. It disseminates
NASA earth resources program data to users in such land-oriented
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fields as geography and geology, among others, as well as a variety of
aerial photographs relating to Department of the Interior programs.
Data Products Available
NASA-processed_Ear±h_Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS)
data products are either system-corrected images (bulk) provided to
the Data Center in the form of 70-mm film, or scene-corrected images
(precision) provided on 240-mm film, at a scale of 1:1 ,,000,000.
Only about 5 percent of the ERTS imagery available in the Data Center
have been precision processed. Copies of the system-corrected
individual images are available at contact scale (approximately 2 1/2
x 2 1/2 inches), or enlarged to approximately 9x9 inches.
NASA imagery obtained from aircraft and spacecraft (including
the manned Apollo and Gemini missions) in support of its Earth Resources
Survey Program are also available. Copies of these photographic
products may be purchased at contact scales, as enlargements or
reductions, in color or black and white, on film or on paper.
Computer-compatible magnetic tapes of both ERTS data and NASA
Aircraft Program data are available for reproduction through the
Data Center.
Aerial photographs taken by the U. S „ Geological Survey primarily
for topographic and geologic mapping purposes are also available from
the EROS Data Center. The vase majority are black and white, vertical
photographs at a scale of approximately 1:24,000 (contact prints are
9x9 inches); coverage is of discontinuous areas through
the countenninous U. S., Alaskas Hawaii, and the
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Territories. The remainder are either low oblique or high-altitude
photographs, black and white, in a 9 x 9 inch format.
Photographs made in support of various projects of the Bureaus
of Reclamation and Land Management are also available at various
scales reflecting the specifications of the particular project. A
computerized index of USGS-held photographs is available at the Data
Center. Photographs made prior to 1941 are held by the National
Archives and Record Service. All aerial photographs are available
at contact scales, as enlargements or reductions, on film or on paper.
Catalogs and Browse Films
Data catalogs and 16-mm "browse films" for all NASA-generated imagery
are available at the center for rapid user-evaluation of the data
collection. A browse film is also provided for the Center's aerial
photography products.
The 16-mm browse films are available for user purchase. Films
for ERTS data are updated every 18 days and can be ordered on a
subscription basis. Updating of the other browse films is irregular
and films must be purchased individually.
User Training
Periodically the staff of the EROS Data Center will offer discipline-
oriented remote sensing courses in agriculture, forestry, geography,
geology, hydrology, and oceanography, emphasizing the use of ERTS data.
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There will be a basic remote sensing course covering simple interpretation
tools and techniques and an advanced course which will provide an
opportunity to study various remote sensing research techniques.
User Services
The EROS Data Center staff will assist users in locating imagery and
photography to meet individual needs. Inquiries may be made by telephone,
letter, or personal visit. If you need assistance, the staff will help
you identify data best suited to your needs, but you should be prepared
to tell them: (1) limits of the geographic area of interest, (2)
what you want the data for, and (3) how you want to use the data.
Normal processing of orders takes one week. Orders for (1)
enlargements of ERTS data other than 1:1,000,000-scale and (2) USGS
'ij»
photography obtained prior to 1941 will require longer processing time.
All orders must be accompanied by prepayment; a current price list
is available on request. Extra charges for shipment by Air Express
or Airmail, and Special Delivery are paid by the purchaser. In
addition to the cost of reproduction, the user will be assessed the
cost of any required interim step product; interim products will be
accessioned by the Data Center and be made available to all users
thereafter at cost of reproduction.
NOAA and USDA
Earth Resources Data Dissemination
NOAA provides earth resources data to its user publics through the
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Environmental Data Service's National Climatic Center (NCC), in Asheville,
North Carolina, while USDA's user interface is the Western Aerial
"*x
Photography Laboratory in Salt Lake City. NOAA services users primarily
interested in data related to oceanography, hydrology, and meteorology.
The Department of Agriculture serves those seeking satellite imagery
for agricultural applications.
Requests for photographic copies of bulk-processed imagery will
be filled as ordered from 70-mm negatives already in the agencies' files.
Requests for either precision-processed photographic copy or digital
data in tape format will require special order from NASA, and will
entail a delay in preparation.
Nationwide "Browse-Film" Services
Browse films (16-mm) of earth resources imagery are available at many
sites throughout the country (and in the Canal Zone) for use by local
users. Generally, the sites are (or will be) open daily from 9:00 a.m.
to 3:00 or 3:30 p.m. (Department of the Interior), except on weekends
and legal holidays. Order forms, procedures, and prices of available
data will be posted in each location.
Copies of a listing of the browse-file locations (Appendix 2) are
available at NOAA's exhibit booth; this listing also includes the
addresses of the USDA and NOAA outlets for earth resources data products.
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Environmental Protection Agency
(1) National Water Quality Control Information System (STORE!).
STORE! is the central, computer-oriented repository for all water
quality control data collected by EPA and cooperating agencies.
STORE! provides data needed for decision making in water pollution
control activities whether at the Federal, State, basin, or local
level.
Data Resources
S!ORET houses and retrieves data and information on water; water
quality standards; pollution-caused fish kills; manpower and training;
municipal and industrial waste discharge; and'waste abatement needs,
costs, and implementation schedules. Given this data, the user can
define the cause-and-effect relationship of water pollution; measure
compliance with State and federal water quality standards; check the
status of waste treatment plant needs, grants, and implementations;
and determine pollution trends.
STORE! currently contains 10 individual data files relating
primarily to identification of wastewater discharges and ambient water
quality. Ihe STORET computer system, provided by private contractor,
is located in McLean, Virginia. The total current storage volume of
the system is approximately two billion alpha-numeric data characters.
Data can be entered into and retrieved from STORET in a large
variety of formats. Outputs include statistical summaries and other
forms of analyses. Data entered into STORE! are immediately retrievable,
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can easily be corrected and updated, and are normally available to all
STORET users. When necessary, however, the availability of data can
be restricted to a single user. Thus, an agency or individual may
store, retrieve, and analyze sensitive data with no fear of unauthorized
retrieval or modification.
Data are stored on high-speed, random-access devices, making it
•
possible to respond to over 1,000 information requests daily. Responses
are relayed to the user via high-speed telecommunications lines, and
printed at a computer terminal, providing hard-copy answers to queries
within minutes. STORET also provides micro-output in film, fiche, or
aperature card format. To assist users the Technical Data and
Information Branch provides 12 full-time personnel to provide STORET
user assistance.
STORET Users
EPA encourages the use of STORET by other Federal, State, and local
agencies with missions relating to environmental protection, water
pollution control, or water research. As of July 10, 1972, there
were 140 low-speed STORET terminals in State and other Federal agencies'
offices. To aid non-EPA users, a computer terminal is loaned for 30
days and necessary operator training is provided by EPA. After 30
days, EPA continues to pay computer costs, while the user pays terminal
lease charges. STORET data are also available to the public, usually
in published form.
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Future Services
Improvements being added to STORET include a River Mile Index (RMI)
location system to allow "hydrologic order" location of points of
interest and a General Point Source File (GPSF), which will accept
descriptions of all point sources of pollution. When RMI's become
available for all STORET data, a user will be able to retrieve
effluent and ambisnt water quality data in stream-flow order and
estimate cause and effect information simply by reading the data in
that order. The present project covers 30 States where no RMI data
currently exist.
About 70 percent of the GPSF computer programming work is
completed. GPSF will allow point sources of pollution to be related
to ambient water quality data.
(2) National Air Data Branch (NADB)
EPA's National Air Data Branch is charged with the collection,
validation, analysis, and publication of (a) air quality data in the
SAROAD (Storage and Retrieval of Aerometric Data) system, and (b)
emissions data in the NEDS (National Emission Data System) system.
The National Air Data Branch is located in Durham, N. C. and accesses
the EPA Research Triangle Park, N. C., computer.
Data Archived ,.
/ /
/
SAROAD collects and validates ambient air quality measurement
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data. In general, data concern the five primary pollutants:
suspended particulates, hydrocarbons, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen
oxides, and carbon monoxide and oxidant. In addition, many
trace elements and compounds have been assigned codes. The
monitoring time periods have also been codified, as has
sufficient information to characterize the sampling site.
Currently, about 1,000 monitoring stations are submitting
data. In addition, old data collected by State, local, and
Federal agencies have been incorporated into the National
Ambient Data Bank (NADB), so that there are considerably more
monitoring sites defined as a result of previous (and perhaps
not currently operational) monitoring activities.
NEDS is concerned with emissions, source inventory, and
emission factor data collection and validation. Approximately
80 data items stored about each point source of air pollutant
emissions are contained in the National Emissions Data Bank
(NEDB). About the same number of items are kept for each
area source of emissions--defined in NEDB as a county (or
equivalent). There are about 75,000 point sources which emit
more than 100 tons/year of any one of the primary air
pollutants3 and about 3,300 area (county) sources in the
55 states and territories.
Data in NEDB are primarily those which permit calculation
of emissions, although emission estimates for the individual
sources are also stored. In addition, stack parameters and
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other information pertaining to the operational characteristics
of the source are available.
Data System
The normal flow of data from State and local agencies to both
SAROAD and NEDS is through the EPA regional offices. Data
collected through EPA programs are submitted directly to the
National Air Data Branch. In general, no data for either
system can be entered immediately, but must be stored
temporarily for Branch validation, thus assuring quality
control of all information input. Both SAROAD and NEDS use
the same parameter codes and geographical codes for States,
counties, air quality control regions, and cities. Analysis
by geographical area can be made for any one or combination of
these areas.
Data Services
SAROAD and NEDS are designed to serve EPA, State and local
agencies, and the general public. Both are still in the
developmental stage, with limited EPA operational status
scheduled for early 1973. As soon as practicable, EPA hopes
to provide State and local agencies with terminal access to
NADB/NEDB. National Air Data Branch personnel and contractors
will help them modify their current systems to achieve
compatibility with NEDS and SAROAD systems. Public requests
for data from either system should be addressed to the appropriate
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EPA regional office.
Reports and Publications
Various data reports are available to users, including raw
data listings for each site and point/area source. Monthly,
quarterly, and annual air quality statistics are also available,
In addition, both air quality and calculated emissions data
are provided, together with gridded and apportioned area
emissions and fuels for strategy modeling. These and other
special reports and publications are available through EPA's
regional offices.
Expansion
The SAROAD system is expandable with respect to sites,
pollutants, methods, and measurement units; the extent of data
analysis may also be increased. The, potential capacity of
NEDS for the storage of State, county, or source-oriented
data is almost limitless.
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
(1) National Space Science Data Center
The National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) was established
to widen the use of reduced satellite data and to provide an
active respository for such data. NSSDC is responsible for the
collection, retrieval, dissemination, and exchange of data
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received from satellite experiments, sounding-rocket probes, and
high-altitude aeronautical and balloon investigations. In addition,
the Data Center collects correlative data, such as magnetograms and
ionograms, from ground-based observations and stations for NASA
investigators and for onsite use at NSSDC in the analysis and
evaluation of space science experimental results.
Data Archived
Primarily, NSSDC acquires reduced records prepared from original data
by the introduction of scaling and correction factors, An attempt
is made to assure later investigators independent use of the data
by providing such additional information as instrument description
and calibration, data reductions method, bibliographic notes, etc.
In addition, the data center collects those final analyzed data which
the principal investigator identifies as the most useful and best
illustrating the scientific results of his experiment.
In general, data are in machine-sensible form but can also
include charts, graphs, photographs, and tables. The preferred medium
in each case usually is determined by consultation between the
principal investigator and the Data Center staff.
Data Dissemination and Exchange
The Data Center provides duplicate copies of reduced experimental
data on request. Within the capabilities of NSSDC, the data may
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be converted to another medium to meet the needs of the requester.
The Center also provides for the exchange of space science data;
based on the mutual agreement of the principal investigators of a
project, the project scientist of satellite/rocket experiments
arranges for the exchange of the data through NSSDC facilities during
the prime analysis period. NSSDG publishes several series of data
announcements describing their data inventory, correlative data, and
supplementary information.
User Services
Research work may be performed onsite at NSSDC by both resident and
visiting scientists. User support services include technical
assistance and the use of equipment. Limited staff assistance and
use of facilities are provided free; nominal fees are charged for
special reproduction, computer/programming time, and dissemination
costs.
All requests for data, publications, and information about
NSSDC's facilities should be directed to the Data Center (see Appendix 1),
Proposals by U. S. investigators to perform on- or offsite investigations
using the data available at NSSDC may be submitted to NASA for funding
considerations. Information concerning the submission of proposals
can be found in ''Opportunities for Participation in Space Flight
Investigations," NASA NHB 8030.1A, April 1967.
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U. S. Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA's
Environmental Data Service (EDS) operates 3 environmental data centers:
the National Climatic Center (NCC), the National Oceanographic Data
Center (NODC), and the National Geophysical and Solar-Terrestrial Data
Center (NGSDC). EDS is also developing a Great Lakes data center,
temporarily located within the NODC. (Another component--the Environ-
mental Science Information Center—provides a literature-related system
complementary to EDS' data system). All centers serve the general
public, other Federal agencies, business and industry, the academic
community, State and local governments, and foreign users.
(1) THE NATIONAL CLIMATIC CENTER (NCC) in Asheville, N. C. is the
largest climatological data center in the world, a unique central
source of historical weather data and related data products. As the
collection center and custodian of all United States weather records,
NCC obtains data generated by NOAA's National Weather Service, the
weather services of the Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard, the Federal
Aviation Administration, and thousands of cooperative observers.
NCC Data Services and Products
Climatological data available from NCC include: hourly surface
meteorological observations from land stations; 3-hourly and 6-hourly
surface observations from land stations, ocean weather stations, and
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moving sliips; upper air observations; radar observations; meteorological
satellite data; selected maps and charts originally prepared by NOAA's
National Meteorological Center; derived and summary data and tabulations;
special collections such as Barbados Oceanographic-Meteorological
Experiment meteorological data, Global Atmospheric Research Program
basic data set, solar radiation data, and many others.
After computer and human editing, data for which there is general
user demand are summarized and disseminated in a wide variety of
publications. Each year, one million copies of monthly and annual NCC
climatological publications are mailed to 65,000 subscribers.
Other data forms and products available to users include special
summaries, copies of original records or groups of records, magnetic
tapes, computer output to microfilm analyses or graphics, and hand-
prepared tabulations and analyses.
(2) THE NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA CENTER (NODC) houses the world's
largest accessible collection of marine data. It is the national
repository for historical oceanographic data and data products.
NODC receives data for all oceans, seas, and estuaries from
hundreds of sources, domestic and foreign, including the national
data centers of other countries. Data and publications are also
obtained by exchange between the Center and individuals and organi-
zations in 45 countries and such groups as the ICES, the International
Council for the Exploration of the Sea, as gifts from scientists and
organizations wishing to share their data, and through the purchase
of valuable marine data collections.
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NODC Data Services and Products
Oceanographic data available from NODC include: mechanical and
expendable bathy-thermograph data in analog and digital form;
oceanographic station data for surface and serial depths; continuously
recorded salinity-temperature-depth data in digital form; surface
current information; biological data; geological sampling inventory,
primarily for the New England Continental Shelf; and bottom sample
information.
NODC services and products include: data processing; data
reproduction—in computer printout, punchcard, magnetic feape, and
other forms; analysis and preparation of statistical summaries;
evaluation of various data records for specific analytical require-
ments; library search; referral; provision of general marine sciences
information; and publications, including data processing manuals,
catalogs of holdings, data reports, and atlases. The"User's Guide
for NODC's Data Processing Systems/'available from NODC on request,
provides detailed information concerning data holdings.
Great Lakes Data Services
In February 1972, EDS established within NODC a special unit to meet
the needs of multidiscipline data, users in the Great Lakes drainage
area. The unit has prepared a project inventory for the International
Field Year for the Great Lakes (IFYGL). The inventory contains about
3,000 computerized records of the data collected this year from Lake
Ontario. Although designed primarily for use by United States and
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Canadian managers for IFYGL, the listing is available to any user
interested in environmental data for the Great Lakes area.
(3) NATIONAL GEOPHYSICAL AND SOLAR-TERRESTRIAL DATA CENTER (NGSDC)
is responsible for environmental data in the fields of seismology,
geomagnetism, marine geology and geophysics, solar activity, inter-
planetary phenomena, the ionosphere, cosmic rays, aurorae, and
airglow.
NGSDC Data Archives
SEISMOLOGY. Somu 300,000 seismic recordings or seismograms per year
from about 150 earthquake-monitoring stations around the globe are
processed and archived by the NGSDC's Solid Earth Sciences Division,
adding to a file that numbers more than two million seismograms.
Accelerograms and data analyses from NOAA's strong-motion seismology
program are also part of the Center's seismic holdings.
GEOMAGNETISM. Geomagnetic data are received from United States and
foreign sources and consist primarily of worldwide geomagnetic survey
measurements and observatory magnetograms, which show changes in
direction and strength of the earth's magnetic field, hourly values,
and indices of magnetic activity. Holdings include some one million
magnetograms, which accumulate at a rate of about 50,000 per year
(most are stored on 35-millimeter microfilm). The Solid Earth Data
Services Division also compiles United States and World Magnetic
Charts, the latter in collaboration with the U. S. Naval
Oceanographic Office.
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MARINE GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS. NGSDG handles gravimetric, magnetic,
bathyrnetric, and seismic observations collected at sea by Federal
agencies and many universities and research centers, as well as some
foreign sources. In addition, NOAA's Environmental Data Service is
managing and disseminating marine geophysical data obtained from
explorations under the International Decade of Ocean Exploration
(IDOE).
SOLAR-TERRESTRIAL PHYSICS. Most of the data managed by the center's
Solar-Terrestrial Data Service Division come from worldwide sources
under international exchange agreements. The rapidly expanding file
contains more than 11 million feet of ionogram film, 800,000 feet of
all-sky camera film, 2.5 million sheets of graphical and numerical
data, and additional information on magnetic tape from NOAA and
NOAA-supplied stations and several hundred cooperating institutions.
Ionosphere data received include vertical soundings, topside
soundings, electron density profiles, systematic observations of
ionospheric absorption and drifts, atmospheric radio noise measure-
ments, whistlers, very-low-frequency noise observations, and other
categories. Solar activity data include those on solar flares, radio
emission events, sudden ionospheric disturbances, and some satellite
monitoring measurements of ultraviolet, X-ray, and particle emissions
and the solar wind. Also included are global solar patrol data on '"'
calcium plages, solar magnetic fields, and chromospheric structure,
various daily maps of the sun, and solar indices. Auroral data
consist mainly of all-sky photographs. Cosmic ray observacions are
made by the world network of ground-based stations.
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NGSDC data are available in numerous reports and publications;
in microfilms; on punched cards or magnetic tape; in summaries and
tables; and, maps, charts, and graphs. Marine geological records
include cores, samples, and best flow and sediment data.
Environmental Data Service
User Requests
EDS data and data products are available to users upon request on
an exchange basis, at the cost of retrieval and reproduction, or—
for publications and certain simple services--at unit costs established
by the Department of Commerce. Addresses and telephone numbers are
given in the listing of user contacts (Appendix 1) I mentioned at
the beginning of my presentation, available at the NOAA booth.
User requests to any of EDS data centers should define the data
required, stations, or geographical areas of concern, desired format,
and a description of the problem for which the data are required.
User-visitors are welcome at the NCG, NODCS and NGSDC. Working
space and technical assistance are available upon request; advance
notice is requested, however, for scheduling purposes.
II OTHER CENTERS AND SYSTEMS
In addition to the large-volume centers and systems I have just
described, there are other environmental data activities which should
be noted. In general, their holdings consist of biological, chemical,
geological, or tides and currents data. Brief summaries (see Appendix 3)
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of specific centers and systems are contained in the SEQUIP Directory,
which should soon be available to the public, either through the
Government Printing Office or the Department of Commerce's National
Technical Information Service.
Ill WORLD DATA CENTER A:
Mechanism for International Exchange
You have already heard Dr. Townsend outline the World Data Center A
(WDC-A) system, established in the United States as a result of the
International Geophysical Year (IGY). Under an agreement with the
National Academy of Sciences, NOAA is responsible for WDC-A activities
in solar and interplanetary phenomena; ionospheric phenomena; aurora,
cosmic rays, and airglow; geomagnetism; gravity; seismology; the Upper
Mantle Project Archives; tsunami; oceanography; and meteorology and nuclear
radiation. Glaciology is the responsibility of the U. S. Geological
Survey; longitude and latitude of the U. S. Navy, and rockets and
satellites of NASA's National Space Science Data Center.
Most of the WDC-A subcenters are identical with or collocated
at national centers for the same disciplines. Each regularly exchanges
data with WDC-B (Moscow) and WDC-C (countries in Western Europe). /-•
In addition, they also receive data from cooperative international
programs and, in some cases, from national programs. •-''
The WDC-A system is a nongovernmental program. It was organized
under the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), whose
constituent bodies are the academies of science of the countries
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involved—not government agencies. The centers are freely accessible
to visiting scientists of any country and, on request, provide copies
of their data at cost.
The overall guidance of the World Data Centers is the responsibility
of the ICSU panel composed of representatives from each of the major
geophysical areas and from the WDC's themselves. The role of the ICSU
Panel is to coordinate policies common to all disciplines and to give
final approval to guides prepared for the various disciplines by
appropriate scientific bodies. The Panel intends to issue in 1972 a
consolidated guide that will incorporate guidelines for all scientific
areas of concern.
IV REFEREAL SERVICES
(1) ENDEX
Dr. Townsend cited the Stockholm conference's recognition of the need
for international referral services, as well as the national and local
needs. As an example, we might consider the many cooperative coastal
zone studies now being contemplated; the various Federal, State, local,
and private organizations involved cannot intelligently plan their
projects without pertinent available data and information; and they
certainly do not want to duplicate existing data files through their
own collection efforts.
To meet such national needs, NOAA's Environmental Data Service
(EDS) is developing "ENDEX," an Environmental Data Index. When ENDEX
is fully developed, a user will be able to obtain rapid referral to
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national and international data archives and sources simply by calling
an information specialist at any EDS center to "plug into" the
interdisciplinary ENDEX system.
EDS is currently documenting collections scattered nationally
and internationally, obtaining available inventory and reference
materials, and integrating these into the ENDEX system. We are
beginning with collections easily accessible and particularly pertinent
to contemporary environmental problems.
V A LOOK AHEAD
As you can see, there are many disciplines, collectors, processors, and
users in the environmental data field. Essentially, the data centers
and systems I have discussed exist to serve the user community. To
minimize duplication of efforts and get the most out of our data
dollar, we must communicate, cooperate, and coordinate our efforts.
This is the prime reason for this Symposium.
Overall, the present trend toward increasing interdisciplinary,
interagency--and international—cooperation and coordination can only
accelerate. The "environment" is not divisible; you cannot isolate
any one area, whether by discipline, geography, or organization, and
deal with it realistically. The word "interface" has long since become
a cliche with respect to environmental data.
Finally, I would like Co repeat Dr. Townsend's invitation for
each of you to participate as fully as possible in the Symposium.
152:
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In our varying roles, each of us is working toward the same goal:
an environmental data system capable of efficiently and economically
meeting the growing challenges of our environment.
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Appendix 1,
USER CONTACTS
National Water Resources Data System
WRITE: Chief Hydrologist
Water Resources Division
U.S. Geological Survey
Washington, D.C. 20242
CALL: 202-343-9425 (Commerical & FTS*)
Earth Resources Observation System (EROS) Data Center
WRITE: EROS Data Center CALL: 605-339-2270 (Commercial)
Data Management Branch 605-336-2381 (FTS*)
10th & Dakota Avenue (7:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M. Central Time)
Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57198
Address all correspondence concerning ERTS data user
training courses to Mr. Donald Kulow, Training Officer.
National Water Quality Control Information System (STORET)
WRITE: C. S. Conger
Chief, Information Access
and User Assistance Branch
Room 928, C.M. 2
Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
CALL: 703-557-7617 (Commercial)
National Air Data Branch (SAROAD & NEDS)
WRITE: J. R. Hammerle, Chief
National Air Data Branch
Monitoring and Data Evaluation
Division
Office of Air Quality Planning
and Standards
Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27709
CALL: 919-688-8110 (Commercial)
*Federal Telecommunications System
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Appendix I (cont.)
Nniiun.'il Sp.-ico Scloiu-c- l);il;i C.niU'r (NSSDC)
WRITE: Nalionnl Spaco Science DaLa CALL: 301-982-6659 (Commorc in 1)
Centor
Goddard Space Flight Center
Code 601
Greenbelt, Maryland 20771
National Climatic Center (NCC)
WRITE: The National Climatic Center CALL: 704-254-0961 Ext. 683 (Commercial)
National Oceanic and 704-254-0683 (FTS*)
Atmospheric Administration
Federal Building
Asheville, North Carolina 28801
Residents of the Washington, D.C. area may call NCC
directly and toll-free by dialing (no area code
required) 495-2424.
National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC)
WRITE: The National Oceanographic CALL: 202-426-9044 (Commercial)
Data Center
National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration
Rockville, Maryland 20852
VISIT: NODC is located in the Washington Navy Yard at 2nd and M Streets,
Southeast, Building 160, Washington, D.C.
National Geophysical and Solar-Terrestrial Data Center (NGSDC)
Most of the NGSDC activities are located at 30th and Marine Streets,
Boulder, Colo. The marine geology and geophysics group, however, is
located at 2001 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.
WRITE: Director CALL: 303-499-1000 Ext. 6215 (Commercial
Environmental Data Service D6 & FTS*)
NOAA
Boulder, Colo. 80302
Environmental Data Service DF62 202-343-7368 (Commercial & FTS*)
NOAA
Washington, D.C. 20007
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EARTH RESOURCES SURVEY PROGRAM
BROWSE FILE LOCATIONS
Utah
Alaska
California
Colorado
Florida
Hawaii
Maryland
U.S.. Department of Agriculture
Western Aerial Photography Laboratory
2505 Parley's Way
Salt Lake City, Utah 84109
U.S_. Department oj:^ Commerce.,
National Weather Service Alaskan Region
632 6th Averuja
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
Director, Southwest Fisheries Center
8604 La Jolla Shores
La Jolla, California 92037
Marine Minerals Technology Center
3150 Paradise Drive
Tiburon, California 94920
Aeronomy and Space Data Center
Radio Building No. 3
Boulder, Colorado 80302
Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological
Laboratories
15 RIckenbacker Causeway
Virginia Key
Miami, Florida 33149
National Weather Service Pacific Region
Bethel-Paushi Building
1149 Bethel Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
National Environmental Satellite
Service (ESG) '
Suite 300
3737 Branch Avenue
Hillcrest Heights, Md. 20031
National Ocean Survey C3413
6001 Executive Blvd. s
Rockville, Md. 20852
National Oceanographic Data-Center
6001 Executive Boulevard
Rockville, Maryland 20852
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Appendix 2 (cont.)
Massachusetts
Michigan
Missouri
New York
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Texas
Utah
VirginisL
Washington
Wisconsin
Atmospheric Sciences Library D821
8060 13th Street (Room 802)
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
Director, Northeast Fisheries Center
P. 0. Box 6
Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543
Lake Survey Center CLxl3
630 Federal Bldg. & U.S. Courthouse
Detroit, Michigan 48226
National Weather Service Central Region
601 E. 12th Street, Room 1836
Kansas City, Missouri 64106
National Weather Service Eastern Region
585 Stewart Avenue
Garden City, New York 11530
National Climatic Center
Federal Building
Asheville, North Carolina
28801
National Severe Storms Laboratory
1616 Halley Avenue
Norman, Oklahoma 73069
Office of Sea Grant
Center for Marine Resources
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas 77843
National Weather Service Southern Region
819 Taylor Street, Room 10E09
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
National Weather Service Western Region
Box 11188, 125 So. State Street
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
Atlantic Marine Center
439 W. York Street
Norfolk, Virginia 23510
Northwest Marine Fisheries Center
2725 Montlake Blvd. East
Seattle, Washington 28112
Office of Sea Grant
University of Wisconsin
1225 W. Dayton Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53706
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Appendix 2 (cont.)
Alaska
Arizona
California
Canal Zone
Colorado
Florida
Department of die Interior,
Miss Margaret I. Erwin
Public Inquiries Office
U.S. Geological Survey
108 Skyline Building
508 2nd Avenue
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
Phone - 907-277-0577
U.S. Geological Survey Library
601 East Cedar Avenue
Flagstaff, Arizona 86001
Phone - 602-774-1330
Mr. Herbert H. Schumann
Water Resources Division
U.S. Geological Survey
Room 5107 Federal Building
230 North 1st Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85025
Phone - 602-261-3188
Miss Lucy E. Birdsall
Public Inquiries Office
U.S. Geological Survey
Room 7638, Federal Building
300 N. Los Angeles Street
Los. Angeles, California 90012 Phone - 213-688-2850
Regional Topographic Engineer
U.S. Geological Survey
345 Middlefield Road
Menlo Park, California 94025
Phone - 415-323-8111
HQ Inter American Geodetic Survey
Drawer 934
Fort Clayton, Canal Zone
Phone - 117-1201 Panama Routine 833-227
Regional Topographic Engineer
U.S. Geological Survey
Room 2404 Building 25
Denver Federal Center
Denver, Colorado 80225
Phone - 303-234-2351 / /^
/'
Jon S. Beasley
State Topographic Engineer
Florida Department of Transportation
State Topographic Office
Talahassee, Florida 32304
Phone - 904-599-6212
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Appendix: 1 (cont.)
Massachusetts
Mississippi
Missouri
New York
Oregon
South Dakota
Tennessee
Washington
Mr. Lincoln Page
U.S. Geological Survey
5th Floor, 80 Broad Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02110
Phone - 617-223-7202
Mr. Gary North
EROS Program Assistance Office
Room B-210 Building 1100
USGS/Mississippi Test Facility
Bay St. Louis, Mississippi 39520
Phone T 601-688-3541
A. C. McCutchen
USGS/Topographic Division
961 Pine Street
Rolla, Missouri 65401
Phone - 314-364-3680
Dr. Janice Whipple
Water Resources Division
U.S. Geological Survey
Room 343 Post Office and
Court House Building
P.O. Box 948
Albany, New York 12201
Phone - 518-472-3107
U.S. Bureau of Land Management
Director, Portland Service Center
P.O. Box 3681
Portland, Oregon 97208
Phone - 503-234-4001
EROS Data Center
U.S. Geological Survey
10th and Dakota Avenue
Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57198
Phone - 605-339-2270
William S. Massa
Chief, Maps and Surveys Branch
Tennessee Valley Authority
200 Haney Building
311 Broad Street
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401
Phone - 615-755-2133
Mrs. Eva M. Raymond
Public Inquiries Office
U.S. Geological Survey
Room 678 U.S. Court House Building
West 920 Riverside Avenue
Spokane, Washington 99201
Phone - 509-456-2524
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Appendix 2 (cont.)
Washington, D.C. Susan Moorlag
CARETS Information Center
1717 H Street, N.W.
Room 837
Washington, D.C. 20242
Phone - 202-343-5985
EROS Program Library
U.S. Geological Survey
Washington, D.C. 20242
Phone - 202-343-7500
Map Information Office
U.S. Geological Survey
Room B-310 GSA Building
18th and F Streets, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20242
Phone - 202-343-2611
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Appendix 3
SEQUIP Summaries of Other
Environmental Data Center and Systems
161
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Appendix 3 (cont.)
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Chamical Kinetics Information Center
National Bureau of Standards
Washington, D. C. 20234
(202) 921-2771
Dr. David Garvin
Physical Chemistry Division,
Institute for Materials Research
National Bureau of Standards
Department of Commerce
To collect, store, retrieve, evaluate and
distribute data on the rates of chemical
reactions.. The long-term miss.ion is to
(a) serve as a supplier of specific kinetic
data; (b) provide bibliographic material to
authors of critical reviews for the National
Standard Reference Data System; and (c) cen-
tralize and coordinate the analysis of kinetic
data with" the National Bureau of Standards.
The scope includes rates of homogeneous
chemical reactions in gaseous liquid and
solid phases; photochemistry; inelastic
scattering.
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Appendix 3 (cont.)
NAME:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Chemical Thermodynamic Dixta Center
National Bureau of Standards
Washington, D. C. 20234
(202) 921-2773
Donald D. Wagman
Physical Chemistry Division
Institute for Materials Research
National Bureau of Standards
Department of Commerce
To collect, evaluate, and select best values of
the chemical thermodynamic properties of pure
substances and their aqueous solutions; and to
provide and maintain self-consistent tables
of "best" values of enthalpy and Gibbs free
energy of formation, the entropy, heat capacity,
and phase-change properties for chemical com-
pounds. .The scope includes thermochemical and
thermophysical properties of pure chemical sub-
stances in gas, liquid, and solid phases and
their aqueous solutions.
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Appendix 3 (cent .)
NAME:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Ecological Information and Analysis Center (EIAC)
Batlclle Memorial Institute
Columbus Laboratories
505 King Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43201
(614) 299-3151
Ann W. Rudolph
Battelle Memorial Institute
Columbus Laboratories
Atomic Energy Commission
To collect, store, retrieve, and evaluate information
and data relevant to bioenvironmental and ecological
studies. Subject scope of the EIAC currently includes
mathematical modeling of ecosystems, population
dynamics, bioenergetics, systems ecology, food-
chain studies, and environmental aspects of air,
water, and solid wastes pollution.
164
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Appendix 3 (cont.)
NAME:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Environmental Technical Applications Center
U. S. Air Force
Building 159
Navy Yard Annex
Washington, D. C. 20333
(202) 433-3901
Col. Richard A. Johnston
Headquarters, 6th Weather Wing
Headquarters Air Weather Service
Military Airlift Command
Department of the Air Force
To provide a centralized capability to collect,
.store, retrieve, process and analyze environmental
data for publication, planning, and technical appli-
cations required by the Department of Defense,
Army, Air Force, and authorized contractors.
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Appendix 3 (cont.)
NAME:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Flora North America Program
Department of Botany •'-'. .
Smithsonian Institution >
Washington, D. C. 20560 "', M
(202) 381-5801
Stanwyn G. Shetler
Smithsonian Institution
National Science Foundation
A comprehensive program of biological research,
information systems development, and data banking
concerned with the vascular plants of North America.
166
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Appendix 3 (cont.)
NAME:
TEL:
GeoJof>i«.' Division
1). S. Geological 5>urvey
Washington, D. C. 20242
(202) 343-2125
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSIpN:
Richard P. Sheldon
U. S. Geological Survey
Department of the Interior
To make geologic examinations to determine and
appraise the mineral and mineral fuel resources
and the geologic structure of the United States
and its territories. A by-product of these exami-
nations is the identification of geologic factors
that bear on the use of the land and maintenance
of environmental quality. These identifications
include such processes as the compositional
variations in major and all trace elements
(including hazardous elements) of rocks, soils,
and plants to provide baseline information on the
natural occurrence of the elements, and the geo-
chemistry of the sediments .as they move through
the coastal waters and onto the shelf.
167
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Appendix 3 (cont.)
NAME:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
National Ocoan Survey
Oceanographic Division .
Office of Marine Surveys- and Maps '* •
6001 Executive Boulevard »
Rockvillc, Maryland 20852
(301) 496-8274
Cdr. R. L. Swanson
National Oceanic and Atttiospheric Administration
To observe tides and tidal currents, to translate
or digitize, reduce, analyze, compile, store and
retrieve the data and to predict tides and tidal
currents.
168
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Appendix 3 (cont.)
NAME:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Office of Fuel and Fuel Additive. Registration
Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711
(919) 688-8146
Henry C. Miller, Jr.
National Environmental Research Center
Environmental Protection Agency
Registration of fuel additives in fuels designated
by the Administrator, Environmental Protection
Agency.
169
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D. H. Michael Bowen
American Chemical Society
My task today is to try to describe to you the range of primary
publications that carry scientific and technical information in the
environmental field, and to give you some idea of the type of information,
level of understanding needed, cost and availability of these publications.
This task has been considerably eased by the valiant efforts of the
organizers of this symposium, who have tried their very best to ensure that
there is not too much overlap between what I will say and what will be
presented by other speakers at the symposium. The task, however, is still
a difficult one, for several reasons: First, "environmental" information
covers a multitude of sins; much scientific information is not of direct and
obvious environmental significance, but may be indirectly (or at a date
much later than initial publication) of very great significance. Second;
there are many publications that carry information that is environmental,
and technical in nature, but which are nevertheless not normally considered
as environmentally related publications.
When you consider these two reasons, you will immediately appreciate how
important is the role of secondary and abstracting publications, and of
information services, and how vital it is that these publications and services
have as extensive £ data base as possible. Bernard Rosenthal, who will speak
to you later, will describe these secondary publications. I shall confine
myself to primary scientific and technical publications.
Now, what do I mean by "primary?" For the sake of simplicity, and at
the risk of oversimplification, I mean a publication that publishes information
written by the generator of the information, or written by him and rewritten
by someone else. By this definition, newspapers, for example, are not
primary publications nor, for obvious reasons, are secondary publications
which abstract or extract pieces from something that has already been
published. By this definition, too, parts of my own publication - ES&T -
170
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do not qualify as "primary," since these parts contain accounts of technical
work written by people other than the originators. There are many technical
and scientific publications, though, that contain both primary and secondary
material, and I shall consider these for the purpose of this talk as being
primary.
At the outset, I must confess that it is impossible to be completely
comprehensive in an area of such variety and magnitude as environmentally
related scientific and technical publications. So, if I omit reference to
some publications in my talk, or in the supplementary material that is
distributed - and I am sure to do so - I beg your indulgence and take all
responsibility. I have tried to be as unbiased as possible in selecting
publications to mention; I have selected those best known to me that I
believe will best illustrate the types of publications that are available.
There are many ways to categorize publications in the environmental
field. One very simple way is to look at them as very old ones and very
new ones. The old ones are exemplified by those in the field of public
health, which have been publishing for 20 years or more. New ones are
arriving on the scene almost daily, in response to two factors: (1) the
tremendous explosion in public awareness of environmental problems; and
i
(2) the just-beginning explosion in scientific and technical studies of
environmentally related problems and the consequent need on the part of
scientists for a. publications outlet.
The number of new publications in this field is truly astounding. At
a conservative guess, 30 or so have started up in the last five years; And
although many of these could be, perhaps unfairly, categorized as "bandwagon"
publications, many do serve a useful purpose in that they provide an outlet
that relieves the older publications of a crushing volume of material.
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E^-en so, sheer proliferation has of course made it very much more difficult
to select publications to which to subscribe, or even to read regularly,
Really the only people to benefit in any concrete way from this proliferation
are the publishers of secondary publications! For them, the information
explosion has been a boon. To the extent that secondary publications can
digest the mass of material in primary publications and supply it in useful
form, the increase in the number of primary publications may or may not be
it crushing burden, to the seeker of environmental information. Mr. Rosenthal
w.i-11 tell how secondary services are trying to cope-
A more useful way to categorize scientific and technical publications
is as "overtly environmental" and "incidentally environmental." It is the
first group that \»e are primarily concerned with but, as I hope to show,
the second group is very important.
For the purposes of this talk, I have broken down each of the two groups
into the following types of publications: scientific journals; technical
journals; trade press; general -magazines; and non-scientific journals. There
is a certain arbitrariness in this sort of a breakdown, but there is also
some logic as I shall shortly show.
Overtly environmental publications'
Let's first take the "overtly environmental" category and go down the
list of different types of publications.
First, scientific journals
This group represents the basic current literature in the field. A
scientist wishing to publish work that is fundamental in nature and related
to an environmental problem would most probably (but not necessarily) approach
one of these publications. One of the distinguishing features of publications
in this group is that papers are reviewed before publication by several
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scientists other than the author. This procedure - often known as "peer
judgement" - has its disadvantages but it does tend to ensure that anything
that is published is scientifically correct and that conclusions are supportable
by the evidence presented. In a field as replete with controversy as "environ-
ment," this is an important point.
Another distinguishing feature of scientific journals is that they are
written "by experts for experts" and consequently there is little or no effort
made to make articles in them understandable by anyone not extremely conversant
with the particular subject. For instance, a degree in chemistry is not always
sufficient equipment to enable one to read and fully understand every paper
in my own publication, ES&T. In general, a high degree of proficiency in
physical sciences. Biological sciences, and mathematics may be needed to get
anything at all out of most of the publications in this group. This is, of
course, true for the whole of the scientific literature, and not just for
that part of it that is "overtly environmental."
As a group these publications are, in addition to being technically
advanced, moderately expensive (by that I mean an annual subscription may
range from $10 to $50 a year), usually appear monthly, are easily available
if you can afford the subscription'price but otherwise to be found only in
technical libraries. Few public libraries subscribe to these publications
and I have yet to see any of them on the newsstand.
In sum, they contain information that is most likely to be accurate,
within carefully stated bounds, but not everyone can read them.
A partial list of "overtly environmental" scientific journals is given
on the sheets that are available for distribution. \
Second: technical journals
173
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There really isn't too much difference between these journals and the
purely scientific journals I just discussed. Perhaps the main difference is
.that the technical journals are at a lower level of technical difficulty
than the scientific journals. Even so, they generally require expertise to
be read intelligently. Papers in technical journals also are reviewed by
outside reviewers, as are papers in scientific journals, with the same net
result - some assurance that published papers have a sort of "Good Housekeeping
Seal of. Approval" from the technical community. The technical journals I have
listed are, as it happens, all published by professional associations, and
each is aimed primarily at practitioners of some rather specific aspect of
environment, such as water treatment or air pollution control. These
journals are therefore primarily also in the "by-experts-for-experts"
category,, but their more down-to-earth technical level makes them somewhat
easier to read than scientific journals.
These journals, too, tend to be expensive; the Journal of the Air
Pollution Control Association costs $75 per year for nonmembers of the
Association. But they are truly excellent reference sources on some subjects,
for instance the feasibility of different types of pollution control methods,
t
and could be helpful to diligent laymen, as well as to the professionals for
whom they are primarily intended. These publications are usually available
in technical libraries, seldom in public libraries, and never, to my knowledge,
on newstands. There are no bars to subscribing beyond the rather steep
subscription prices.
Third; Trade press
Trade publications are usually characterized by relatively large circu-
lations, relatively low technical difficulty, and modest subscription price.
They are published by commercial publishers whose main goal must necessarily be
174
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to make a profit. Key to the viability of these publications is a lively
market for products and services which can be made the subject of display
advertising. Since advertisers are interested in large audiences consisting
of people who have both the need and the means to buy their products, the
publisher needs to guarantee that large audience. Often, this is achieved
through "controlled circulation," a device by which suitably "qualified"
subscribers pay nothing to receive the publication. Those whose jobs do
not qualify them, may nevertheless subscribe to trade publications; the
annual subscription is usually around $10.
Because of the economics of this type of publication, there tends to
be more of them in the fields where there is a sizeable dollar market:
water and waste treatment is such an area.
I think it fair to say that trade publications in general vary considerably
in quality, and "overtly environmental" trade publications are no exception.
The best of them are really very good, but the fact that information is
usually not subject to technical review (except inasmuch as the editors
exert technical judgement) works against their overall stature and credibility.
The worst of them can be quite bad and unreliable sources of technical
information. '
These publications are commonly to be found in technical libraries, and
'some are found in public libraries (The American City is one that springs to
mind). They are easy to read, and this fact alone does commend them to anyone
who does not have the training or education to read the more technically
advanced journals, subject to the caveats I have mentioned.
Fourth: General magazines
This is a category that has grown in size - in fact grown from nothing - in
the past few years. These magazines are aimed at the laymen, or "concerned citizen,"
175
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•',11
and are mentioned here because they do sometimes contain primary information.
Technical 1~vel is almost uniformly low. The best (in my opinion) is the
magazine Environment.
As a group, they are not overly reliable sources of information, and
they tend to go off on tangents (such as organic burial), but they are
designed to be readable. , Although subscription costs are quite low - $10
, per year is the norm - it is my feeling that many are struggling financially
and we may see considerable attrition over the next year cr two. Public
libraries often have these publications; Environment seems to have been
particularly successful in this regard.
Fifth; Non-scienfific journals
I will mention this group only briefly, because this type of publication
is being covered in the socio-economic, management and planning, and legal
and regulatory sessions. The nature of the environmental field is such that
technical information is at its very core, so that it is hardly possible
to discuss an environmental problem without bringing science into the picture.
In their various fields, these non-scientific journals have the same strengths
and weaknesses as those in the scientific and technical field, namely that
t
the most reliable information is to be found in the least readable
publication.
Incidentally environmental publications
Because of the all-pervasive nature of environmental problems and interests,
it is safe to say that nearly all scientific and technical primary publications
at one time or another carry information that can be characterized as
environmental. Thus, all scientific journals based on physical or biological
sciences are at least potential, and usually regular, publishers of
environmental information. As I mentioned previously, this is the reason
why it is so important for these journals to be represented in the data base
of environmental information systems and to be abstracted by secondary
176
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services.
Regular issues of such scientific journals as Biochemistry, Separation
Science, Analytical Chemistry, to take three entirely at random, ordinarily
contain several papers of environmental significance. So do the journals
serving agricultural science. Since these journals are at a high technical
level, however, it takes a trained specialist to dig out the information.
Technical journals and trade publications serving particular professions
and segments of industry regularly carry environmental information, especially
that which is pertinent to their particular interest. For example, Modern
Plastics can be expected to review incinerability of plastics and the role
of packaging materials in solid waste. Oil and Gas Journal, a trade publication
in the petroleum field, deals on a regular basis with refinery pollution
control, auto exhaust emissions and other environmental concerns of the
petroleum industry. Civil Engineering, and Chemical Engineering Progress -
official publications of two engineering societies - also contain much
technical environmental information.
Environmental information - technical and primary in nature - can be
found in almost any issue of Scientific American, and even in the business
monthly, Fortune.
/
The rough guides given above for the various types of publications should
be used to gauge the potential utility, cost, technical level, and availability
of these "incidentally environmental" publications.
To sum up briefly, environmental information is to be found in a
staggering number of primary scientific and technical publications. That
number is certainly in the hundreds.
The most reliable information (in the scientific sense) is to be found
in publications that are the most expensive, the least available, and the most
177
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difficult to read and understand. Conversely, publications that are inex-
pensive, easy to read, and easily available tend to sacrifice accuracy and
scientific objectivity. This may be a generalization, but it is sufficiently
true to pose very real problems for anyone who is not technically trained
and who wishes to mine the very rich ore to be found in the scientific
literature.
178
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SCIENTIFIC & TECHNICAL PRIMARY PUBLICATIONS
Notes on Publication Listings
Explanations of Column Headings
Cost:
vo
Annual subscription in U.S. Those affiliated with society or association
generally get price break. Foreign subscriptions cost more; institutional
subscriptions usually cost more than individual. C.C. means "controlled
circulation" -- free subscription to "qualified readers." Those not
qualified must pay.
The primary audience for whom publication is edited. Publications sometimes
use jargon and special terms which only its primary audience can understand.
Low: can probably be read by educated laymen.
Moderate: technical training may be necessary to understand some or all
articles.
High: specialized technical training essential to understand articles.
Availability: Indication of whether available on newsstands, in public libraries, technical
libraries, or so specialized or to be available only in some technical libraries.
Abbreviations-, Profs, means professionals (not necessarily professors); Res. means
researchers; Sci. means scientists; Off. means officials.
Aimed At;
Tech. Level:
NOTE: These lists are not claimed to be totally comprehensive. They should be considered
only as a guide to technical literature and as indicative of different types of
publications.
-------
SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS
•
Title
Environmental Science
& Technology
Environmental Pollution
Water Research
Water Resources Research
!
H
00
o
Bulletin of Environmental
Contamination and
Toxicology
Atmospheric Environment
Environmental Letters
Journal of Environmental
Sciences
Publisher
(Year of
Appearance)
American
Chemical Soc.
(1967)
Elsevier
(1970)
Pergamon
Press
(1967)
Am. Geophys .
Union
(1965)
Springer-
Verlag
(1966)
Pergamon
Press
(1967)
Marcel
Dekker
(1971)
Institute
of Env,
Sciences
(1958)
Frequency Cost
Monthly $ 9.00
w/annual
directory ,
Quarterly 15.60
Monthly 100.00
Bimonthly 20.00
Bimonthly 28.00
Monthly 60.00
8/yr. 40.00
Bimonthly 12.00
Aimed
At
Env.
Profs .
Env.
Res.
Water
Sci.
Water
Supply
Profs .
Prof.
Toxicols.
Air Pol.
Profs.
Env.
Res.
Env.
Res.
Technical
Level Availability
Low - High Technical libraries,
Some oublic librarie
High Technical libraries
High Technical libraries
High Technical libraries
High Technical libraries
High Technical libraries
High Technical libraries
High Technical libraries
See notes on separate sheet
-------
Title
Journal Water Pollution
Control Federation
Journal of the Air
Pollution Control
Association
Journal of American
Water Works Assn.
Publisher
(Year of
Appearance)
Water Pol.
Control
Federation
(1928)
Air Pol.
Control Assn.
(1951)
Amer. Water
Works Assn.
(1914)
Frequency
Monthly
with 2
extra
issues
Monthly
Monthly
Cost
$35.00
$25.00
to non-
profit
libraries
& indivs.
$20.00
Aimed Technical
At Level
Water Pol. Moderate - High
Profs.
Water Moderate - High
Supply
Profs .
Water Moderate
Supply
Profs.
Availability
Technical libraries
Technical libraries
Technical libraries
iJournal of the Sanitary
!Engineer ing Division
(ASCE)
Journal of Environmental
Health
Amer. Society
of Civil
Engineers
Na t. Env.
.Health
Assn.
(1938)
Moderate -High Technical libraries
Bimonthly
$ 8.00 Public
Health
Profs.
Low - Moderate
Technical libraries
See notes on separate sheet
-------
TRADE PRESS
Publisher
(Year of
Title Appearance) Frequency
Industrial Wastes Bimonthly
Water & Sewage Works Scranton Monthly
Publ. Co.
(1890)
Effluent & Water Thunder- __ Monthly
M Treatment Journal bird
* (British) Enterprises
(1961)
Water & Wastes Engineering Dun-Donnelley Monthly
(1964)
Industrial Water Target Bimonthly
Engineering Communic.
(1963)
•
Pollution Engineering Technical Monthly •
Publ.
(1969)
•— .
Waste Age 3 Sons Bimonthly
Publ. Co.
(1970)
Cost
C.C./
$10.00
$ 7.50
$15.00
C.C./
$ 6.00
C.C./
$10.00
C.C./
$12.00
C.C./
$10.00
Aimed
At
Ind.
Waste
Engrs . &
Off.
Munic .
Water &
Waste
Engrs . &
Off.
Munic .
Water &
Waste
Engrs . &
Off-
Water
Supply
Profs .
Water
Supply
Profs.
Ind.
Engrs .
Manage-
ment
Solid
Waste
Profs .
Technical
Level Availability ,_
Low - Moderate Some Technical
libraries
Low - Moderate Some Technical
libraries
Low - Moderate Some Technical
libraries
Low Some Technical
libraries
Low - Moderate Some Technical
libraries
Moderate Technical librari
Low ?
-------
Title
Environmental Pollution
Management
(British)
The American City
Solid Waste Management
00 :
Co
Publisher
(Year of
Appearance) Frequency
The Nat'l. Monthly
Mag . Co „
(1971)
Buttenheim Monthly
Publ. Co.
(1909)
RRJ Publ. Monthly
Co.
(1958)
Cost
C.C.
Only
C.C./
$15.00
$ 6.00
Aimed Technical
At Level
Ind. Low
Manage-
ment
Munic. Low
Off.
Solid Low
Was te
Profs.
Availability
?
Technical libraries
Many Public librarie
Technical libraries
See notes on separate sheet
-------
GENERAL MAGAZINES
oo
Title
Ecology Today
The Ecologist
(British)
Clean Air
' (British)
Environmental Quality
Magazine
Environment
Publisher
(Year of
Appearance) Frequency
Ecological Bimonthly
Dimensions
(1970)
The Monthly
Ecologist
Ltd.
(1970)
Nat. Soc. Quarterly
For Clean
Air
(1929)
Env. Monthly
Awareness
As soc.
(1970)
Comm. For 10 issues/
Env. Inf. yr.
(1958)
Aimed Technical
Cost At Level
$ 6 . 00 Concerned Low
Laymen
$12.00 Concerned Low
Laymen
$ 3.50 Concerned Low
Laymen &
Profs.
$10,00 Concerned Low
Environ-
mentalists
"Ecofreaks"
$10.00 Intelligent Low - Moderate
Laymen
Availability
Mail Sub.
Soifie Pub. libraries
Mail Sub.
Some libraries
Newsstands
($D
Technical libraries
Many Public librarie
See notes on separate sheet
-------
NON-SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS
„ ,
Publisher
(Year of
Title Appearance) Frequency
Environmental Affairs Boston Coll. Quarterly
Env. Law
Center
(1971)
Aimed Technical
Cost At Level
$15.00 Inter- Low - Moderate
discipli-
nary
Audience
Of Profs.
Availability
f
oo
-------
Techrdca.
Bernard D. Rosenthal
President
POLLUTION ABSTRACTS, INC.
There has been a substantial increase in the number of primary sources and
publications, i»e.. journals, bookSj technical reports, symposia, academic
literature and government documents^ both domestic and foreign--that contain
information about the environment and related subjects. The volume of literature
iu number of sources and diversity of content has led to selective dissemination
of information (SDI) on -most aspects of environmental information.
The secondary publication is the SDI link between a users specific or unrefined
information need as he confronts thousands of primary information options,
General examples of secondary publications are reviewed in this papere No evaluation
is made of their content in scope or presentation* An attempt is made to highlight
the variety of formats, the diversity of sources and to offer the user a guide
for evaluating secondary publications,
The /alue of a secondary publication depends in part on the users understanding
of his own needs and objectives. He should understand the objective of a specific
secondary publication. Value to the user depends upon (a) how specific the
information must be, (b) the scope of the information required,, (c) lapse or
lag time from publication date of the original document until its appearance
in a secondary journal, (d) the expertise of writing technique, (e) ease of
use and reference, (f) availability of original document retrieval service,
(g) whether the information base can be manipulated to satsify user needs
more defined than the presentation in the secondary journal, and (h) the
publishing frequency of the secondary journal. Also, is there sufficient
information used from the secondary source to justify its cost?
Other values relate to the number of original source documents utilized by
the secondary publication, unique subjects covered^ and whether foreign documents
are included.
Essentially, the secondary publication prior to publishing must (a) collect
information by acquisition or request, (b) prepare bibliographic reference for
each original source cited and (c) abstract and index, if each mode is part of
the publication's character. There are adjuncts and alternatives to secondary
publication services. These may exist within or outside the services of a
publication. These would include magnetic tapes, microform service, computer
printouts, duplication of the original full text source documents (maintaining
copywrite restrictions), on-line computer availability and alerting services
for early awareness of primary source information,
Secondary journals often include an abstract of an original document. An abstract
is a condensation of information and content. The abstract is used as a screening
medium to assist the user in deciding whether the original document should be
reviewed in its entirety. Some abstracts include data, observations, facts,
conclusions, or a mixture of each. Some take the form of being informative,
others are explanatory, comparative or selective.
186
-------
Technical & Scientific Journals
Bernard D. Rosenthai
There are several basic standard reference or access points included in
secondary publications. These include:
1. reference code to each reference or citation / title of article •'•-.-••.•
2. author identification
3. author affiliation
4. primary publication source
5* analytics, including date of primary publication, number of pages cited,
page references in original document, referrals to charts and other
unique information
Each secondary publication has its own method of subarrangement. The user must
learn the different: arrangements and how to use each most effectively. The
subdivisions include indexes with regular issues, annual indexes and possibly
cumulative indexes.
.Search vocabulary is perhaps the most unique characteristic of each secondary
publication.^ It may also be the most frustrating for the user. Secondary journals
have no common thesaurus. They are not common to each other nor are they
wholly common to government vocabulary. A descriptor or keyword essential for
searching one secondary source may not be relative to searching another
secondary source on the same general subject.
The lack of campatibility in arrangement, order of bibliographic data and
vocabulary exists within government publications on environmental information
as well as in private secondary publications.
What follows is a brief overview of certain publications and sources in the
secondary field as they relate to environmental subjects:
AIR POLLUTION ABSTRACTS: Includes more than 1,200 " core" domestic and
foreign journals. Implemented by Air Pollution Technical Information Center (APTIC),
now part of the Office of Technical Information and Publications, Office of
Air Programs (OAP),, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Covers chemical, physical
and biologicial effects of air pollution, and the data on air pollution control*
SELECTED WATER RESOURCES ABSTRACTS; Reviews current reports and articles oh
water-related aspects of the life, physical and social sciences; and the
conservation, control, use, management and other engineering and legal aspects
of water. Covers water pollution, water lay, ground water, lakes and estuaries,
water yield, watershed protection, waste treatment, water demand, hydraulics and
soil mechanics. Compiled by the U.S. Dept. of the Interior,, Available from
National Technical Information Service (NTIS).
SOLID WASTE INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM (SWIRS)s Offers information
concerning current research and technological developments in the solid waste
management field throughout the world. Coverage includes literature published
siqce 1964. Available from Environmental Protection Agency.
187
-------
Technica^l JL Sclent.if ic Journals
Bernard D,, Rosenthal , !
i
i
i
TRAMSPORTATJON NOISEDBjJLLETINi Presents abstracts of reports and resumes
01 research projects dealing with transportation noise. Compiled from records
iS Transportation Noise Research Information Service (TNRIS), National
Academy of Sciences, Washington, B.C.
ASCATOPICS .Gg_jNSTmJTCti FOR SCIENTIF1Ci INFORMATION (ISI)s Titles, authors,
and journal citations on environmental sciences that include air pollution, effects,
source &. control? biological waste treatment, chemical residues related to soil
contamination, food and beverages; noise control, solid wastes, water pollution
and other environmental areas. Available from ISI, Philadelphia^ Pa*
MEDICAL LITERATURE ANALYSIS_& RETRIEVAL SYSTEM (MEDLARS)s From Medlar
data the Toxicity Bibliography is produced. Emphasis on adverse effects of
toxicity and poisoning of drugs and chemicals, pesticides and other
environmental pollutants,, Available from Government Printing Office, Washington, D,t
ABST^CTS_O^HEALTH_EFFECTS^OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS; prepared in
conjunction with B5.ological Abstracts and with BA's BioResearch Index. Emphasis
on pesticides and other environmental pollutants. Publication started January-1972,
Developed by Toxicology Information Program, National Institutes Of Health.
Available from BioSciences Information Service of Biological Abstracts,
Philadelphia, Pa,
SELECTED REFERENCES ON ENVIRONMENTALDUALITY AS IT RELATES TO HEALTH;
Citations only. Prepared by MEDLARS, Available from Government Printing Office.
j^IRQNMENTAL JDMTOBMATTON /ACCESS; Indexing, abstracting and information
retrieval service that covers published and non-print information on the
environment and related fields. Provides subscribers with an overview of some
450 periodicals, newspapers and other publications.; research and retrieval services
are available. From Environment Information Center of Ecology Forum, New York.
Annual index available.
POLLUTION ABSTRACTS; Indexing, abstracting and information retrieval service,
Covers world-wide literature, published and non-circulated, with about 10,000
abstracts annually from 199000 books, journals, papers, government documents.
References from over 11,500 authors. Annual cumulative index. Translations
included. Reference by citation number, author, source document and Keytaipha
(rotating keywords), Air, water^ solid waste, land, noise, fresh water, sewage
treatment, contracts and patents. General and technical coverage. Available
from Pollution Abstracts, Ea Jolla, Calif.
There are numerous secondary publications worldwide in certain environmental
fields. For example, Informatics, Inc., in a project for EPA's Noise Abatement
and Control division, found thirty-five secondary publications involved with
abstracting and indexing, United States and foreign, noise information.
There are 46 services worldwide who deal with abstracting and indexing
of water resources or water technology, based on Abstracting Services, Science
and Technology, The Hague, FID, 1969S Vol. #1.
188
-------
Technical &. Scientific Journals
Bernard D. Rosenthai
There is no single reference source to all the secondary sources that relate
to environmenta; literature.
The secondary publication has significant value to the user. It (1) alerts
the user to the availability of the vast number of primary source documents;
(2) exposes this information to the user without requiring the purchase
of original source documents; (3) lets the user's rationale determine the
importance of the primary material; (4) allows the user to "track" specialized
topics, publications, authors, and (5) keeps the user alert to changes
in the state-of-the-art of subjects of specific interest*
There will probably be more SDI of environmental information. It will be
a result of increased demand for more specific coverage of environmental
subjects. The performance of SDI will come from either existing secondary
publications or from new publications. The result will be more proliferation
of environmental information in the secondary field.
189
-------
Solid Waste
The- Hou^e Appropriations Committee has held up over $7
million in constructions fonds for the controversial locks
Island dom and reservoir ii the Delaware River Valley and
directed that the money be used instead to speed land oc-
quishion until environmer.lol questions about the project
are resolved. .
17 SOLID WASTE
(For a:r pollution aspects, see 01 Air Pollution; for sew-
age, see 19 Wafer Pof/uf/on.)
•72-04159 Activities in Managing Solid Wastes, Jack DeMarco, EPA,
presented at Nat'l Symposium on Food Processing Wastes,
Denver, Mar 23-26, 1971, p41 (10) technical report.
'72-04160 Solid Waste Management in the Food Processing Industry,
Henry T. Hudson, EPA, presented at Nat'l Symposium on
Food Processing Wastes, Denver, Mar 23-26, 1971, p637
(1 8) technical report.
(1 charts, 8 graphs)
"72-0-,"'. 17 Leachatj Prevention and Cortrol from Sanitary Landfills,
Berton E. Mead and William G. Wilkie (N.Y. State Dept of
Environmental Conservation), Waste Age, Mar-Apr 1972,
v3, n2, p8 (9) technical report.
Examination of sanitary landfill systems finds leachate
problems prevalent. Melhcds of preventing leachate and
the role of engineering in the design and operation of a
sanitary landfill are outlined, emphasizing: engineering con-
trol of the total system; waste quantity and quality in-
fluence; hydrological, geological, and topographic consid-
eralions; relationship to surrounding area; definition and
understanding of leachate; leachate prevention; and con-
trol of water. (8 charts, 1 graph, 4 photos, 1 diagram)
•72-04418 SWRG Shreds Waste for Landfill in Pompano Beach, Fla.,
William Harrison, Waste Age, Mar-Apr 1972, v3, n2, pi 4
(3) survey report.
Operation of Fort Lauderdale's pulverization and compac-
tion process for solid waste disposal is described. H. Wayne
Huizenga of Waste Management, Inc., III. explains how
machines reduce waste to 10% of its original volume, thus
making landfill a superior disposal method in areas of high
water and limited cover. (6 photos)
"72-04419 Construction Techniques for Sanitary landfills, Norbert B.
Schomaker, Solid Waste Research Div, EPA, Waste Age,
Mar-Apr 1972, v3, n2, p24 (4 1/4) technical report.
Techniques for construction and operation of a well-run
sanitary land disposal site for solid waste are presented.
Explained are: landfill compaction equipment, landfill meth-
ods, cell construction, solution of special construction prob-
lems, physical effects of landfill and their control, final site
utilization, selective excavation, and placement, piercing
and piling, external loading, and specific site usage consid-
erations. (1 chart, 4 graphs, 1 photo, 1 diagram)
'7J-04420 Demand — Key to the Lock on Sscycling, Fred Berman, Pres-
ident, Inst of Scrap Iron and Steel, Secondary Raw Materials,
Mar 1972, vlO, n3, p9 (3 ~./4) speech.
The history and problems of the U. S. scrap industry are
briefly reviewed. The industry's chief problem is one of
limited demand and the continuing creation of additional
supply, in ihe name of recycling. (1 photo)
'72-04421 Basic Resources Recovered from Recycled Metal, James W.
Owens, Dept of Commerce, Secondary Raw Materials, Mar
1972, vlO, n3, p!6 (3 1/4) speech.
The vital role that secondary materials play in U. S. re-
source supply is emphasized. Government and scrap in-
dustry efforts to solve the abandoned car problem ore de-
scribed. (1 photo) _
72-04422 Power Boilers: The Ultimate Solution for Solid Waste?,^
Spoite and Carl Miffer, A. M. Kinney, Inc, Power Cfljjr,(er.
ing. Mar 1972, v76, n3, p54 (2) technical report. '
About 360 million tons of municipal wastes musti fc( JL
posed of annually in the U. S. A new system, which profo
ably converts combustibles in city wastes to solid Homogif,
ous fuel for power boilers, could reduce the problem |0
small fraction of what it now is. With add-on features, fc
thermal recovery system can separate and classify noi
combustibles for recycling. (1 chart, 1 diagram)
'72-04423 land Use Planning and Solid Waste Management, Robul
M. Clark and Richard O. Toftner, Office of Sofia1 Wastn
Management Programs, EPA, Public Works, Mar 1972,7101,
n3, p79 (2 1/3) technical report.
"A methodology that has been effectively used in design of
transportation, water, and wastewater systems'* ii pre.
sented as a solution to urban solid waste management
problems. Land use projections, made on the basis ol
economic, social, and public interest factors, can also prt
diet solid waste generation. Estimates of expected omounli
and location of wastes are used to plan transfer, statiom,
disposal and rsduction facilities, and roctemation yards, (j
charts)
72-04424 The Sanitary LandfsU in the Subarctic, Robert O. Strewn,
HEW, Arctic, Mar 1972, v25, nl, p40 (9) research report.
During a 2 1/2-year field study of sanitary landfill usogi
in the Subarctic, temperatures and gas concentrations wor!
observed in an experimental cell and groundwater qualify
measured on the periphery. Carbon dioxide concentration!
peaked during the warmer periods corresponding to mill'
imum oxygen concentrations. No methane was ever oV
tected nor were significant changes in groundwater qvolily
observed. After the study period the cell was opened fa
examination and showed thct little decomposition had 01-
curred. (1 map, 1 chart, 2 graphs, 2 diagrams)
*72-04425 New Ideas to Close the "Scrap Cycle", Fred Bermon, Scrap
Metal Research and Education Foundation, Phoenix Q»
terly, 1972, v3, n3, p5 (3 1/3) research report.
A Scrap Metal Research and Education Foundation Study,
undertaken to pinpoint obstacle which have caused (hi
breakdown of the scrap cycle and to determine opportun-
ities for increased recycling of ferrous solid wastes is df-
scribed. EPA is now reviewing its conclusions, which in-
dicate a need for cooperation among the iron and slssl-
making industry, government at all levels, and the scrop
processing industry. (6 photos)
"72-04426 Government and Consultants — Partners in Environment
Progress, Richard D. Vjughan, Engineering-Science, Inc, CoJ1
suiting Engineer, Mar 1972, v38, n3, p99 (3) technical re-
port.
On solid waste problems, the consultant can contract will
the Federal government directly for studies and inveiliJO'
lions, and R&D projects. Briefly discussed are:'major solid
waste problems, government role in solid waste monoje-
rnent, and a county pfenning study.
72-04427 Interactive Computer-based Game for Decision-making H
Ecology, T. I. Peterson and P. N. Wohi, IBM, IBM Journol
Research and Development, Mar 1972, v!6, n2, pi'"
1/2) technical report.
The Ecology Decision Game, developed by IBM for ex?'"1
mental use, is a technique for interrelating compuW*
management science, mathematics, and API for train*!
and education purposes. The game is implemented in tw
modes: an author mode, which permits an author to
wrili
his own scenario; and a player mode, which enobles
person to play the yame. The particular icenario wri"'
for the game treats decision-making in solid waste IM
agement: three submodules explore progressively more'""'
plkated situations that lead to problems over short*'
190
-------
(ol
July, 1972]
134. NEDOl'HYADKO, D. M., and G I. FRIDMAN. (Uzhga
(Univ., Uzhgorod, USSR.) VliyanS? pestitsidov na spetsifich
jClkoliz i Icikergiyu ki'ovi pri experimental' noi tuberkullnol
\ti. [Effect of pesticides on specific ^ytoleukolysis and leukergy
iod In experimental tuberculin allergy.]GIG SANIT 35(3): 35-
(970. [Engl. sum.]—Ail experimental study of tuberculin allergy
fnca pigs showed that intensification o» skin allergic reaction in
purse of development of a slow type of high sensitivity is ac-
anied by a simultaneous augmentation of specific blood cyto-
Jysis and leukergy. The appearance of the allergic factor in
jcytes and intensification of their adhesive property precedes
iopment of the skin allergic reaction. The introduction of pcsti-
(chlorophose, DDT) in doses, that cause no poisoning, to ani-
1 before their sensitization and at the period of formation of al-
increased the intensity of the allergic reaction and of cyto-
ilysis but diminished specific leukei-gy. Administration of
cides to animals with an altered allergic reactivity brought about
ition of allergic infiltration of the skin and suppression of specific
eukolysis and leukergy and increase of nonspecific cyloleukolysis
utrophils. A differential study of the extent of allergization of
>us body systems makes it possible to define the mechanism of
n of individual external factors on allergic reactivity.--?. L. W.
35. SM1RNOV, V. M. (N. I. Pirogov find Moscow Med. Inst.,
:ow, USSR.) K voprosy o roli nadpochechenikov v razvitii anafilak-
oi reaktsii u krys. [Role of adrenal glands in the development
aphylactoid reactions in rats.] YESTN AKAD MED N AUK
25(3): 72-76. 1970. [Engl. sum.]--The effects of a comple-
'ary nonspecific stimulant (4'jf formalin solution) on the develop-
i of anaphylactoid reaction in albino rats induced through paren-
j introduction of egg white and development of this reaction af-
;einjection (in 24 hr) of protein without use of additional stimulant
iresented. Adrenalectomized (in a chronic test) and nonoperated
'ile rats, aged 3 mo. were used. Preliminary injection of formalin
ily averted development of anaphylactoid reaction, and to the same
iee, both in adrenalectomized and non-operated animals. As a
(ral rule, no anaphylactoid reaction developed in response mildly
ounced in both adrenalectomized riits and those with intact
arenals.--P. L. W.
'36. SKEP'YAN, N. A., and L. N. GURIN. (Beloruss. Inst. Postgrad.
., Minsk, USSR.) Khronirheskii bronkhit ot vozdeistviya 1'nyanoi
i [Chronic bronchitis from the action of flax _<'ust.] ZDRAVOOKH
pnuss 16(2): 76-7B. 1970.—Inhalation tests" with acetylcholine
! carried out on workers of weaving and texilc1 plants. Inhalation-
lation capacity was measured at the same time. Sensitization to
'dust was studied by scarifications! allergy tests with the flax dust
fgen. Chronic bronchitis occurred according to age, action of the
f and sensitization level in relation to the dust (i. c. allergic re-
ins). Bronchitis decreased the functional indices of external re-
ation.—K. P.
337. KAKHETELIDZE, M. G., A. N. SHLYGIN, Z. M. DOLGINA,
R. M. DUBROVSKAYA. (Cent. Inst. Hematol. Blood Transfus., Min.
1th USSR, Moscow, USSR.) Leikopoetiny pri asepticheskom vos-
•nii. [Leukopoietins in aseptic inflammation.] PATOL FIZIOL
||P TER 14(2): 79-83. Illus. 1970T[Engl. sum.]~Changes of
lopoietic activity of the blood serum of dogs and horses were studied
'septic inflammation caused by turpentine. Blood became enriched
H leukopoletins, which in intact animals stimulates differentiation
tern cells in the direction of granulocytopoiesis, proliferative act-
j! of granulocytes, their maturation and liberation into the peripheral
id. Accumulation of leukopoietins was phasic in character; their
.imal amount was revealed in the blood 3 to 7 days after administra-
'of turpentine. Leukopenins depressing the proliferative activity
iranulocytes and liberation of mature granulocytcs from the bone
TOW into the peripheral blood were revealed in some of the serum
iples.-P. L. W.
^338. ZORIN, P. M. Allergicheskii dermatit, voznikshii v rczul'
jkontakla s tsinebom. [Appearance a! allergic dematilis due to
•actwith_cjjiiBbaJ VESTN DEKMATOL VENEROL 44(2): 65-G8.
'• |Engl. sum"?]—Eighty-six farm workers developed dermatitis
(r working in fields sprayed with 0. 5'}!. suspension of cineba. Hy-
pmia developed with marked edema and abundant papulous and
iculous rash in open areas of the skin. In 19 out of 22 patients who
;repeated'contacts with cineba the developing drrmntitis was more
Snsive and severe in its course. Testing of 54 patients by the com-
ss method with 0.5% suspension oi the drug and green leaves
rcated plants gave positive results in 41 patients, the test being
ticularly marked in patients with relapses of dermatitis. Wearing
', aprons, oversleeves, stockings and gloves made of thick cloth is
bmmended as prophylactic measures.--?. L. W.
6334-6345
6339. VIRCHOW, C., and M. DEBELIC. (Hochgebirgsklin., Davos-
Wolfgang, Switz.) Hausstauballergie und Dermatogoides pteronyssinus:
Vergleichende kutane und initiative Testungpn. [House dust allergy and
Dermatophagoidcs pteronyssinus: (Comparative cutaneous and inhala-
tion tests between various house dust extracts and mite extracts from
Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus).T MUNCHEN MED WOCHENSCHR
112(8): 331-336. Illus. 1970. [Engi. sum.]--Among all antigens tested,
house dust extracts most frequently provide positive cutaneous samples.
Sensitization to house dust is lai-gely due to sensitiztiontoD. pteronyssinus,
In extensive cutaneous tests, 9!>. 4% of the patients sensitized to house
dust reacted positively to extracts of D. ptoronyssinus. Additional, com-
parative inhalation provocation tests show, in flfl. 5% of the patients with
a positive reaction to inhalation provocation with house dust extract a
positive result of the same test with extract of D. pteronyssinus.--
P. L. W.
6340.. MAVHINA, E. A. (Med. Inst., Saratov, USSR.) K voprosu o
sostoyanii zdorov'ya rabochikh kombikormovykh predpriyatii. [The
health of workers in the combined fodder industry.] GEG TR PROF
ZABOL 14(10): 50-51. 1970.—Of 72 workers aged 30-60 studied, 58.1%
had chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract and 5. 5% had allergic
dermatitis. The majority had worked for more than 10 yr. A significant
percentage of eosinophilia and the nature of the complaints indicated
possible allergization from organic dust and antibiotics. During extended
contact with dust from combined fodder,occupational diseases of the
skin and respiratory organs can develop. Counterindications for such
work are diseases of the upper respiratory tract and lungs, dermatoses,
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and tendencies toward allergic
reactions.—N. L. G.
6341. ROTH, W. G. (Flurst. 17, 85 Nurrnburg, W. Ger.) Ver-
mehrte infrarotabstrahlung der Haende bei Patienten nach allcrgischem
Kontaktekzem. ["Increased infrared emission ot the hands of patients
after allergic contact eczema.] DERMATOL MONATSSCHR 156(6):
593-601. Ulus. 1970[rccd. 1S71]- [Engl. summ.]—In 48 patients 1296
measurements of IR emission of skin were made. The cases fell into 2
categories: 24 patients without eczema anamnesis and 24 patients with
allergic occupational eczema, which had been medically diagnosed but
healed at the time of examination. The comparisonof measurement results
for both groups showed differences of temperature only in the hand region.
Patients from the 2nd group showed a higher IR emission in the hand region
than the controls who had never suffered from eczema. Hyperemic tissue
is more prone to allergic reactions than anemic tissue which suggests a
causal connection between theincreased circulation in hands and the
tendency to allergic contact eczema.—M. M. H.
6342. ARETINSKII, B. V., S. V. KAZANTSEVA, and T. V. .
KOMPANEITSEVA. Inimunologichesko issledovanie krovi bol'nykh
khromicheskim pylevym bronkhitom. [An immunological study ot the
blood of patients with chronic dust bronchitis.] TR TSENT NAUCH -
ISSLED PROEKT-KONSTR INST PROFIL PNEVMOKONIOZOV TEKH
BEZOP 2. 75-77. 1969.—Translated from RE F ZH OTD VYP
FARMAKOL KHIMIOTER SREDSTVA TOKSIKOL, 1970, No, 7.54.729.--
Immunological reactivity was studied in 23 patients with dust bronchitis,
using the direct and indirect Coombs test and the Boyden passive
hemagglutination reaction. The frequent appearance of autoantibodies
specific for lung tissue in these patients and those with silicosis establ-
ishes a pathogenetic relation between these 2 diseases.—S. T.
6343. ORNATSKAYA, M. M. Profilaktika allergicheskikh zabole-
vanii u detei (obzor literatury) (Prevention of allergic diseases in
children (Review ot literature).] VOP OKHR MATEMN DET 15(10):
45-48. 1970.--Literature is reviewed on the high frequency of allergic
diseases, particularly food allergies, in children. Intrauterine sen-
sitization and its prevention, intake of unchanged milk protein by the
intestine and the correlation between skin tests and food allergies are
discussed.—N. L. G.
6344. SZYMCZYKIEWICZ, KONRAD. (Inst. Ind. Med., Lodz, Pol.)
Some aspects of pathogenesis of asbestosis. POL MED SCI HIST BULL
13(3): 115-119. Ulus. 1970.--A marked similarity exists in biological
action of quartz and chrysolite. The crystalline structure of these
fibrogenic particles is responsible for their noxious effect. The
radiological and histopathological differences encountered in cases
[guinea pigs] of pulmonary fibrosis may depend on the various crystalline
structures of the fibrogenic particles.—C. M. M.
6345. STARIKOVA, S. K., B. A. KATSNEL'SON, G. V. AHONOVA,
and I. M. SHNAIDMAN. (Sverdlovsk Inst. Ind. Hyg. Occup. Dis., Sverd-
lovsk, USSR.) Uchastie polinuklearov v al'veolyarnom fagotsitoze
kvartsevoi pyli i ego svyaz' s biologicheskoi agressivnost'yu kvartsa.
[The participation ot polynuclears in alveolar phagocytosis of quartz
dust and its relation to biological agKrejjivcjic^sj__quiartz.] BYUlTL
EKSP B1OL MED 70(9): 113-116. 1970. "fEngl. sum.]—In chronic
inhalation of quartz dust th« ratio between free macrophages and
191
-------
TA
A!R POLLUTION
f-/<;o";'J 500 jj <) m' Clinical and epidemiological surveys 01
f ator / 'li'.,eas(;s as related to air pollution are reviewed.
(both) Foridation A -
ns, Fr.
(both) Univ of Minnesota. Minneapolis
(all) Univ. of California I
72-4TA 0743
Reinberg. A
Gervais P
H a i b o f y F r a n c i n e
Halberg Franz
Tnsentinal monitoring of air pollution by autorhythmometry of peak
expiratory flow.
See Citation No 72-4TA-0703 pp 217-220 1971.
Sum 2 tables. 2 1 refs (1 in Du . 2 in Fr . 1 in Ger.), from AS.
AIR MONITORING SYSTEMS . FLOW RATE : SAMPLING
TECHNIQUES dutorhythmometry.
Work on healthy subjects and asthmatics and subsequent Parisian
studies in a hypo-allergic chamber validate the concept that certain
human beings can indeed serve as sensitive, economical, and pertinent
monitors of air pollution More specifically, the removal of man from
pollutants into certain clean — if not virgin — environments
demonstrates rigorously the biologic effect of pollution, per se, on a
variable sui.h as the peak expiratory flow — PEF is the sentinel variable
indirectly related to the extent of airways obstruction — by assessing the
rhythm-adjusted level of PEF in patients with certain sensitive
conditions
72-4TA-0744
Fodor. Georg G
Wmneke. H
(both) Univ of Duesseldorf, Medizinisches
Institut fuer Lufthygiene und
Silikoseforschung, Ger.
Nervous system disturbances in men and animals experimentally
exposed to industrial solvent vapors.
See Citaron No 72-4TA-0703 pp 238-243.1971.
No abs . S figs , 1 table, 28 refs. (i in Czech., 1 in Fr., 8 in Ger.), from
Text
SOLVENTS VAPORS NERVOUS SYSTEM TOXICITY INDUSTRIAL
EMISSIONS
Investigations with human volunteers and experimental animals
have revealed significant disturbances of central nervous system (CNS)
functioning caused by low atmospheric concentrations of solvent vapors.
Critical flicker frequency depression and vigilance-decrement, taken
together, seorn to be compatible and may be interpreted as indicating a
state of CNS-depression. This functional impairment due to solvent vapor
exposure occurs at atmospheric concentration far below the present
threshold limit value of 500 ppm. which, therefore can't be considered as
safe. The application of neurophysiological methods as well as methods
of experimental psychology within the framework of environmental
toxicology should contribute significantly to a proper evaluation of the
potential hazards of chemical air pollutions.
72-4TA-0745
Hettche. H Otto Landesanstalt fuer Immissions und
Bodennutzungsschutz. Essen-Bredney.
North Rhine-Westphalia. Ger.
Air pollution and lung cancer, a contribution to epidemiology.
See Citation No 72-4TA-0703 pp. 243-249. 1971.
No abs . 2 refs (Both in Ger ). from Text.
CANCER LUNGS MORTALITY RATE . AIR POLLUTION.
Inductive analysis, coupled with the methods of epidemiology is
utilized in relating air pollution to lung cancer Job mortality rates indicate
high cancer danger from flue gases of burning coal, tobacco smoke.
exhaust of cars, and probably iron oxide.
(both) APCO. Raleigh, NC
72-4TA-0746
Heck. W W
Tingey, D T
Ozone. Time-concentration model to predict acute foliar injury.
See Citation No. 72-4TA-0703 pp 249-255. 1971.
No abs . 7 tables, 1 7 refs (1 in Ger.), from Text.
OZONE PHYTOTOXICITY PLANTS . foliar injury.
Experiments designed to pred'ct more accurately acute injury io a
selected group of plants from ozone exposures that are limited in time are
described A modet presented allows for the prediction of concentrations
of ozone that will produce acute foliar injury under variable environmental
conditions The model can be used to suggest combinations of time and
concentrations of ozone that should not be exceeded in the atmosphere
without injuring specific types of vegetation.
72-47A-0747
d. J.B.
cManus, T.T.
Ongun. Alpaslan
Inhibition of lipid metabolism in chloroplasts by ozone.
See Citation No. 72-4TA-0703 pp. 256-260. 1971.
No abs , 5 figs , 2 tables, 22 refs (1 in Ger ), from Text.
OZONE PHYTOTOXICITY - PLANTS : LIPIDS
spinach.
Development of a useful in vitro system for the assay 0|
toxicity is discussed The relative importance of ammo acid oxidaii,
fatty acid oxidation as mechanisms for ozone toxicity is assessed
(all) Los Angeles State and[u
Arboretum, Aicart,
72-4TA-0748
Hanson, George P
Thorne, Linda
Jativa. Carlos D.
Ozone tolerance of petunia leaves as related to their ascorbit
concentration.
See Citation No. 72-4TA-0703 pp. 261-266. 1971.
No abs., 4 figs.. 1 table, 29 refs. (1 in Ger}. from Text
Grant: USPHS AP00132-10.
OZONE . PHYTOTOXICITY PLANTS : LEAVES petunias asgj
acid.
Petunia plants were studied to determine the relationshipbe|«
varietal resistance and ascorbic acid concentration Results indicate
ascorbic acid does serve a protective function in petunia andv»
ozone tolerance is due at least in part to differences in Vitamin Cm
The possibility that .leaf thickness is an important factor in tj
resistance of petunia cannot be dismissed without further investigili
72-4TA-0749
Gudenan. R.
Schoenbeck. H
(both) Landesanstalt fuer Immissioiil
Bodennutzungsschutz. Essen-Sim
North Rhine-WestphalM
Recent results for recognition and monitoring of air pollutants!
the aid of plants.
See Citation No. 72-4TA-0703 pp 226-273. 1971. ,'
No abs.. 1 3 figs., 1 tablo. 24 refs. (2 1 in Ger.). from Text. /
AIR MONITORING SYSTEMS PLANTS : BIOLOGICAL INDI/AlO
Recognition and monitoring of air pollutants by plapf analy*
by certain exposure procedures are discussed. The suitability oil
and higher plants as air pollution indicators is based on (hep*
sensitivity of some species as well as on their specific reactions toe
pollutants. Thereby the differences in the chemical composition
activities of the pollutants are revealed by the varying and quanlB
determinate reactions of plants. The presented exposure metlms
test chamber method, the test plant method, the grass culture!*
and the lichen exposure method are on one hand suited tors
biologically affecting air pollutants, and on the other hand toll*
monitor polluted areas.
72-4TA-0750
Rao, D N. Banaras Hindu Univ , Varanasj
A study of the air pollution problem due to coal unlmfl
Varanasi, India.
See Citation No. 72-4TA-0703 pp. 273-276. 1971.
No abs., 5 tables, 8 refs . from Text *
DUSTS : COAL PLANTS : PHYTOTOXICITY : INDIA : Varanasi.*
1 lemon.
The effect of coal dust on the growth and fruiting •
mango and lemon was investigated. Coal dust in the airIS
nuisance for plants, especially at the time of flowering. It inhibit'^
the energy conserving dnd energy releasing processes in
interfering with gaseous diffusion, by reducing light
increasing surface temperature, and by disintegrates
pigment; but it also checks the very process of fertilization«"
prerequisite for fruit formation. A tree fence of Pitheco/obiuV ^
provide an effective barrier as a wind-breaker to keep backP
pollutants.
72-4TA-0751
Linzon. Samuel N.
Ontario Dept of Energy a^
Management. To
Fluoride effects on vegetation in Ontario.
See Citation No 72-4TA-0703 pp. 277-289. 1971.
No abs.. 1 1 figs.. 6 tables. 14 refs.. from Text
FLUORIDES'VEGETATION PHYTOTOXICITY . CANADA
Vegetation surveillance studies were carried out during1
192
-------
AGRICULTURAL WASTES
Claybaugh, J. V. Agriculture waste utilization versus disposal.
Compost Science, 11(6);18-19, Nov.-Dec. 1970. The utilization
of manure as a source of methane gas, fertilizer, or feed
nutrients can help solve problems, such as odor, which are
associated with its disposal.
[12672]
Dale, A.
C. j D. E. Bloodgooal #63- C. M.. Eobson. Aerobic decomposition
of dairy cattle manure, p.187-196. Unpublished data. A
decomposition of about 20 percent of the volatile solids at
4 C and about 42 percent of the volatile solids at 24 C can
be expected.
[12469]
Frink, C. E. Animal waste disposal. Compost Science, 11(6):14-15,
Nov.-Dec. 1970. Although data indicate that manure is not
worth hauling to the field as fertilizer, alternative disposal
methods are more expensive and could result in considerable
ecological damage.
[12671]
Eerr, G. H. Agriculture waste research needs. Compost Science, 11(5):
8-11, Sept.-Oct. 1970. Since there are several problems
associated with the handling of liquid poultry manure, a
Pennsylvania poultry farm has instituted a process whereby
the manure is dried and sold as fertilizer.
[12673]
Honda, K. Treatment of livestock waste water by electrolysis. Yosui
to Haisui, 12(10);871-878, Oct. 1, 1970. An effective,
flexible, and economical method for electrically treating
cattle manure in an electrolysis tank has been developed
by a Japanese research team. (Text-Japanese)
[12562]
Poch, M. , and H. Horn. A new approach to disinfection of liquid manure.
Zeitschrift fuer die Gesamte Hygiene and Ihre Grenzgebiete,
16(8):593-594, Aug. 1970. Mixtures containing 60 percent
manure, 30 percent urine, 10 percent water, and small amounts
'of ammonia were found to be strongly antibacterial with
regard to gram-negative species. (Text-German)
[12662]
193
-------
DRUGS AND CHEIV18GALS
LEAO POISONING
administration & dosage/ *EDTA, therapeutic
UBC/ FEMALE/ HEMATOCRIT/ HOSPITAL
OUTPATIENT CLINICS/ HUMAN/ INFANT/
LEAD POISONING, blood/ LEAD POISONING,
complications/ 'LEAD POISONING, drug
therapy/ LEAD PO'.SONING, radiography/
MALE/ PAINT/ PENICILLAMINE,
administration & dosage/ PENICILLAMINE,
.dverse effects/ 'PENICILLAMINE,
therapeutic use/ PICA/ URTICARIA,
chemically Induced/ VOMITING, chemically
Induced
ENZYMOLOGY
SSM. Lead and delta-amlnoUcvulinlc acid dehydratase levelf*
In mentally retarded children and In lead-poison*]
euckllng rats. Millar JA, et al. Lancet 2:695-8. 3 Oct 7u"~
ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS/ ANIMALS,
NEWBORN/ BRAIN CHEMISTRY/ CHILD/
CHILD, PRESCHOOL/ HUMAN/
•HYDRO-LYASES, blood/ INFANT/
INTELLIGENCE TESTS/ .KIDNEY, analysis/
LEAD, analysis/ *LEAO, blood/ LEAD
POISONING, blood/ LEAD POISONING,
complications/ 'LEAD POISONING,
enzymology/ LIVER, analysis/ MENTAL
RETARDATION, blood/ MENTAL
RETARDATION, enzymoiogy/ 'MENTAL
RETARDATION, etiology/ RATS/ SPLEEN,
analysis
2595. I Activity of delta-amlnolevul.nic acid dehydratase In
men occupationally exposed 10 lead ] Urbanowicz H, et
al. Pol Tyg Lelt 25:1010-2, 6 Jul 70 (Pol)
AMINO ACIDS, urine/ ENGLISH ABSTRACT/
ERYTHROCYTES, erazymology/ HUMAN/
•HYDRO-LYASES, blood/ 'LEAD POISONING,
enzymology/ LETCLINIC ACID, urine/ TIME
FACTORS
2596. Lead poisoning as & disorder of heme synthesis.
Goldberg A. Seminars Hemat 5:424-33, Oct 68
ACYLTRANSFERASES, metabolism/ CHILD/
FECES, analysis/ «HEME, biosynthesis/
HUMAN/ HYDRO-LYASES, metabolism/ IRON
ISOTOPES/ LEAD POISONING, enzymology/
•LEAD POISONING, metabolism/ LEVULINIC
ACID, metabolism/ LEVULINIC ACID, urine/
PORPHYKIA, enzymclogy/ 'PORPHYRIA,
metabolism/ PORPHYRINS, analysis/
PORPHYRINS, urine
ETIOLOGY
2597. [General lead Intakes through foodstuffs and
beverages] Lehnert G, ct al.
Arch Hyg Bakt 153:403-12, Oct 69 (Oer>
ABSORPTION/ AIR POLLUTION/
AUTOMOBILE EXHAUST/ 'BEVERAGES,
analysis/ ENGLISH ABSTRACT/
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE/ 'FOOD,
analysis/ 'FOOD CONTAMINATION/ FRUIT,
analysis/ GERMANY, 'WEST/ GRAIN, analysis/
HUMAN/ 'LEAD, analysis/ LEAD POISONING,
etiology/ MEAT, aualysls/ METHODS/
SPECTROPHOTOMETRY/ STATISTICS/
VEGETABLES, analysis '
2598. [Unrecognized lead poisoning exposure in maintenance
works of a road tunnel] Glrard R, et al.
Arete Mai Prof 31:318-P, Jun 70 (Vie)
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE/ HUMAN/
'LEAD POISONING, etioiogy/ MALE/ MIDDLE
AGE
2589. [Lead poisoning and old statues] Glrard R, et al.
Arch Mai Prof 31:309-11, Jun 70 (Frel
ADULT/ HUMAN/ 'LEAD POISONING,
etiology/ LEAD POISONING, occurrence/
MALE/ MIDDLE AGE/ 'OCCUPATIONAL
DISEASES
2600. [Diabetes mellltus in workers exposed to the risk of
lead poisoning. I. Diabetes meliltus In typographic
workers] Ferrero GP.
Med Lavoro 59:540-2, Aug-Sep 68 (Ita>
•DIABETES MELLITUS, etiology/ ENGLISH
ABSTRACT/ HUMAN/ LEAD POISONING,
complications/ 'LEAD POISONING, etiology/
•OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES/ 'PRINTING
2601. Earthenware containers as j source of fatal lead
poisoning. Klein M, et al.
New Ene ) Med 283:669-72, 24 Sep 70
CANADA/ CERAMICS/ CHELATING AGENTS,
therapeutic use/ CHILD, PRESCHOOL/
•COOKING AND EATING UTENSILS/
HUMAN/ LEAD, analysis/ LEAD POISONING,
diagnosis/ "LEAD POISONING, etiology/
LEAD POISON7NG, prevention & control/
LEAD POISONING, therapy/ MALE/ PUBLIC
HEALTH/ SOLUBILITY
2602. Lead potsoning-the silent epidemic. Rothschild EO
New Eng i Med 233:704-5, 24 Sep 70
CERAMICS/ CHELATING AGENTS,
therapeutic use/ CHILD/ CHILD,
PRESCHOOL/ COOKING AND EATING
UTENSILS/ HOUSING/ HUMAN/ INFANT/
LEAD POISONING, diagnosis/ LEAD
POISONING, etiology/ 'LEAD POISONING,
occurrence/ LEAK POISONING, prevention &
control/ LEAD POISONING, therapy/ PICA,
complications/ UNITED STATES
2603. Two men with lead poisoning. St. George IM.
New Zeal Med 3 71:294-7, May 70
ADULT/ CASE REPORT/ 'CHELATING
AGENTS, therapeutic use/ DIMERCAPHOL,
adverse effects/ DMERCAPROL, therapeutic
use/ DRUG HYPERSENSITIVITY/ EDTA,
adverse effects/ EDTA, therapeutic use/
HUMAN/ LEAD, urine/ 'LEAD POISONING,
drug therapy/ LEAD POISONING, etiology/
MALE/ MIDDLE AGE/ PENICILLAMINE,
adverse effects/ PENICILLAMINE, therapeutic
2604. [Complicated lexicological situation. Lead and
Cadmium, 2 small snapshots and comments] Norseth
T, et al.
T Norsk Laegeforem 80:1529-31 passim, 15 Aug 70
(Nor)
•AIR POLLUTION, analysis/ ANIMAL
EXPERIMENTS/ 'CADMIUM, poisoning/
CHRONIC DISEASE/ ENGLISH ABSTRACT/
ENVIRONMENTAL. EXPOSURE/ HUMAN/
•LEAD POISONING, etiology/
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES/ PUBLIC
HEALTH/ RATS/ SULFUR DIOXIDE,
poisoning/ 'WATER POLLUTION, analysis
HISTORY
2605. Sir George Baker and the dry belly-ache. (Baker G),
Chllds SJ. Bull Hist Med 44:213-40, May-Jun 70
•ABDOMEN/ 'COLIC, history/ HISTORICAL
ARTICLE/ HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHY/
HISTORY OF MEDICINE, 18TH CENT./
•LEAD POISONING, history/ UNITED STATES
/
METABOLISM
2306. Electron probe mlcroanalyser localization of lead in
kidney tissue of poisoned rats. Carroll XG, et at.
Nature (London^ 22';':1056, 5 Sep 70
ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS/ CALCIUM, analysis/
ELECTRON PROBE MICROANALYSIS/
HISTOCYTOCHEMISTRY/ 'KIDNEY, analysis/
"LEAD, analysis/ 'LEAD POISONING,
metabolism/ PHOSPHORUS, analysis/
PROTEINS, analysis/ RATS
2607. Lead poisoning as a disorder of heme synthesis.
Goldberg A. Seminars Kern at 5:424-33, Oct $8
ACYLTRANSFERASES. metabolism/ CHILD/
FECES, analysis/ 'HEME, biosynthesis/
HUMAN/ HYDRO-LYASES, metabolism/ IRON
ISOTOPES/ LEAD POISONING, enzymology/
•LEAD POISONING, metabolism/ LEVULINIC
ACID, metabolism/ LEVULINIC ACID, urine/
PORPHYRIA, enzymology/ 'PORPHYRIA,
metabolism/ PORPHYRINS, analysis/
PORPHYHINS, urlna
OCCURRENCE
2698. Ulcer and gastritis in the professions exposed to lead.
Jovltltf B.
Arch Environ Health (Chicago! 21:526-8, Oct 70
ADULT/ ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE/
GASTRIC JUICE/ 'GASTRITIS, occurrence/
HUMAN/ LEAD/ 'LEAD POISONING, -
occurrence/ MIDDLE AGE/ 'PEPTIC ULCER,
occurrence/ YUGOSLAVIA
2809. [Lead poisoning and old statues] Glrard R, et al.
Areh Rial Prof 31:309-11, Jun 70 (Frel
ADULT/ HUMAN/ 'LEAD POISONING,
etiology/ LEAD POISONING, occurrence/
MALE/ MIDDLE AGE/ 'OCCUPATIONAL
DISEASES
2S10. Lead polsonlng-the silent epidemic. Rothschild EO.
New Eng 1 Med 283:784-5, 24 Sep 70
CERAMICS/ CHELATING AGENTS,
therapeutic use/ CHILD/ CHILD,
PRESCHOOL/ COOKING AND BATING
UTENSILS/ HOUSING/ HUMAN/ INFANT/
194
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NAME: Air Pollution Technical Information Center (APTIC)
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711
TEL: (919) 549-8411
DIRECTOR: Peter Halpin
SPONSOR; Office of Air Programs
Environmental Protection Agency
MISSION: (a) To determine need for collecting air pollution
technical information. (b) To acquire, store,
retrieve, reproduce, and disseminate needed
air pollution technical information including
articles, books, periodicals, pamphlets, copy,
microfilm, tape or other forms of memory.
(c) To coordinate activities with other documenta-
tion groups, centers, and libraries, domestic
and foreign, to make resources mutually available
and to encourage requisite uniformity. Services
include: (1) Preparation of a monthly abstract
bulletin containing the yield of screening more
than 1100 domestic and foreign serial publications,
patents, Government reports, preprints, technical
society papers, proceedings, etc.; (2) Provision
of retrospective literature searches rapidly upon
request (about 24,000 records are currently
accessible), and handling of inquiries about
secondary distribution of the sponsor organiza-
tion's technical publications; (3) Preparation of
extensive bibliographies on special subjects for
publication; (4) Provision of translations of
foreign journals cover-to-cover (currently "Staub"
from the German, and "Hygiene and Sanitation"
from the Russian "Gigiena i Sanitariya", and
of individual documents requested by the sponsor
organization's staff -- the latter are also made
available to the public through interlibrary loan
or through the National Translation Center; and
(5) Provision of conventional library services,
primarily for the sponsor organization.
195
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NAME: Analytical Methodology Information Center (AMIC)
Battelle Memorial Institute
Columbus Laboratories
505 King Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43201
TEL: (614) 299-8045
DIRECTOR: Ralph L. Darby
SPONSOR: Office of Research and Monitoring
Environmental Protection Agency
MISSION: To acquire, index, and abstract literature
related to analytical methods. AMIC publishes
a monthly awareness bulletin, responds to
special requests for evaluated information
on specific topics, and serves the Water
Resources Scientific Information Center.
196
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NAME: Division of Health Effects Research
National Environmental Research Center
Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711
TEL: (919) 549-8411
DIRECTOR: Dtr John F. Finklea
SPONSOR: Office of Research and Monitoring
Environmental Protection Agency
MISSION: Develop intelligence relative to the effects of
air pollution on health for inclusion in "Air
Quality Criteria Documents" produced by the
Environmental Protection Agency.
197
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NAME: Division of Pesticide Community Studies
Environmental Protection Agency
4470 Buford Highway
Chamblee, Georgia 30341
TEL: (404) 633-3311
DIRECTOR: Dr. S. W. Simmons
SPONSOR: Office of Pesticide Programs
Environmental Protection Agency
MISSION: To evaluate the effects of pesticides on human
health by collecting clinical and biochemistry
information and analyzing it statistically.
The program has also a collection of literature
on pesticides and their effects on health.
198
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NAME :
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Ecological Information and Analysis Center (EIAC)
Battelle Memorial Institute
Columbus Laboratories
505 King Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43201
': "«r,
(614) 299-3151
Ann W. Rudolph
Battelle Memorial Institute
Columbus Laboratories
Atomic Energy Commission
To collect, store, retrieve, and evaluate information
and data relevant to bioenvironmental and ecological
studies. Subject scope of the EIAC currently
includes mathematical modeling of ecosystems,
population dynamics, bioenergetics, systems
ecology, food-chain studies, and environmental
aspects of air, water, and solid wastes pollution.
199
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NAME: Ecological Sciences Information Center
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
TEL: (615) 483-8611
DIRECTOR: Carol J. Oen
SPONSOR: Ecological Sciences Division
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Atomic Energy Commission
MISSION: To develop a base of ecological literature
references and data that are relevant to the
movement, cycling, and concentration of
elements, isotopes, natural materials, and
environmental pollutants in different eco-
systems .
200
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NAMK:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Enjiincoring RcferoiH-o Branch
Bureau of Reclamation
Office of Design and Construction
Engineering and Research Center
Denver .federal Center, Building 67
Denver, Colorado 80225
.(303) 234-3022
Warren B. McBirney
Bureau of Reclamation
Department of the Interior
To identify, acquire, index, abstract, store,
retrieve, and disseminate information concerning
all phases'of water i-esourccs research and develop
mcnt, with particular emphasis on aspects of
irrigation, flood control, hydro-electric power
generation and transmission, municipal and
industrial water, environmental protection, and
.related water uses and conservation. To provide
current awareness, selective dissemination of
information (SDI), and retrospective search
capabilities in these subject areas.
201
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TEL-
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Environmental Hygiene Agency
U. S. Army
Edgcwood Arsenal, Maryland 21010
(301) 671-4315
Col. Hunter G. Taft, Jr,
• Preventive Medicine Division
Professional Service Directorate
Office of the Surgeon General
Department of the Army
To support the Army preventive medicine program
through surveys, investigations, consultant services,
and training in environmental hygiene to include
sanitary engineering, radiological hygiene, and
occupational health. The Agency accumulates,
.evaluates, stores, and disseminates toxicologic
and environmental pollution data for use by the
Surgeon General and other Department of the Army
staff offices and agencies directed toward ArVny
Pollution Abatement.
202
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NAME: Environmental Information System
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge, Tenriessee 37830
TEL: (615) 483-8611
DIRECTOR: Gerald U. Ulrickson
SPONSOR: National Science Foundation
MISSION: To develop an information system which will make
both bibliographic references and environmental
data available to scientists and others conducting
research in, or making decisions about, the
environment. An Environmental Terminology
Index (thesaurus) is being prepared.
203
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.NAME,:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Environmental Mutagcn Information Center (EMIC)
Biology Division
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Post Office Box Y
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
(615) 483-8611
D. G. Doherty
Division of Biology and Medicine
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Atomic Energy Commission
To collect information on the genetic effects
of chemicals. This collection includes data
on environmental pollutants, drugs, food addi-
tives, cosmetics and industrial ch.emicals.
204
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NAME:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Environmental Patent Priority Program Information
Office of Information Services
Patent Office
Washington, D. C. 20231
(202) 557-3428 ' >i-
0
Isaac Fleischmann
Patent Office
Department of Commerce
At the direction of President Nixon, the
Patent Office is giving priority in examination
and processing of those patents claimed by
their inventors to improve the air, water or
soil. The Office of Information Services is
publicizing this program to inventors and
the public, and providing other information
to press, public, patent bar, etc.
205
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TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Environmental Technical Applications Center
U. S. Air Force
Building 159
Navy Yard Annex
Washington, D. C. 20333
->
(202) 433-3901
Col. Richard A. Johnston
Headquarters, 6th Weather Wing
Headquarters Air Weather Service
Military Airlift Command
Department of the Air Force
i
To provide a centralized capability to collect,
;storc, retrieve, process and analyze environmental
data for publication, planning, and tP.clinical appli-
cations required by the Department of Defense,
Army, Air Force, and authorized contractors.
206
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NAME:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Eutrophicalion Information Program
13Z4 West Dayton Street
University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin 53706
(608) 262-3577
Dr. Paul' D. Uttomark
University of Wisconsin
Water Resources Center
The primary goal of the Eutrophication Information
Program is to serve the scientific community by
expediting the exchange of information and to provide
search, referral, and information services in
eutro phi cation and related aspects of the aging or
maturing of lakes, reservoirs, and other inland
bodies of water. The scope includes the collection
of data and information on biological, chemical, and
hydrological processes of nutrient enrichment and
aging of lakes and other inland bodies of water which
result in impairment of water quality by growth of
aquatic organisms and plants. Activities include
abstracting scientific literature, preparing critical
literature reviews, and providing referral services.
207
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NAME:
TEL:
Geologic Division
U.S. Geological Survey
Washington, D. C. 20242
(202) 343-2125
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Richard P. Sheldon
U. S. Geological Survey
Department of the Interior
To make geologic examinations to determine and
appraise the mineral and mineral fuel resources
and the geologic structure of the United States
and its territories. A by-product of these exami-
nations is the identification of geologic factors
that bear on the use of the land and maintenance
of environmental quality. These identifications
include, such processes as the compositional
variations in major and all trace elements
(including hazardous elements) of rocks, soils,
and plants to provide baseline information on the
natural occurrence of the elements, and the geo-
chemistry of the sediments as they move through
the coastal waters and onto the shelf.
208
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NAME:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Medical J/Itornture Analysis & Retrieval System (MEDTJUIS)
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockvillc Pike
Bcthnsda, Maryland 20014
*
(301) 496-6217
Dr. Clifford A. Bachrach
National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health
Public Health Service
Department of Health, Education and Welfare
(a) To subject index the periodical literature
of medicine and related fields. (b) To publish
printed bibliographies of the biomedical literature
(IndeK Madicu_s and twenty others), (c) To prepare
bibliographies by current and retrospective searches
of the computer stores of citations of the periodical
literature of medicine in response to the expressed
needs of iiidividuals in the health professions.
209
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NAME:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
National TeclmiraJ Information Service (NTJS)
Department, of Commerce
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, Virginia Z2151
(703) 321-8543 , ;
William T. Knox
Department of Commerce
To provide a focal point of contact in the Federal
Government through which the results of Government-
sponsored research in science, engineering, arid
business are made available to industry, commerce
and the general public.
210
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NAME:
TEL:
National Water Data Program
Water Resources Division
U. S. Geological Survey
Washington, D. C. 20Z4Z
(202) 343-9425
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
E. L. Henclricks
U. S. Geological Survey
Department of the Interior
To measure and quantify the occurrence and quality
of the Nation's water resources and the effect of
development and utilization on those resources and
to make statistical data and summary reports on the
water resource available to planners, developers,
and managers. Included in the Division's activities
are the coordination of certain water-data acquisition
activities by Federal agencies and the development of
a National Water Data System, through which all
water data acquired in the United States, both by
Federal and non-Federal organizations, is identified
and accessible to all users.
211
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NAME1:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Nuclear Safety Information Center (NSIC)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Post Office Box Y
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
«
(615) 483-8611
William B. Cottrell
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
The Nuclear Safety Information Center (NSIC) was
established by the AEC as a focal point for the
collection, evaluation, cataloging and storage of
all relevant information so that this information
might be disseminated (by various techniques) to
the rapidly expanding nuclear community and thus
not only foster utilization of the results of the AEC
research and development (R&D) work but also
enhance the growth of the U.S. nuclear industry.
The scope includes all aspects of nuclear safety,
such as general criteria, analysis, and operating
systems; accident analysis; environmental surveys;
monitoring and radiation exposure of man; siting
and containment of facilities; transporting and
handling of radioactive materials; reactor transients,
kinetics, and stability; nuclear instrumentation,
control, and safety systems; effects of thermal
modifications on ecological systems; and effects
of radionuclides and ionizing radiation on ecological
systems.
212
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NAME:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Science and Technology Division
Library of Congress
2nd and Independence Avenue
Washington, D. C. 20540
(202) 426-5674
Marvin W. McFarland
Reference Department
Library of Congress
Maintains the largest and most comprehensive U.S.
Collection (all fields and all languages) of books,
periodicals and technical reports in science and
technology. Provides both general and specialized
bibliographic and reference service, including com-
prehensive fee searching service. Provides referral
service through the Division's National Referral
Center. Publishes bibliographies and directories
in many areas of science and technology including
numerous subjects concerned with or bearing upon
environmental quality.
213
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NAME:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Smithsonian Science Infojatsnation Exchange, Inc.
300 Madison National Bank Building
1730 M Street, N. W.
Washington, D. C. 20036
(202) 381-5511
Dr, David F. Hersey t:t
Smithsonian Institution
To facilitate effective planning and management of
scientific research activities supported by U, S.
agencies and institutions by promoting the exchange
among participating agencies of information on all
types of current basic and applied research. This
includes the accumulation, organization, analysis,
and maintenance of a comprehensive inventory of
current research project summaries, and the making
of this information available to the scientific com-
munity in a form such that maximum use can be
made of this data by the scientist and research
. administrator.
214
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NAME:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Solid Waste Information'Retrieval System (SWIRS)
Office of Solid .Waste Management Programs •
Environmental Protection Agency
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, Maryland 20852
(301) 443-1824
John A. Connolly
Office of Solid Waste Management Programs
Environmental Protection Agency
To organize for quick retrieval, the published
information concerning current research and
technological developments in the solid waste
management field throughout the world. To
update and keep current the Refuse Collection
and Disposal Annotated Bibliography series for '
world-wide distribution. Input to the system began
in June 1967. Coverage includes literature published
since 1964. Conduct retrospective reviews when
necessary. Although the system is not completely
automated at this time, the search strategy is
presently partially computerized.
215
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NAME:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Tcchnii-n.1 Information Center
Atomic Energy Commission
Post Office Box 62
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
(615) 483-8611
Robert L. Shannon
Office of Information Services
Atomic Energy Commission
To collect, evaluate, organize, catalog and
announce the international nuclear science
literature. To control, reproduce, and dissemi'
nate the report literature of the Atomic Energy
Commission and its contractors.
216
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NAME:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Technical Information Service Branch
Division of Technical Services
National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health
1014 Broadway
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
(513) 684-2693
James L. Oser
National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health
Public Health Service
Department of Health, Education and Welfare
Dissemination of scientific and technical information
on occupational safety and health. Makes replies to
inquiries (received from, general public, professional
workers, unions and local, State and Federal govern-
ment agencies) for technical references on health
effects, toxicity of chemicals, and health hazards
encountered in the work environment.
217
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NAME: Technical Libraries, Tennessee Valley Authority;
Knoxville, Tennessee; Chattanooga, Tennessee;
and Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Technical Library, TVA
500 Union Avenue
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902
TEL; (615) 637-0101
DIRECTOR: Jesse C. Mills
SPONSOR: Information Office
General Managers Office
Tennessee Valley Authority
MISSION; To accumulate, process, analyze, index, publish
and otherwise disseminate information on air, water,
ground and other types of pollution and environmental
quality as they concern the TVA and the Tennessee
Valley.
218
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NAME:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
toxicology Information Program
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Maryland 20014
(301) 496-3147
Dr, Henry Kissman
National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health
Public Health Service
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
The Toxicilogy Information Program (TIP) of the
National Library of Medicine has the overall
mission to set up computerized facilities to
"cope with the flood of toxicological information
and make it quickly available to people with a
legitimate need for it." (Report of a President's
Science Advisory Committee, 1966.) TIP's immediate
goals are: to establish an on-line interactive
retrieval system containing information and data on
hazards to man from pesticides, other environmental
and occupational toxicants, and drugs; to collect
such data from the literature and the files of
cooperating industrial and government agencies; to
sponsor the publication of state-of-the-art reviews
in toxicology; and, through a Toxicology Infor-
mation Response Center, perform information analysis
and reference services in toxicology for the
scientific community.
219
-------
NAME;
TEL;
DIRECTOR;
SPONSOR:
MISSION:
Transportation Noise Research Information Service
Highway Research Board
National Research Council - ,
National Academy of Sciences
2101 Constitution Avenue, NW.
Washington, D. C. 20418
(202) 961-1611
Paul Irick
Office of Noise Abatement
Office of the Secretary
Department of Transportation
(a) To develop and operate a storage and
retrieval system for transportation noise
research information. (b) To provide informa-
tion syntheses for topics within the program
scope, (c) To adviae on research and development
(R&D) needs and goals in the area of transportation
noise abatement.
220
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NAME:
TEL:
DIRECTOR:
SPONSOR •
MISSION:
Water Quality Technical Data and
Information System (STORET)
Office of Water Programs
Environmental Protection Agency
Washington, D. C. 20460
••S
(703) 557-7632
George F. Wirth
Technical Data and Information Branch
Applied Technology Division
Office of Water Programs
Environmental Protection Agency
The system provides for the collection, storage,
retrieval, and analysis of water quality data and
other pollution control information. The system
uses computer technology extensively. All data
and information collected is related to location,
water use or user, water quality parameters,
pollution control actions, and time.
221
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Water Resources Scientific Information Center >(WRSIC)
Department of the Interior
Washington, D. C. .20.204 ' ;
TEL,: (202) 343-8435
DIRECTOR: Utaymond A. Jensen
SPONSOR: Office of Water Resources Research _
Department of the Interior
MISSION: In accordance with the Water Resources Research
Act of 1964, as amended, and assignments by the
Secretary of the Interior and the Federal Council
for Science and Technology, the Center is to
insure a more prompt flow of information to the
Nation's water resources community by coordinating,
supplementing, and avoiding duplication of informa-
tion services which are supporting water resources
research, engineering, and management.
222
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tior-.j 3 Rue Henri Heine, Paris i&c, Prance
1962- , llx, F. 220.00
v2000 abstracts/year,- 100 words /abstract, . interval 1-J- month
coverage: 160 domestic and 160 foreign journals + books, standards, con-
ference papers
arrangement: broad subject categories
subject indexes annually
(abstracts printed one-sided, 80x95 mm)
Heat
Energy
Air pollution
Combustion
ABSTRACTS OF AIR AND WATER CONSERVATION LITERATURE AND
PATEVIS
An-.crican Petroleum Institute, Central Abstracting and Indexing Service,
1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N. Y. 10020, USA
1969- , 52x, $ 275.00
2, 500 abstracts/year, 150 words/abstract, interval 30 days
coverage: 60 domestic and 20 foreign journals
arrai-gcmer.t: subject gro.ups
no reproduction service
Air pollution
Water pollution
VA-NYTT
K. Konsults Bibliotek, Fack, 10310 Stockholm 2, Sweden
1966- , lOx, Skr. 35. 00
1200 .-vDslracls/year, 20-80 words/abstract, interval 2 wecks-3 months
coverage: 200 domestic and 300 foreign journals + books, reports, con-
ference proceedings, standards
arrangement: keywords (16 headings)
bi-annual subject index
(text appearing in more than one language but every item in one language
only)
reproduction service
W a I c r ant! s e w age
Air pollution
Refuse handling
Air Pollution Control Association, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa.
n with U.S. Public Health Service (APTIC) and Informal
Inter science Incorporated 10047 tl
Mack Printing Co. , 20th and Northampton Sts. . .Easton, Pa. 18042, U
1955- , 12x, 5 15.00($ 30. 00 in U.S. and Canada)
1800 abstracts/year, 250 words/abstract '
coverage: 500 domestic and 3500 foreign journals + boons. proccco».s
arrangement: subject groups
author and title indexes and list of journals annually
V
A.ir pollution control research
API ABSTRACTS OF AIR AND WATER CONSERVATION LITERATURE
AND PATENTS
American Petroleum Institute, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New Yorl
N.Y. 10020, USA
1969- , 52x. $ 275. 00 - 2, 000. CO (depending on the gross assets of
the subscribing organization)
2600 abstracts/year, 100-200 words/abstract, interval 3-4 weeks
coverage: journals, trade magazins, patents
arrangement: subject groups
Air and water pollution (related to the petroleum industry)
ASPECTS TECHNIQUES DE LA SECURITE ROUTIERE
Fichcs documcntaires
(1960-1967 Bulletin dc documentation)
Fonds d'Etudcs et de Recherches pour la Securite* Routiere, Centre
International dc Documentation sur 1'Inspection et la Technique des
Vchicules Automobiles (CIDITVA), 14 rue du Gouvernement Provisoire
Bruxellcs I, Belgium
1960- , 4x, gratis or on exchange
1000 abstracts/year, 1 00 words/abstract, interval 3-6 months
coverage: 40 domestic and 120 foreign journals + non-serial publicatio
arrangement: 15 subject groups
language: English, French or German
card formal 9x6 cm
published separately to the primary journal ASPECTS TECHNIQUES DE
'LA SECiaUTI': ROUTIF.RK, TKCIINICAL ASPECTS OF ROAD SAFE'
TKCHNISCIIE ASPECTEN DER VERKEERSVEIL1GUEID, TECIINISC
SEITKN ftER VEKKEHRSS1CHKRIIEIT (title- in 4 languages)
Road safety. Vehicle control. Traffic rr-gulations
Air pollution
-------
N1
WATER POLLUTION ABSTRACTS
(1927-1949 Water Pollution Research Summary of Current Literature)
Water Pollution Research Laboratory, Ministry of Technology, Elder Way,
Slcvcnagc, Herts., U.K.
H.M. Stationery Office, Atlantic House, Hoiborn Viaduct, London E.G. 1,
U.K.
1927-. , 12x, £ 3.8.6
2400 abstracts/year, 200 words/abstract, interval 7 months
coverage: 100 domestic and 150 foreign journals + patents, books, reports
arrangement: subject categories
author and subject indexes annually
no reproductions
Water pollution
SCHRIFTTUMSUBERSICHT LARMMINDERUNG
_ VD!-Dokumentationsstellc, Fachdokumcntation Larmminderung, Post-
fach 1139, 4 DUsscldorf 1, Germany
1967- , 12x, DM -12,00
600 abstracts/year, 30-60 word.",/abstract, interval 2-3 months
coverage: 35 domestic and 10 foreign journals + conference proceedings,
books, reviews of progress
arrangement: 8 subject chapters
reproduction service
Noise control and measurement
Noise medicine
LITERATURHIN'WEISE
Firma Bran & Lubbe, Muhlenkamp 59, 2000 Hamburg 39, Germany
1956- , 52x, gratis to specialists
550 abstracts/year, 7Q words/abstract, interval 3 months
coverage: 42 domestic'and 6 foreign journals + patents, reports, coi
rcnce papers, standards
arrangement: by source journals ^
Water purification. V/aste water treatment '
Pumps (metering and proportioni7ig)
WASTE MANAGEMENT RESEARCH ABSTRACTS
International Atomic Energy Agency, Division of Health, Safety and
Waste Management, Kartnerring 11, 1010 Vienna, Austria
1965- , Ix, gratis
190 abstracts/year, 200 words/abstract
coverage: research completed or in progress in 17 IAEA member coun
tries
arrangement: 5 subject groups, 9 subdivisions
language: English, French, Russian or Spanish
r.o reproductions
Waste management
MITTEJLUNGEN ZUR LANDSCHAFTSPFLEGE
Documentation - information
(formerly Mitteilungen tlber Landschaftspflege)
Bundesanstalt far Vegetationskundc, Naturschutz und Landschaftspflcge,
Hcerstrasse 110, 532 Bad Godesbcrg, Germany
Verlag Helios Dicmcr KG, Rheinallee 1, 65 Mainz, Germany
1954- , 4x, DM 30. 00
800 abstracts/year, 50-1 50 words/abstract, interval 6-10 months
coverage: domestic and foreign journals {67% domes'-ic, 33% foreign) -f
books, annual reports, conference papers
arrangement: own classification
subject index for each issue
(printed :-.hif;lc sided)
Nature am! wild life protection
Control of wnlcr. Soil and air pollution
( I,ands<~:»pc planning. IX'utionrvr parks)
CHEMICAL ABSTRACTS * -> "*"
Chemical Abstracts Service, a Division of the American Chemical Socje
The Ohio State University,'Colombus.phio 43210, USA
1907- , 52x, $ 1, 950. 00 (full service), $ \,,450. 00 (educational grant
250,000 abstracts/year, 200 words/abstract
coverage: 12,000 journals + patents (isfMcfciA2$ countries), books, cor
fcrcnce proceedings, government TcSjBJ^teh.reports
arrangement: subject groups with cros? TtifoTfcttt.es
subject (keyword), author, numerical j^e^Si^nir patent concordance indr
in each issue; volume indexes.{at the £*^.pf a volume pcriod'of six i
months) consist of: .subject index, nuni'crffiii patent index, patent co
corc'.nncc, autlior index, formula index, indox of ring systems, hctcr
atom-in-coiitcxt index
comp'cmc-ntary service's: computer-produced CIIEMICAJj TITLFIS (bi-
\vcckly, 5000 lilies from 630 jouriials/j ssuc:, .*> 60, 000/y'car, ujso- I'
avai!.-iMo in -compntfi—rcad;ihjc form), C! TK\tJ-Q/i L.- ji JO J .Oft/frX'li' " "* '
ACTIVI'J'JKS (Ol'-.'VO), r-'Ol,YME;lI -SOJKXrCJv ^\XiD:iT:WA''^-'Q/^pfc>'i'.?!'» ' ;
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I.ITKKATURRUND.SCIIAU
Klcktro-V/ail, Bibliothck, Postfach Zurich 802Z, Switzerland
1954- , 20x, OH excliangc
3000 abstracts/year. 30 words/abstract, interval 14 days
coverage: domestic and foreign journals
arrangement: UDC
no indexes
reproduction service
Electric power
Traffic
Water treatment. Water resources
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NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION SYMPOSIUM
September 25-27, 1972 - Cincinnati, Ohio
SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL SESSIONS
DOCUMENT SERVICES
By William T. Knox, Director
National Technical Information Service
Department of Commerce
In this paper it is assumed that the needed references
i.e., title, report/document number, date of publication,
and publisher, have been obtained for the desired documents
by using the primary and secondary services (journals, in-
dexes, etc.) described by other speakers. The problem
addressed is limited to how to obtain a full text copy of
the reference from the numerous document services handling
environmental information.
Any discussion of document services as broad as our
coverage must be preceded by some general statements:
1. This discussion can only serve as a brief intro-
duction to the multitudinous, overlapping, vari-
able quality set of document services in the
United States.
2. The professionals in this field—the company,
public and university librarians—can provide
valuable assistance. Their services should be
used as the preferred starting point.
.226
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3. If an effort to find the information in one
format or through one reference is unsuccess-
ful , the information should be sought in
anorher form or through other references.
The document services provided by the industrial and
university libraries are well known to their users. Typical-
ly, such libraries serve only members of their own organiza-
9
tions, but will assist other libraries seeking documents.
Public libraries vary widely in the scope of their collec-
tions and in the services offered. However, they have the
potential for more adequate document services, and should be
a primary contact for document seekers.
Because of their size, scope, and relative lack of public
knowledge about them, the document services provided by
Federal agencies are the subjects of this paper. People seek-
ing documents from Federal- agencies have two general methods
to obtain them: 1) receiving the documents as they are
initially published by the agency (so-called initial.distribu-
tion) , and 2) getting the documents from a secondary distribu-
tor.
First, however, a word about Government publications.
227
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s±nce these are a major part of the services provided. Much
important environmental information is to be found in the
reports, bulletins, hearings, laws, and other publications
issued by the Federal Government, covering topics in nearly
'i
all fields"Of 'knowledge. -Government-documents or publica-
tions continue to grow in number and significance, and they
have become increasingly important tools for educators, re-
searchers, and policy makers. Some titles have established
impressive sales records, reflecting public recognition of
their helpfulness.
The documents are, however, published in complicated
forms and sets, and must be located through the use. of
printed catalogs, bibliographies, indexes, and services
provided for the purpose, some of which will be discussed
later. To obtain an overview of the breadth and scope of
these Government publications, the frequent user should
familiarize himself with some of the many books that have
been written on the subject. Schmeckebier, L. P., "Govern-
ment Publications and Their Use", Brookings Institute,
Washington, D.C., 1969, and "U. S. Government Serials and
Periodicals", Documents Index, McLean, Virginia, 1972, are
two examples.
228.
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Initial Distribution
Many agencies maintain mailing lists in order to send
their new .publications to organizations working in similar
fields or on similar problems. There are no uniform methods
for getting on these mailing lists; agencies have varying
practices and policies. Usually, those individuals or organ-
izations have a contract or grant in a subject field are
able to get publications in that field. Others may have
to locate the responsible office in the issuing agency, and
prepare a written justification for receiving the material.
The Superintendent of Documents also operates the
"Federal Depository Library Program", under which 1074 librar-
ies across the nation receive, automatically and free of
charge, Government publications in all or selected categories.
Categories especially significant for environmental informa-
tion include publications from: Air Programs Office (EPA) ;
Council on Environmental Quality (Executive Office of the
President); and the Environmental Protection Agency. The
United States Government Organization Manual 1971/72 lists
more than 20 other "Environmental-Information Sources".
A listing of depository libraries is a\Tailable in almost
229.
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any public library. A pamphlet entitled "Government Deposi-
tory Libraries — The Present Law Government Designated
Depository libraries" (revised April 1972), can be obtained
by writing to the Superintendent of Documents, Washington,
D. C. 20402.
Some 68 public and university libraries receive publi-
cations directly from NASA and the Office of Education in
the form of a "document collection". To qualify for this
type of document service a library would normally submit an
application to the agency justifying its request. Of course,
all these documents are also available both to unqualified
libraries and to the general public from the National Techni-
cal Information Service and other organizations through the
mechanism of a standing order.
Secondary Distribution
The Superintendent of Documents (SoD), the National Tech-
nical Information Service (NTIS) and the Library of Congress
(LC) are the major Federal secondary sources from which the
public may purchase document services. As in the private
sector, and as a result of the scope and complexity of the
Federal publications program, there are no clean-cut distinc-
tions between the SoD and NTIS publications offerings. In
230
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general, however, SoD tends to handle large volume items and
NTIS handles the more specialized, low volume items. Further
differentiating characteristics are outlined in the following
discussion.
SoD sells through mail -orders and Government bookstores
over 27,000 "in-print" different publications which origi-
nated in various Government agencies.
The Monthly Catalog of United States Government Publica-
tions, which announces about 20,000 new documents each year,
is published by SoD. The technical reports published by
Government contractors and grantees, and documents printed
in agency (GPO) field printing plants are typically not
included in the Monthly Catalog. They are available through
NTIS.
An index is included in each issue of the Monthly Catalog,
and the December index is ,cumulative_ for the year. All publi-
cations are indexed by subjects currently of interest, with
cross-references from all key words in the title. Title
entries are used when the subject is not apparent to the
indexes from the title. The name of the writer, reporter,
editor, etc. is used when it appears in the publications.
231
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Of the 1600 documents announced in a recent issue of
the Monthly Catalog, approximately 66% were available in
Depository Libraries, 53% could be purchased from the
Superintendent of Documents, and 32% were available only
from the issuing office (free or for sale).
SoD also publishes Price Lists, e.g., Ecology PL88,
that are revised from time to time. These lists, available
in selected subject fields, free of charge on request to
SoD, show the availability of documents at the time of going
to press. Supplies of all publications at SoD are limited,
and it is not uncommon that an ordered publication is found
to be "out of print".
SoD bookstores are listed below:
Washington, D. C. •—
Main Bookstore, 710 North Capitol Street
Commerce Department, 14th & Constitution, N. W.
Pentagon Building, Main Concourse
State Dept., 21st St. and Virginia Ave., N. W.
USIA, 1776 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Atlanta, Ga., Federal Office Blag., 275 Peachtree St., N. E.
Boston, Mass., John F. Kennedy Federal Building
(more)
232
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Chicago, 111., Federal Office Bldg., 219 S. Dearborn Street
Dallas, Texas, New Federal Bldg., 1100 Commerce Street
Kansas City, Mo., Federal Bldg., 601 East 12th Street
Los Angeles, California, Federal Bldg., 300 N. Los Angeles St.
San Francisco, California, .Federal -Bldg.., 450 Golden Gate Ave.,
P. O. Box 36104
*******
*
The National Technical Information Service and its prede-
cessor organizations have been providing document services
since 1945. It is probably the world's largest specialty
publisher. All of the NTIS collection of 700,000 different
documents, dating back to about 1950, are available for sale.
Arrangements with hundreds of organizations, mainly Federal
Government agencies, provide an additional 60,000 new reports
each year. For example, through the Council on Environmental
quality, NTIS receives and makes available to the public all
of the Environmental Impact Statements. Other documents relat-
ing to the environment are received from the Environmental
Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin-
istration, and other agencies working in related fields.
NTIS publishes a comprehensive semi-monthly abstract
233
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journal. Government Reports Announcements (GRA) , to announc*
all of the 60,000 reports it receives each year. A compan-
ion journal. Government Reports Index (GRI) , has five
separate indexes, subject, personal author, corporate
author, report number, and contract number. An annual index
is also published.
Of more direct interest to this audience may be one of
the new, easy-to-scan, weekly subject-oriented abstracts bul-
letins—"Weekly Government Abstracts". Six titles in this
series are already available and others are contemplated.
One bulletin is entitled Environment Pollution and Control,
and is available on annual subscription. It includes abstracts
of all Environmental Impact Statements.
"NTISearch", a relatively new NTIS service, provides a
comprehensive search of the total NTIS collection in answer
to specific questions. NTISearch employs an on-line computer
search system and results in printed lists of document
abstracts pertinent to the question. Searches are based on
key words (descriptors) assigned to all documents entering
the system. A typical document is indexed by 12 terms, which
gives NTISearch a retrieval capability for surpassing that
234
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of the printed NTIS indexes. The documents located by
NTISearch are available from NTIS.
A3 required by law (15 U.S.C. 1151-57), NTIS recovers
its operating costs from it sales income.
NTIS maintains retail sales facilities at:
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, Virginia 22151
and
U.S. Department of Commerce
Room 1098, 14th & E Sts., N.W.
Washington, D. C. 20230
The Library of Congress also provides document services
that are of interest to the environmentalist. In addition to
its vast holdings of commercially published materials it has
extensive holdings of federal, state and local government pub-
lications. All federal agencies in the Executive Branch send
copies of all of their publications to the Library of Congress.
The Library publishes the Monthly Checklist of State
Publications, available on subscription from the Superintendent
of Documents„ A proposal requiring states to send copies of
their official publications to the Library of Congress is
235
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included in 1971 Suggested State Legislation, issued by the
Council of State Governments. This annual publication con-
tains drafts of constitutional provisions and statutes to
assist states considering such legislative action.
At present, 21 states have enacted laws requiring dis-
tribution of specified types of publications to the Library
of Congress, and 9 have laws requiring at least one copy of
;
•
each state publication to be sent to the library. This type
of legislation has proven to be an effective means of broaden-
ing the coverage of the "Checklist". The number of documents
listed incraased nearly 15% during FY 1971, and the circula-
tion of the "Checklist" passed the 4,400 mark. •
The Federal Documents Section and the Science and Tech-
nology Division of the Library of Congress can provide refer-
ence services and be of assistance in locating documents
through the use of their card catalogs. The Photoduplica-
tion Service will generally make photoduplicates of materials
in the Library's collections available for research use. It
performs the service for researchers in lieu of loan of the
material, or in place of manual transcription. Certain
restricted material cannot be copied. The Library reserves
236
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the right to decline to make photoduplicates requested, to
limit the number of copies made, or to furnish positive prints
in lieu of negatives. Copyrighted material will ordinarily
not be copied without the signed authorization of the copy-
right owner. Exceptions to this rule may be made in particu-
lar cases. All responsibility for"the use made of the photo-
duplicates is assumed by applicant.
The National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland,
collects information materials exhaustively in some 40 bio-
medical areas and, to a lesser degree, in many related sub-
ject fields. Its computer-produced "Index Medicus" is a com-
prehensive subject-author index to articles from approximately
2,200 world-wide journals. To provide rapid, dissemination of
this information, the Library has been developing a network
arrangement through which interlibrary loan services can be
shared more efficiently in the United States. At present,
the network consists of eleven Regional Medical Libraries.
Host of the literature in the collections is available on
loan through any library: Interlibrary loan requests should
be submitted through a local library. Requests may be sub-
mitted by mail or by TVK.
Also, NLM's Toxicology Information Program is of special
237
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interest. Begun in 1967, this program jcovides a national
f
focal point for access to information ©n toxicology. "Toxicity
BibliographyI! began quarterly publication in 1968. Other ser-
vices include organizing a toxicology vocabulary and maintain-
ing a roster of expert advisers.
More specific information about any of the NLM services
may be obtained from the Office of Public Information, National
Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland
20014.
The National Agricultural Library has extensive holdings
of over 2 million volumes, including literature in 50
languages from 200 foreign countries. Special collections
cover soils and fertilizers, pest control and pesticides,
and many others. The Library publishes indexes and bibliog-
raphies in its subject fields. It also provides the magnetic
tapes that are used to produce the "Bibliography of Agricul-
ture", a monthly index to the world's literature on agricul-
ture and related chemical and biological subjects. Reference
services are available by letter, telephone, and teletype,
as well as in person, and the Library will supply copies, for
a service charge, of materials in its collection. NAL,
however, does not distribute the U. S. Department of Agriculture
238
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publications. Request for these should be addressed to:
Office of Information
Administration Building, Room 502
U. S. Department of Agriculture
Washington,, ,D. C. .20250
In addition, most Federal departments and agencies have
their own libraries, or information centers. These libraries
contain copies of the agencies' documents along with other
publications of interest to the mission of the agency.
Again, in most cases these collections may be used by the
public. The following would be of particular interest to
this audience:
U. S. Department of Interior
Natural Resources Library —~—
19th and C Streets, N.W.
Washington, D. C. 20240
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Admin.
Atmospheric Sciences Library
8060 Thirteenth Street
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
23!
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National Oceanic & Atmospher
iic Admin.
Marine and Earth Sciences Library
6001 Executive Boulevard
Rockville, Maryland 20852 J
I
i
The Library Systems Branch, Environmental Protection
Agency, has prepared an extensive listing of "Environmental
Libraries" that will facilitate access to the appropriate
collection.
A 1970 publication sponsored by the Office of Education
entitled "A Study of Resources and Major Subject Holdings '
Available in U. S. Federal Libraries Maintaining Extensive or
Unique Collections of Research Materials", may also be of
help. This document is available as ED 043350 from:
ERIC Document Reproduction Service
Leasco Information Products, Inc. /^
Bethesda, Maryland 20014
Services available may vary from library to library, but
generally speaking, services are rendered to private indiy^-
uals as well as to libraries, other Government agencies, and
other organizations. These services usually include the use
of general reference tools and current periodicals, and assist
ance from the professional- staff. A number of the libraries
240 *,
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have coin-operated electrostatic copying machines available
for use by the public.
More than 3,600,000 U. S. patents have been issued for
mechanical, electrical and chemical inventions. These
-patents -contain much invaluable information, and are a
stimulus to further invention. The Official Gazette of the
United States Patent Office, published weekly, contains an
•
abstract and key drawing for each patent granted during the
week, and also has helpful indexes.. The "Gazette" is a con-
venient device for obtaining information about available
patents. Printed copies of any patent, identified by its
patent number, may be purchased from the Patent Office,
Washington, D. C.
The complete specification and drawings of all newly
issued U. S. patents are also available on 16mm microfilm
from NTIS* 'This service is furnished by subscription only.
As a hew, special service, NTIS now announces Government-
owned patents and patent applications that are available for
licensing, in its Weekly Government Abstracts series, and
Government Reports Topical Announcements.
Until this point, publications intended for public release
at the time of printing have been the topic of discussion.
241
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There is, however, also a class of documents which can be
/
called "internal documents"; this would include working
papers, preliminary reports, minutes of meetings, etc. Some
internal documents may be obtained from the issuing agencies
by following 'the procedures •speerfied -in the "Freedom of
f
Information Act" (Public Information Section of the Procedure
Act, June 1967). This act also defines when a document may
be withheld from the public and requires that each agency
publish in the Federal Register the office to be contacted
and the procedures to be followed when requesting information.
In 1970 a two volume compilation of these procedures
(Legally Available U. S. Government Information as a Result
of the Public Information Act) was published by Output Systems
••
Corporation, Arlington, Virginia 22202.
*****
Thus ends a brief exposure, to-.the world of document ser-
vices. To cover this subject in adequate detail, time equiva-
lent to a three-credit one-year college course would have to
be spent. It is spent, in fact, by professional librarians.
Therefore, I again stress the importance of utilizing the ser-
vices of the professional staff members in the libraries and
information centers.
242
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Marvin W, McFarland
Chief, Science and Technology Division
Library of Congress
My role in this Symposium is,to fill you in on non-
bibliographic--that is, non-documentary--information services,
including referral activities. It may seem a bit illogical that
a person from the library community--the bibliographic community,
par excellence—should have been assigned this task. Actually,
it is not so peculiar. First, because the Library of Congress
is the site of, and operates, the National Referral Center and,
second,' because libraries have traditionally always rendered
referral services when it was necessary or appropriate to do so,
although not on an organized, systematic basis. The fact of
Library involvement in seemingly non-library activities also
serves to point up the complexity of the information world
which simply cannot be divided into neat and tidy categories and
functions without overlaps, duplications, and even conflicts.
For you, the users, it is therefore still very much a "caveat
emptor" situation, though we might render that not necessarily
literally, "Let the buyer beware," but rather, "Let the user
be aware." To give you, the users, information which will let
you become aware of the complexities as well as the potential-
ities of information services is of course one of the main
objectives of this meeting.
243
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REFERRAL ACTIVITIES AND OTHER NON-BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SERVICES
Outline
I. Introductory Remarks
II. The Referral Concept
III. The National Referral Center
1. Its Functions
2. Services:
a. Directories, General and Special
b. Inquiry service
c. Selected lists
IV. The Science Information Exchange
V. Prospects and Problems
1. The national network
2. International cooperation
244
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•V ' .,•';.. \ The Referral Concept;
The id
-------
it must develop an accurate data base which describes potential
information sources. It must collect.and verify in-depth factual
information about those candidate sources. Usually, it must do
this fron scratch, for supposedly ready-to-hand, off-the-shelf
aggregations of information about information sources are almost
invariably inaccurate, incomplete, or out-of-date, or all three.
When an information source has been fully described and its
capabilities confirmed, it becomes, in our terminology, an
information resource.
A further significant difference between a referral
service, as we see it, and the yellow pages is that the user
has many more use options. He may, of course, consult a book-
form directory and negotiate his business directly with the
listed information resource or resources. In addition, and a
most important addition it is, he may write or, preferably,
telephone the referral center and avail himself of the personal
attention and expertise of a referral specialist competent in
at least the general and in many cases the special area of his
interest.
Let's turn to specifics and see how the system works
at the National Referral Center in the Library of Congress.
246
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Th6 National Referral Center
At the request of the National Science Foundation
and with NSF funding, The National Referral Center for Science
and Technology was established in 1962 as a division of the
Reference Department of the Library. It began operation on
March 1, 1963, nearly 10 years ago.
In August 1967, following notification by the
National Science Foundation of the withdrawal of funding sup-
port, the Center was merged with the Library's Science and
Technology Division. Today the Center is a function rather
than a unit of that Division, and since 1&69 has been financed
by funds appropriated by Congress directly to the Library. Its
services, like those of most other Library activities funded
by Congress, are free. Its publications, like most Government
publications, are sold at a nominal figure, by the Superintendent
of Documents, Government Printing Office.
The National Referral Center has three basic tasks:
1. To inventory all significant U. S. information
resources in science and technology;
2. To provide any organization or individual working
in science and technology, on request, with informa-
tion regarding these resources;
'3. To compile and publish directories and other list-
ings of scientific and technical information resources.
247
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Regarding the first task, NRCST defines "information
resource" in the broadest possible terms to include any
facility, collection, or service maintained on a continuing
basis that provides data or material of any kind in any form
that may help satisfy the information needs of members of the
scientific, community—in short, any organization, group, service,
library; center or even individual from which or from whom
authoritative technical information is available.
Regarding the second task, NRCST acts as a clearing-
house; it does not provide substantive answers to questions,
but instead serves as a kind of technical equivalent of the
|
telephone directory's "yellow pages," directing inquirers where
to go for reliable, expert information on particular topics.
The third task is actually an extension of the
Center's referral services although, in a sense, it competes
with them. Publication- and dissemination of directories was
originally intended to increase general familiarity with exist-
\
ing services and thereby decrease reliance upon individual
requests to the Center\ Experience has shown referral requests
are stimulated by the publication of directories.
In constructing the inventory, a major problem has
been to convey to the organizations and institutions that have
248
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been solicited to provide input just what is meant by the
term "information resource." To be meaningful within the
referral clearinghouse concept that underlies the Center, the
definition must be highly flexible and go beyond the obvious,
the conventional, and the merely formal. The Center's purpose
is not to duplicate what libraries and information centers are
.already doing and are organized and equipped to do; it hopes
to go beyond that both in variety and specificity—to make ever
more precise linkages between the user and the place where the
highly specialized information that the user requires is to be
found. Hence, the broad definition.
,(n order to get precise definitions or descriptions
from all elements that are to go into the inventory, the Center
uses a questionnaire which the resource, or the people at the
resource, fill out, hopefully in the fullest possible detail.
The inventorying process aims to discover what sort of informa-
tion an information resource deals with, how it deals with it,
how its information may be obtained, or used, or accessed, by
anyone needing that information, and to learn how much it
costs, if it costs anything, and so on. The inventorying
process then analyzes in depth, in terms of the response to
,the questionnaire, each information resource and establishes
249
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for the file, and therefore for the user the most compre-
hensive and accurate profile that can be achieved.
When the Referral Center in its early days sent out
its questionnaire there was an understandably large amount of
misunderstanding of its purpose. Reports from professional
societies, for example, would come back stating the titles of
publications issued but giving no statement of the information
services, if any, the society was able and willing to provide
to inquirers who might ask questions, possibly as a result of
using the society's publications. Universities would write
back listing their libraries and library collections but omitting
all mention of research groups, experiment stations, institutes,
and the like, which were associated with or a part of the
university. By painstaking correspondence, telephone conversa-
tions, or personal visits with the information resource under
consideration, the Referral Center has been able to iron out
many of these initial difficulties.
The second major problem was in making clear to informa-
tion resources being brought into the system and to users that
the Referral Center refers, that it tells inquirers where to
apply to obtain the information that is needed; it does not itself
250
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supply the substantive or biliographic information. The
function of the Center is not that of a reference service — it
does not meet requests for assistance by citing a specific
publication or by preparing a list of bibliographic sources.
There is one exception to this: the Referral Center
in its replies to requesters does cite abstracting and index-
ing services, which it regards as essentially indistinguishable
from the producers of such services and therefore legitimate
"referral points" by Referral Center definition. Other regular
publications are of interest to the Center only to the extent
of their tr'.tles, which may be quoted in connection with referral
to the issuing agency, in case the requester indicates a desire
to become a subscriber or to apply to be put on a free mailing
list.
If creation of the inventory or register of informa-
tion resources was the first task of the Center, the publication
of book-form directories was a close second. It was hoped that
these directories would not only provide source information
in the "cold-turkey" manner of the printed page but would also
stimulate direct person-to-person contact between members of
the scientific and technical community and between that
community and the private sector. We cannot prove it statistically
251
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but we believe that there has been this effect.
We have an exhibit at this meeting where you can
examine some of our publications, obtain copies of litera-
ture describing our activities and services, and ask questions--
and hopefully receive useful answers--about our work, I am
therefore not going to go into detail about our publications.
The Center has published Seven book-form directories of its
own to date and one special directory for COSATI Panel 6.
The latter is entitled, IDir^ctOry"of Fed er a 1 ly Supported
Information Analysis Centers; it may be purchased as PB 189-300
from NTIS C$3.00, hard copy; $.95 microfiche).
The Center's first two directories were very general.
The first, a hurry-up job, came out in January 1965 and, in
1100 entries, purported to cover information resources in the
U. S. in the physical sciences, biological sciences, and
engineering. That might be laughable were it not for the fact
that in the six years of its availability that directory was
twice reprinted by the GPO and sold more than 18,000 copies,
50% more than any other directory we have published. The
second directory, Social Sciences, approved in October 1965; it
sold 12.4 thousand copies in five and a half years.
252
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A third general directory, containing more than 1600 informa-
tion activities within or supported by the Federal Government,
appeared in June 1967. This directory was compiled at the
urgent prompting of the National Science Foundation to fill a
long-felt need which had been highlighted in the recommenda-
tions of the famed Weinberg Report (Science,'Government, and
Information) back in January 1963. Curiously, it was the most
difficult to compile of all the Referral Center's publications.
Why? Because of the slow, half-hearted, and even slipshod
response of many Federal agencies to the Center's efforts to
elicit the facts about the agencies' information activities,
capabilities, and services. Incidentally, we are revising
and updating that directory at the present time and find that
the attitude of the Federal community has changed very little.
From the outset, the Referral Center planned to issue
directories relating to specific subject areas of timely
interest. As the problems of the environment were already com-
manding national attention, it is hardly surprising that the
two NRC special directories compiled to date are entitled
Water_ (September 1966) and General Toxicology (June 1969).
The Toxicology directory was produced with support from the
Toxicology Information Program of the National Library of
Medicine.
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For the past several years, much of the Center's
efforts have been devoted to the conversion of the informa-
tion resources data base to machine-readable form and to the
production of revised and updated general directories with the
use of the Library of Congress IBM 360-70 computer and the
Linotron high-speed photocomposition equipment of the
Government Printing Office. To date, two general directories
have come off the press. Physical Sciences; Engineering
appeared in June 1971. Biological Scieftces came out just last
week. Social Sciences and Federal Government are expected in
the Spring of 1973.
I repeat that the Referral Center .has an exhibit here
at the Symposium which you are all invited and urged to visit.
The exhibit will give you a far better idea of the Center's
publications and services than I can give by merely talking
about them.
I do not wish to overemphasize publications, because
they are not really "where the Center is at." We are concerned
with getting people in touch with people, with the communica-
tion of facts and ideas from one human mind to another. I
have already said that publications are one means of effecting
such contact but they are a "cold turkey" means.
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It is difficult to assign values and assess
benefits but I tend to believe myself that the Center's
inquiry-answering service—which is the real referral part of
the action—is its most important contribution to information
transfer. I repeat that this service is free, open to anyone.
Anyone may write or call the Center (Area code 202-426-5670)
and make an inquiry. We prefer the telephone not only
because it is quicker and, in the end, less expensive fyut
especially because it affords us that precious person-to-
person opportunity to "negotiate the question," to discuss
the inquirer's problem, to find out what he really wants to
know. This "negotiation of the question" is so important to
successful information service that we seldom attempt to
answer a letter inquiry without calling the inquirer on the
telephone. In this way, our replies are tailored to the
individual needs of the requestor according to a number of
variables—who is asking the question, at what level of
difficulty dr sophistication he is working, the intended use
of the information, and possibly many other factors.
I have said that the Center makes a real distinction
between referral activities and reference activities. It
1
happens not infrequently that "negotiation of the question"
will disclose that the requestor's query can be answered
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\
bibliographically--with a citation of a book, ,or journal
article, or technical report. If so, the requestor is
immediately referred to a reference specialist right in the
Science and Technology Divison. Naturally, the majority of
the bibliographic inquiries inadvertently directed to the
Referral Center never have to go out of the Division, let
alone, the Library of Congress, for reply.
I believe this state of affairs, this range of •
I '
\'\ information service capabilities, is unique. A single tele-
r ?.
i phone call or letter to the Referral Center will give the
1 inquirer access to a large file of directory-type information,
will lead him to it referral point of choice for the solution
of his problem, or will give him access to books, journal
\ , articles, or technical reports which he may use in person if
he chooses, or by means of photocopy to the item or any part
v\ of the item.
\ ' i
> • The imbedding of the National Referral Center in
the Eibrary of Congress is perhaps its greatest strength.
The construction of the basic inventory is easier and more
likely to be full and correct in such an information-rich
environment than it could be in isolation. Whether one be a
referral specialist or a reference librarian, it is not on^Ly
of gfeat professional comfort but of great benefit to the ;
user to have the backup of more than 3 million books in
science and technology, some 20,000 current journal titles,
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and over 1-3/4 million technical reports.
It is also of interest, I think, at this particular
conference, that much of the bibliographic work of-the
Library's Science and Technology Division has been in areas
bearing on the environment and environmental problems. The
Bibliogropny on Snow, Ice, and Permafrost, begun in 1949 and still
being compiled to this day, has always covered much research and
engineering literature of environmental import. So also the
Aerospace Medicine and Biology Bibliography, issued in 11 volumes
between 1956 and 1966. The Air Force Scientific Research
Bibliography, in 8 hefty tomes covering 20 years of research and
development from the end of World War II to 1965, is another
case in point. Materials Research Abstracts and the classic
annotated bibliography on Marine Borers, by Clapp and Kenk,
are of similar interest. The Effects of Cold on Man, Biological
Effects of Magnetic Fields, and The Effects of Noise on Man were
all earlier efforts in the field. Or, how about The Pharmacology
and Use of Certain Drugs and Reports on Sustenance, Waste Management,
and Sanitation? The Air Pollution Bibliography was begun in the
Science and Technology Division which published volumes in 1957 and.
1959 and thereafter for several years contributed abstracts of
current literature on a monthly basis to Air Pollution Control
Association (APCA) Abstracts in cooperation with the U. S. Public
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Health Service. I could go on, but I believe I haye cited
enough titles to demonstrate that the National Referral
Center came into being in an environment already highly sensitive
to.problems of the environment and environmental research.
I should mention another feature that characterizes
the National Referral Center, as it should all good information
services. That is its vital concern with feedback. Not
only is each referral response cataloged and analyzed and
its salient data stored in the computer; a significant sample
number are followed up two months after the initial reply with
a letter to the inquirer asking what results were obtained
from the referral points cited and if the answer was satis-
factory. The response to these letters is about $6%. Eight
percent of the replies say: "You didn't help us a bit. Drop
dead;" 38 percent say: "Thanks but it didn't really work out;"
while-7^ percent report unqualified satisfaction. So, over
a period of nearly ten years, that means a lot of satisfied
customers, To which I may add as a final note that today the
Referral Center has only about a third the number of staff
that it had five years ago while the .statistics in all categories
are higher than ever.
A recent innovation on the part of the National Referral
Center is the compilation and issuance of what, for lack of any
jazzier name, we called Selected Lists. Since the Center's register
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files have been put into the computer, we have had the capability
of generating special listings of information resources on a
selective basis and in the past several years have had many
requests for "quick-and-dirty" services of this kind. These
requests often came from the National Science Foundation Office
of Science Information Service or from the Congressional Research
Service of the Library of Congress or from one of the Federal
research and development agencies of the COSATI community. Such
inquiries usually took the form of: "Can you give us a quick
reading as to what you've got on so-and-so?"
It was not difficult to grind out such lists but
there were always problems of subject indexing, or incomplete-
ness of the record, or duplicate entry that made us reluctant
to have these lists shown around without considerable editing
effort which we felt we could ill afford. (I might point out
that the Center classifies its files by the COSATI categories
and headings, and bases its indexing on the Thesaurus of
Engineering and Scientific Terms (TEST) issued by the
Department of Defense in 1967 and resulting from Project LEX
of the Office of Naval Research.) In time we found that we
were putting so much work into these one-shot compilations that
we decided to make them publicly available. Quite a number
have now been issued, and at. least 8 .or 10 are related to
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environmental problems: hazardous materials, pesticides,
noise pollution, solid waste, biological effects of radiation,
drug abuse and alcoholism, etc. Examples may be seen in the
HRC exhibit.
The Reference Section of the Science and Technology
Division 'issues a related series of bibliographic reference
aids which are now official Library publications known as ,1
LC Science Tracer, Bullets. Some topics of possible interest
are: endangered species (animals), fresh-water ecology,,
biological effects of radiation, and mariculture (sea farming).
These TB'e or a fuller list of topics may be seen at the
Exhibit.
TheJEtcience Information Exchange
ft non-bibliographic information service which?; in
some respects parallels the National Referral Center is the
Smithsonian Science Information Exchange.
In 19^9 rapidly expanding programs in medical research
prompted several Government agencies to join in establishing the
Medical Sciences Information Exchange. Its mission was to facili-
tate effective planning and management by promoting the timely
exchange of information on the current research activities of
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Government and non-government agencies and institutions. During
the next few years related areas of biological research were
added to the medical sciences and the name "Bio-Sciences
Information Exchange" was adopted in 1953. At this time it
came under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution. In
1960 it was renamed the Science Information Exchange to signify
the addition of research information in the physical sciences.
SIE is a clearinghouse for information on current
scientific research actually in progress. It differs signifi-
cantly from other library, documentation and technical reference
services in two respects. First, it is concerned only with
research actually in progress, It does not register progress
reports, abstracts, or other forms of published research results.
Second, the Exchange compiles numerical and technical information
for program management purposes at the request of directors and
research administrators of supporting and cooperating agencies.
At first supported by a group of Federal r § d
agencies, the Exchange was funded in the 1960's largely by the
National Science Foundation. It is now a corporation and
recovers a high percentage of its costs from a variety of
service fees. Since the fee structure is a bit complicated, I
will not attempt to describe it here. The Exchange, its services,
261
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and charges arc explained in its brochure, a copy of which is
available for examination at the NRG display booth. This
1' i
brochure way be requested by writing thevSmithsonian Science
Information Exchange, Inc., 1730 M Street, N.W., Washington,
D.C. 20036. Phone: Area Code 202 - 381-5511.
SIE annually collects 85,000 to 100,000 single-page
records of current research projects, both ,of the government
and the private sector. Each record describes WHO supports the
project, WHO does it, WHERE and WHEN the research is performed,
and includes a technical summary of the project. The SIE collec-
tion covers basic and applied research in the life, physical,
social, behavioral, and engineering sciences'. The requestor
may obtain specific or general information as he desires.
Proven uses of the service include:
Obtain from one convenient source information on research
programs under way, regardless of the number of agencies
supporting work in the field.
Keep abreast of new research being conducted in any
scientific discipline.
Avoid duplication in the planning of new research programs.
Help prepare proposals for grants or contracts.
Learn what a named investigator is presently working on.
Learn about the research activities of a specified
department, research branch or research organization.
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Detect trends and shifts in research interest from
year to year.
Compile and update invitation lists for symposia and
conferences, or identify prospective discussion leaders.
Aid in planning on-site visits by foreign scientists
or dignitaries.
Compare and coordinate projects and programs among
agencies with overlapping interests and missions.
Observe the distribution of projects geographically by
sponsors, performers, subject fields or any combination
thereof.
Help define and describe new programs of complex
multidisciplinary content by tabulation of research
already in progress.
Assist in finding possible sources of research support.
Obtain large volumes of scientific information in machinable
form for computer-based data files.
Preparation of catalogs for publication in selected areas of
ongoing research.
Who uses the service? Program administrators, research
managers, professional societies, individual researchers, professional
and trade journals, public officials, contract officers, non-profit
organizations, scientific newsletters, scientific consultants,
grant administrators, grant applicants, and information centers.
The utility of the service in the environmental field
is indicated by the following list of recent search subjects:
drugs and drug addiction, solid waste, management, nuclear
magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of metals to determine
263
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shielding effects of non-magnetic impurities, urban and
regional planning, research in oral contraception, continental
drift and/or sea floor spreading, airport noise and sonic boom
studies, effect of pollution on primary productivity and fresh
water ecosystems, stress corrosion studies, behavioral aspects
of drug abuse, pesticide residues in the food chain for man,
domestic animals and wildlife, radiation induced polymerization,
rssearch on field effect transistors, thermal pollution, and
incineration studies.
A word to the user: SIE's services may be
requested by phone or by mail. Information is provided in
hard-copy or magnetic tape form. Fees are subject to change
without notice.
Prospects and Problems
If we may look.back in order better to look forward,
the first thing that strikes me about the past decade is the
proliferation of information activities, especially activities
that call themselves referral services. When we set up NRC ten
years ago, librarians scoffed because they had "always done it,"
while information people (I won't call them information
scientists) figured it for just another boondoggle.
264
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Today, an information center is just not complete
unless it offers referral services. Well, Gertrude Stein
once said to Hemingway, after he had written patronizingly
in one of his stories that Miss Stein always knew what was
good in a Ce'zanne painting: "Hemingway, remarks are not
literature." And I will say now that lists of organizations,
and people, and products, etc., etc. are not referral services.
The second most notable development is the prolifera-
tion of directories and directory services. After NRC's first
directory; with its meager 1100 entries--to me a thing with
little form and less content--became a big sellef at GPO,
I became convinced that anything with the word directory on it
was salable.
So I think perhaps the next publications of NRC
should be a directory of referral services and a directory of
director5.es. We have made a start toward both, and I have
brought along today a "quick-and-dirty" listing of directory-
type services in the environmental field.
We are here today to talk about the prospects and
problems of developing or defining and improving national
information services in fields relating to the environment.
Let.me throw out a warning, then, against the proliferation of
265
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information services. Overpopulation in the institutional
sense is just as big a menace as people overpopulation. During
World War II, General George C. Marshall used to complain that
too many of his overseas theater commanders suffered from the
disease he called "localitis." Exaggerated parochialism is
just as dangerous, just as defeating, in the information
business.
The Weinberg Report, ten years ago, stressed the
complicated and confusing welter of scientific and technical
information activities and predicted that relief would come
through the development of markedly increased numbers of
specialized information centers and of "delegated agencies"
for particular subject fields. The relief has not come, yet
the proliferation of information activities accelerates all
the time. It is no consolation that there is also a high
death-rate of such activities, which seems to indicate that
the early dead had no or little viability from the beginning.
In the biological sphere we would say such a situation would
justify strong birth-control measures. I think this is no less
true in the information sphere. When we set up inviable informa-
tion activities we are robbing the taxpayer and shortchanging
the user.
266
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Relief will come, if it comes at all, through improved
technology and a recognition of the economic realities. We
learned, after some bitter experience, that every town in the
country did not need its own telephone company nor every
neighborhood its own streetcar line, and we realised that they
couldn't pay their way even if they were needed.
The computer, weeded to telecommunications, plus adoption
of the information utility concept, seem to be the instruments for
solving the information networking problem, including the future
of referral activities. At NRG we have been working out of the
computer and over the telephone for some time. This is not yet
real-time, on-line, remote access, but it points the way.
The information networks, including especially referral
networks, to be useful in the future, must be international in
scope, service, and accessibility. In 1964, I gave a paper in
England, near the close of which I said: "The National Referral
Center's great hope is that other countries will follow suit and
establish referral centers of their own. If country after country
would do so an international network of referral centers could be
developed, and the scientist, the engineer, and the technical
librarian would have easy; rapid access to scientific and technical
information everywhere."
267
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We have been gratified at the large number of foreign
scientists, librarians, and information specialists who visit
the Center every year. Several countries have indicated to us
that they are planning to set up national information centers
that will provide referral services modeled on those of NRC.
As might be expected, the Japan Information Center for Science
and Technology heads the parade. The Australians are working
at it through the. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research
Organization.. In Israel it is the Center of Scientific and
Technical Information. Closer to home, plans are being laid in
both Canada and Mexico.
Lately, there have been stirrings on the international
scene. In his message of March 16, 1972, concerning Science and
Technology (H.R. Doc. 92-193), President Nixon called for a
strengthening of U. S. participation in cooperative international
efforts. He referred to his request to Congress to begin by
creating a United Nations Fund for the Environment ;'to foster an
international attack on environmental problems." In April 1972,
a UN Conference on the Human Environment was held in Stockholm.
Among many proposals, the U. Sn delegation introduced a recom-
mendation that the Secretary-General establish "an international
referral service for the efficient international exchange of
information on environmental problems and solutions." An array
of obstacles to improved information exchange was recognized in
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the discussions, notably the lack of acceptable techniques for
handling socio-economic information and for identifying the
real needs of users, in particular of decision-makers. A modest
International Referral Service for sources of environmental
information was thought to be manageable in cost/benefit terms.
It is interesting that the referral concept was preferred
to the concept of setting up, at this stage, a specialized service
for any one specific subject area because it avoided creating a
precedent that would imply future recognition of specialized needs in
all other areas and sub-areas. The specialized subject-oriented
information center approach was rejected on the grounds that it
would be complicated, confusing, and immensely expensive.
Conversely, the referral service approach, it was agreed,
offered maximum value at modest cost because it would capitalize
on existing information resources and services and, through them,
provide a basis for identifying whatever further mechanisms or
vehicles might be necessary to satisfy specialized needs.
As we meet here in Cincinnati this week, a follow-up
a-
conference to the Stockholm conference is taking place in London f
\
where the referral proposal is to be discussed in greater depth. f
It looks as if we will have to have a follow-up conference to |,
I
discuss those discussions. f
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I do not want to end this paper on a note of speculation
about the future. I want to return to the U. S. National Referral
Center of today.
It is said that in his big roll-top desk, bursting with
jumbled papers, in his old law office in Springfield—Illinois,
that is, not Virginia! Abraham Lincoln kept a large envelope
on which he had written: "If you can't find it anywhere else,
look in here." That was his finding place of last resort.
Now just the opposite is true of the National Referral
Center. It is designed to be a finding place of first resort.
When you have an information problem, don't waste time and
energy frantically scurrying hither and yon. Come to us. Let us
help you find the answer. That's what you are paying your tax
dollars for. You might as well get the return on them that is due
you.
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LC SCIENCE TRACER BULLET SERIES
TB 72-1 ACUPUNCTURE APRIL 20, 1972
TB 72-2 SICKLE CELL ANEMIA MAY 16, 1972
TB 72-3 ENDANGERED SPECIES (ANIMALS) MAY 2, 1972
TB 72-4 FRESH-WATER ECOLOGY , MAY 2, 1972
**''
TB 72-5 SCIENCE POLICY MAY 17, 1972
TB 72-6 BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF RADIATION MAY 23, 1972
TB 72-7 ROSE CULTURE MAY 30, 1972
TB 72-8 MARS (PLANET) JUNE 19, 1972
TB 72-9 NUCLEAR MEDICINE . JUNE 19, 1972
TB 72-10 MARICULTURE (SEA FARMING) JUNE 30, 1972
TB 72-11 QUASARS JULY 20, 1972
TB 72-12 CATV (Community Antenna TV) JULY 26, 1972
TB 72-13 COMPUTER OUTPUT MICROFILM (COM) AUGUST, 1972.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY OF DIRECTORIES & LISTINGS OF ENVIRONMENTAL
INFORMATION SOURCES ? ,
t
ASIDIC Survey of Information Center Services
Complete handbook on environmental control; a reference manual.
• Thomas B. McClain & David Zarefsky. Skokie, Illinois:
National Textbook Co., 1970.
Conservation Directory 1972. Washington, D.C.: National Wildlife
Federation.
A Description of the Directory of Environmental Information
Sources. ORNL-NSF Environmental Program, U.S. Atomic
Energy Commission. Z. Combs, O.K. Trubey & J.R.
Buchanan.
Directory of Consumer Protection & Environmental Agencies.
Academic Media, 32 Lincoln Ave,,.Orange, N.J. 07050
Directory of Environmental Information Sources, 2d ed. National
Foundation For Environmental Control, Ed. by Thibeau
& Taliaferro. 151 Tremont St., Boston, Mass. 02111.
Directory of Environmental Officials in Chemilcal Engineering
Deskbook Issue. Environmental Engineering. "McGraw
Kill Publication, May 8, 1972. pp. 27-36. .
A Directory of Federally Supported Information Analysis Centers.
U.S. Government Printing Office.
. Directory of Governmental Air Pollution Agencies.. Air Pollution
Control Association. Government Printing Office.
Directory of information Resources in Agriculture & Biology.
National Agricultural Library. U.S. Dept. of Agri-
culture, Beltsville, Md. 20705.
Directory of Information Resources in the United States; General
, Toxicology, A. National Referral Center for Science
and Technology. Library of Congress. U.S. Government
Printing Office.
Directory of Information Resources in the United States; Physical
Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, A. National
Referral Center for Science and Technology. Library
. , of Congress. U.S. Government Priting Office.
Directory of Information Resources in the United States: Social
Sciences, A. National Referral Center for Science
and Technology. Library o£ Congress. U.S. Government
Printing Office.
',272 •
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Directory of Information Resources in the United States:
Water A. National Referral Center for Science and
Technology. Library of Congress. U.S. Government
Printing Office.
Directory of Organizations Concerned with Environmental
Research. Wendell A. Mordy & Phyllis A. Sholtys.
Fredonia, N;Y.: Lake Erie Environmental Agy.,
State University College.
Ecology and Environmental Quality Bibliography. Jessie B.
Watkihs. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University
Library
Environmental Engineering Directory in Chemical Engineering
Deskbook Issue. Environmental Engineering. McGraw-
Hill, May 8, 1972. pp. 161-224.
Environmental Planning: a selected annotated bibliography.
Michael J. Meshenberg. Chicago, Illinois: American
Society of Planning Officials.
Environmental Science Centers At Institutions of Higher Education.
Committee on Science and Astronautics, U.S. House of
Representatives. U.S. Government Printing Office.
Facility Surveys-Directory. Institute of Environmental, Sciences
(1965).
Information Resources in Pesticides: Environmental Health and
• Hazardous Materials. Winfred F. Malone, PhD. Hazardous
Materials Advisory Committee. E.P.A.
A Resource Guide on Pollution Control: federal, state & local
agencies that deal with environmental problems.
American Association of ^University Women, 1970.
SEQUIP Study of Environmental Quality Information Programs.
SEQUIP Committee.Directory! Rev.ed. draft.
Survey of Scientific-technical tape services. Ed. by Kenneth D.
Carroll. American Institute of Physics. American Society
for Information Science.
Yell-0 pages; environmental resources. Environmental Resources,
Inc.
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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DIVISION
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS '
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS ON THE ENVIRONMENT
DIRECTORIES
Directory of Environmental Information Sources_, 2nd edition, Boston,
National Foundation for Environmental Control, 1972. 457p. $25.00.
A Golden Guide to Environmental Organizations, compiled by Bruce W.
Halstead, M.D., Director of World Life Research Institute. Golden
Press, New York. 1972. $0.95.
A Directory of Information Resources in the United States: Biological
Sciences, prepared by the National Referral Center; and sold by the
Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington,
D. C. 20402. 1972. $5.00.
Directory of Information Resources in Agriculture and Biology, compiled
and published by the National Agricultural Library. Sold by the Super-
intendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington,
D. C. 20402. 1971. $4.50.
Current Research on Marine Pollution, compiled by D. S. Moulder, Marine
Pollution Documentation and Information Centre, Marine Biological Asso-
ciation of the United Kingdom, Plymouth, England, 1971. 25p.
Conservation Directory 1971, published by the National Wildlife Federa-
tion, 1412 16th Street, N. We, Washington, D. C. 20036. $1.50.
Directory of Organizations Concerned with Environmental Rese.arch, pub-
lished by Lake Erie Environmental Studies, State University College,
Fredonia, New York 14063. 1970. $2.00.
Environmental Pollution: A Guide to Current Research, prepared by the
Science Information Exchange, and published by the CCM Information Cor-
poration, 909 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10022. 1970. $24.00.
A Directory of Information Resources in the United States: Physical
Sciences, Engineering, prepared by the National Referral Center and
sold by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing
Office, Washington, D. C. 20402. 1971. $6.50.
National and International Environmental Monitoring Activities - A
Directory, compiled and sold by the Smithsonian Institution Center
for Short-Lived Phenomena, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts
02138. 1970.. $10.00, . ;
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, Resource Guide on Pollution Control, 1970, published by the American Associa-*
Ion of University Women, 2401 Virginia Avenue, N. W., Washington, B.C. 20037.
1.25.
Survey of Environmental Science Organizations in the U.S.A., published by the
nvironmental Sciences Institute, San Jose, California.1370. $5.00.
irectory of Environmental Education Facilities-, prepared and sold by the Nature
enter Planning Division, National Audubon Society, 1130 Fifth Avenue, New York,
ew York 10028. 1969. $2.00.
Directory of Information Resources in the United States; General Toxicology^
repared by the National Referral Center, and sold by the Superintendent of
ocumerits, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. 1969.
3.00.
i
iroctory of Governmental, Public and Urban Affairs Research Centers at American
ollcgcs and Universities, available from the Institute of Governmental Affairs,
nivcrsity of California, Davis, California'95616. 1968. $2.00.
Directory of Information Resources in the United States: Federal Govern-
on t, prepared by the National Referral Center, and sold by the Superintendent
f Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. 1967.
2.75. To be updated in early 1973.
Directory of Urban Research Study Centers, prepared by the Joint Con-
ressional Subcommittee on Urban Affairs, of the Joint Economic Committee
967. Available from the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government
rinting Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. $0.25. (Order as #Y4.Ec7:Url.)
\
Directory of Information Resources in the United States: Water, prepared by
tie National Referral Center, and sold by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S.
overnment Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. 1966. $1.50.
Directory of Information Resources in the United States: Social Sciences,
repared by the National Referral Center, and sold by the Superintendent of
ocuments, U. S. GpVernment Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. 1965.
1.50. To be updated in late 1972.
irectory of Governmental Air Pollution Agencies. Air Pollution Control
ssociation, 4400 5th Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213. Annual.
PCA Directory. Air Pollution Control Association, 4400 5th Avenue, Pittsburgh,
snnsylvania 15213. Annual.
sleeted Information Sources for Urban Specialists, available from the Super-
itendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
3402. 43p. $0.50. (order as #HH1.35:d/l.)
275
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Directory of Noise Control Services for Industrial Hearing Conservatism
Programs, available from the American Mutual Insurance Alliance, 20 North
Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606. Price unknown.
BIBLIOGRAPHIES
Bibliography on Incineration of Refuse and Waste, by R. C. Corey, published
by the Air Pollution Control Association, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 1971.
Recycling of Metals and Materials: A Selected Bibliography, compiled by
R. K. Scidman and L. Castrow for the Special Libraries Association, New
York, June 1972.
Literature Survey of Noise Pollution, by H. H. Shin. Published as report
#71-5 by the Institute of Ocean Science and Engineering, Catholic University
of America, Washington, D. C. 20011. March 1971.
Environmental Pollution: A Selective Bibliography, prepared and sold by the
National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield,
Virginia 22151. May 1970. $3.00.
Solid Waste Management; Abstracts and Excerpts from the Literature, compiled
by C. G. Golueke for the Office of Solid Waste Management Programs, for sale
by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington,
D. C. 20402. (Public Health Service Publ. No. 2038).
"The Environmental Crisis: A Paperback Library," see Paperbound Books in Print,
March 1970, pages 4 through 15; includes data on films on the enviornmental
crisis also. Paperbound Books in Print is published by the R. R. Bowker Com-
pany, 1180 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036.
Sanitary Landfill, bibliography No. 146, '1970. Published and sold by the
Council of Planning Librarians, Box 229, Monticello, Illinois 61856. $1.50.
Annotated Bibliography on Animal Response to Sonic Booms and Other Loud
Sounds, published by the Subcommittee on Animal Response of the Committee on
SST and Sonic Boom, National Academy of Sciences - National Research Council,
Washington, D. C. 20418. 1970.
Aircraft Noise and Sonic Boom. Selected References. Published by the Library
Services Division, Office of Administrative Operations, U. S. Department of
Transportation, Washington, D. C. 20590, (List #1 October 1966; List #2
December 1969) i
Books About Cities, prepared by and available from the Library, U.,^,.1 Department
of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, D. C. 20410. 1969. 'rfcice un-
known. • '•&-"
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Noise of. Fluid Power Systems; A Literature Review. Published as T§AM Re-
port No. 324 by the'Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics,
University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois. June 1969.
Noise-Unwanted Sound-Bibliography, available from Charles L. Smith, 61
San Matco Road, Berkeley, California 94707. Order as Bibliography #25.
$O.SO. 1969.
Urban Affairs Bibliography, published and sold by the Department of Urban
Studies, National League of Cities, 1612 K Street, N. W., Washington, D.C.
20006. 1969.
Solid Waste Management Practices: An annotated bibliography and permutated
title and key-word index. Prepared for the Department of Housing and Urban
Development by the Civil Defense Research Project, Oak Ridge National Labora-
tory (ORNL-HUD 12; UC 41-Health and Safety), For sale by the National Tech-
nical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield,
Virginia 22151. $3.00.
Solid Waste Management: A list of Available Literature. Published by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268. Irregular
reports.
The Effects of Noise on Man; a bibliography, available from the Photodupli-
cation Service, Library of Congress, Washington, D. C. 20540. $5.00.
(Order as TIP U13797.BF205.N6K7). (Prepared by the Science and Technology
Division, Library of Congress.)
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Environment Information ACCESS, published and sold biweekly by Environment
Information Center, Inc., 124 East 39th Street, New York, New York 10016.
Environmental Science and Technology, published monthly by the American'
Chemical Society, 1155 16th Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. 20036. $5.00
a year.
The Environmental Decade (Action Proposals for the 1970»s), published for
the Committee on Government Operations, U.S. Congress, as House of Repre-
sentatives. Report 91-1082. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents,
U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 20402. $0.20.
Environment, published 10 times a year by the Committee for Environmental
information, .438 North Skinker Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63130.
*.•
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The Environmental Handbook, prepared for the First National Environmental
Teach-in, published by Ballantine Books, 36 West 20th Street, New York,
New York 10003. 1970. $0.95.
Resources and Man, published by the W. H. Freeman Company, 660 Market Street,
San Francisco, California 94104. 1969. $5.95 in hard cover, $2.95 in paper-
bound cover.
SIPI's Environmental Workbooks, sold by the Scientists' Institute for Public
Information, 234 East 47th Street, New York, New York 10017. (1. Air Pollu-
tion; 2. Environmental Costs of Electric Power; 3. Environmental Education-
1970; 4. Environmental Effects of Weapons Technology; 5. Hunger; 6. Nuclear
Explosives in Peacetime; 7. Pesticides; 8. Water Pollution). Per title the
cost is $1.00; set of 8 is $5.00; no orders taken under $10.00.
Compost Science, Journal of Solid Wastes and Soil, published and sold by
Rodale Press, Inc., 33 East Minor Street, Emmaus, Pennsylvania 18049.
Solid Waste Processing, A State of the Art Report on Unit Operations and
Processes. Prepared for the Bureau of Solid Waste Management by Richard
E. Engdahl, Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio, (PHS Publ. 1856)
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing
Office, Washington, D. C. 20402. $0.75. 566 refs.
Evaluating the Noises of Transportation (Proceedings of a Symposium on
Acceptability Criteria for Transportation Noise) published by the Office
of Noise Abatement, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D. C.
20590. April 1970. (OST-ONA-70-2)
*
Pollution Abstracts, published and sold by Oceanic Library and Information
Center, 6811 La Jolla Boulevard, La Jolla, California 92037. 6 times a
year.
State of the Art Review on Sludge Incinerator Practice, prepared by S.
Balakrishnan for the Federal Water Quality Administration, sold by the
Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington,
D. C. 20402. 1970. (Water pollution control research series)
The Noise Around Us: Findings and Recommendations. Report by the U.S.
Panel on Noise Abatement, U.S. Department of Commerce. For sale by the
Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington,
D. C. 20402. 1970.
Transportation Noises; A Symposium on Acceptability Criteria. Edited by
J. D. Chalupnik. Published by the University of Washington Press, Seattle,
Washington. 1970.
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L. Clark Hamilton
Library of Congress
Legal, Legislative and Regulatory Session
Having read the outlines of the presentation of the other
speakers on my panel, I concluded that it is difficult for any
of us to talk about legal information without being redundant.
This is true whether we are talking about data centers, legal
publications or referral activities. I might add that this re-
dundancy extends to all of the major topics of the symposium.
The reason is that although the information content may vary, the
methods and technologies for handling the information are similar.
This is true whether you are talking about manual or automated
systems. I would like to illustrate my point as follows:
Mr. Marvin McFarland, a later speaker in the program, is Chief of
the Science and Technology Division of the Reference Department,
Library of Congress. His division and the National Referral Center
which he also directs are supported by my office in the area of
automated information retrieval. At the same time another
of my "customers" within the Library of Congress is the Congressional
Research Service which is concerned with legislative or legal infor-
mation, among other subjects. In many instances I will be satisfying
the requirements of both of these organizations within the Library
of Congress using the same computer system or programs. Also, all
of the automated information applications of all departments of
the Library, with the exception of the Card Division, are run on
one central computer. So, bear in mind as you listen to the
presentations during the three days that while the content will vary,
the techniques of classification, storage, retrieval and dissemination
will be similar.
Since the major subject of this panel discussion is legal informa-
tion centers, what I plan to do in the next few minutes is first, give
a brief description of the development of information centers in the
United States and second, describe how legal information is produced
and used in the Library of Congress.
As all of you know, the volume of data produced in the basic
and applied sciences grew at an unparalleled rate during and after
World War II. _ The stimulus for this growth was initially the work
carried on by the Atomic Energy Commission followed by the BOD
weapons program and more recently the U. S. space program.
In order to rapidly retrieve and disseminate this material to
the great number of users a number of new techniques were developed.
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1. Detailed classification systems were devised to
breakdown the information into manageable categories.
2. Special or "controlled" vocabularies of key words were
developed to describe the contents of larger works.
3. When space became a problem, the original documents
were microfilmed and key words or abstracts entries
were used as the method to retrieve the microfilm,
4. As computers came into wider use, much of the
descriptive or finding data about the source documents
were converted to computer readable form. This, of
course, greatly speeded up the process of searching and
finding information.
5. Use of the computer permitted the beginning of some
semi-automatic forms of selection and dissemination of
information. The theory was that you should be able to
use the same key-words that described the source documents
to construct an interest profile of the individual
consumers of the information. In this manner when new
information was received, the key words which described
the information, in computer readable form, are matched
against all consumer interest profiles, also in computer
readable form; all documents that match the profile are
automatically disseminated to the user. This technique
is known as selective dissemination of information or SDI,
6. Another variation introduced was to construct special
combinations of key words for a single search of all
records in the computer data base that match. This
process has come to be known as a retrospective search.
7. Early computerized searches of data bases involved
translation of the search from English language state-
ments to computer code. To make the use of the computer
as efficient as possible, several searches were grouped
together and performed at one time. This is called "batch
processing". The turnaround or the time between
submitting the search and receiving the answer was usually
several hours to several days.
8. In recent years, computer terminals have been developed which
permit the user to directly interrogate the computer files
using simple code instructions or English statements. The
terminal can be either a typewriter or a video screen
with its associated keyboard. The advantage over batch
processing is that the user receives an immediate answer
to his inquiry. He can make an on-the-spot determination
of fhe number of answers received and their pertinence. If
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the answers are not pertinent or too voluminois,
he can then restate his inquiry or refine it. This
process is termed "interactive searching".
9. In the area of microfilm, it is now possible to attach
a devise to a computer which will allow the products from
the computer to be converted directly to microform (film
or fiche). In fact, some publications are presently
being produced only on microform or in microform as a
primary medium.
I would next like to tell you how the information technology
that I have previously described is being applied in the Library of
Congress. Prior to doing this, I must point out some organizational
and functional distinctions. When one speaks of automated informa-
tion activities relating to the Congress this encompasses the House
of Representatives, the Senate, the Library of Congress, the Government
Printing Office and the General Accounting Office. Each of these
"Congressional Agencies" has its own computer, and each agency is
involved to a varying degree in automating its operations. Although
legislative oversight of these activities is not concentrated in any
one Congressional committee, there is informal interchange of
information between the managers at the working level.
Within the Library of Congress itself, information processing
is divided into two major categories:
1. The activities which support the Congress directly or
indirectly through the Congressional Research Service;
2. The activities which involve the processing, dissemination
and retrieval of bibliographic information.
The principal user of automated legal research systems within
the Library of Congress is the Congressional Research Service or CRS.
In its support of the Congress, CRS is both a producer and consumer
of legal information. The American Law Division of CRS publishes
the Digest of Public General Bills and Resolutions* and the
Legislative Status Report**. In researching legal questions submitted
by members of Congress, the American Law Division and other divisions
of the Congressional Research Service are consumers of legal informa-
tion as in any other legal environment.
*The Digest of Public General Bills and Resolutions provides, in the
form of a summary, the essential features of public bills and resolutions
and the changes made therein during the legislative process. It contains
a record of Bommittee actions, floor actions and enactments. Also
included are indexes by subject, author- specific title and identical
bills.
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The digest is normally published during each session of a
Congress in five or more cumulative issues with biweekly
supplements as needed. A final edition is produced at the
conclusion of each session.
** The Legislative Status Report draws together in a single source
selected information contained fn the Daily Digest, the Calendar
of the House of Representatives and the Digest of Public General
Bills. It does not replace any of these sources of information.
The summaries provided in this report are arranged by general subject
categories and are intended only to identify and note the basic
contents of the bills.
The Bill Digest publication has figured prominently in the Library
of Congress1 efforts in automated legal research. In 1967 the volume
of bills submitted in each session of Congress had reached such proportions
that the research and publication staffs were being inundated with work.
To. lessen the work load, CRS, assisted by Computer Applications,
installed the IBM Administrative Terminal System (ATS) for use by the
Bill Digest Publication Unit. The digest information was then entered
into ATS, using typewriter terminals. With the next editing and
formatting capabilities of ATS, CRS personnel were able to cope more
effectively with the volume", of information. As a by-product of this
effort, Congtessional Research Service now had a machine-readable data
base of legal text.
In 1969 and 1970 the Computer Applications Office surveyed available
software packages both within and outside of "the government for use in
the retrieval of information from this data base. In early 1971 an
IBM program product, the Customer Information Control System (CI6S), was
selected. I would note that this is not a complete information
retrieval system. CICS provides the connection between the terminals
and the computer files, but each user must write his own programs to
satisfy his individual requirements. Computer Applications Office
personnel designed and programmed a basic on-line retrieval system for
the bill digest file in early 1971. The user of the system can retrieve
bills using the following parameters: bill number, sponsor, co-sponsor
or single descriptor. Each bill record contains the following: >
0 Number
.- ^ • •
0 Title
0 Sponsor
0 Cosponsor(s)
0 Status (Congressional actions)
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° Committee
° Digest (original and revised)
0 Bill relationships
- Identical bills
- Companion bills
- Merged bills
0 Subject descriptors
0 Title
If the digest is too large to fit on a single video terminal
screen, the system can page forward and backward or skip to a certain
page. The system is presently beirjg used by CRS researchers to track
specific bills for which they have responsibility. The file is
updated overnight.
The present system provides an initial capability. The following
are some of the improvements in benefits that are planned or under
development.
° The ability to update the computer file on-line
as changes in the status of the bill take place.
° The ability to search the file using a key word
match. The bills are presently indexed with a
thesaurus designated the Legislative Indexing
Vocabulary (LIV).
The ability to search the text of the digest.
In this regard, the Library is investigating
the capabilities of IBM's Storage and Information
Retrieval System (STAIRS).
Other improvements are being made in the publications portion of
this system. Originally the camera-ready copy for reproduction was
produced from the same typewriter terminal used to enter the data.
This provided good copy but was time consuming. In 1971 the Computer
Applications Office modified the system so that the copy was printed
on the high speed computer printer, which reduced the composition
time by over 90%. Eventually programs will be developed that will
permit the Bill Digest in machine-readable form to be entered directly
into the Government Printing Office Linotron or other system for
automated photocomposing.
Although some parts for the Bill Digest system were written
specifically for this application, much of the on-line software is
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general purpose. Therefore, it is capable of being used in other
applications involving both legal and non-legal information.
Considering the scope of the activities of the Congress and the
Library of Congress, there should be no lack of uses for this
software.
In addition to legal information, the Congressional Research
Service is concerned with a wide variety of other substantive infor-
mation. Thiu listing of the various substantive divisions within
CRS given you some idea of the diversity of subjects that must be
researched in providing support to Congress. To keep up to date in
its substantive areas of responsibility, CRS is the recipient of
an ever increasing volume of information. To control and classify
this information so as to insure that it reached the proper
recipients, an SDI (Selective Dissemination of Information) system
was installed by the Computer Applications Office in 1969. Now
as items as information are received in CRS, selective bibliographic
information plus key words that describe the contents of that item
are converted to computer readable form using typewriter terminals.
The key words that describe the item are then matched by computer
programs against the same key words that make up the interest
profiles of the subscribers to the system. For every item of
information that matches a user's profile, a bibliographic card is
printed by the computer. This card is then sent to the subscriber.
Since the entire file of information, some 64,000 entries, is in
computer readable form, it is possible to perform retrospective
searches on specific subjects, such as "environment" and "waste
disposal." The results of the searches are printed by the computer
in the form of special bibliographies. At present, the Congressional
Research Service's SDI system has over 300 subscribers.
Work is presently in progress to make this file accessible using
video and typewriter terminals. In fact, the same terminals which are
used to interrogate the Bill Digest file will also be used to interrogate
the SDI file.
Samples of the publications and other materials that I have described
will be available for inspection at the Library of Congress exhibit.
In summary, the Library of Congress has made significant progress
in the application of computer, and other technology in satisfying its
information processing needs. Our pace has been more deliberate than
some would like. However, this has probably resulted in systems that
are more directly tailored to multiple Library requirements. It is
also my personal opinion that many organizations are only now beginning
to effectively use hardware and software technology that was developed
ten years ago, Perhaps, the Library of Congress was right all along.
Thank you for your attention and consideration*
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ENVIRONMENTAL LAW INFORMATION SYSTEM
by
Lawrence H. Berul
Executive Vice President
Aspen Systems Corporation
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I. INTRODUCTION
My objective today will be to conceptualize for you an environmental law information
center which would include legal, legislative and regulatory information. Part of
the data base and many of the services I will describe have already been developed
by commercial organizations such as my company, Aspen Systems Corporation, which
specializes in legislative information for all fifty states plus the federal govern-
ment; and Mead Data Central, Inc., which has developed case law data bases in
New York and Ohio and one on federal tax law. There does not exist, however, any
computer based information center dealing solely with environmental legal, legis-
lative and regulatory data. I will be postulating such a specialized center in
terms of what data bases it would contain, what information products and services
would be provided, who the users would be and generally how the system would work.
I will also attempt to demonstrate the utility, feasibility and cost effective-
ness of the information center in terms of established needs and the existence of
many components of the data base and technology.
As an information system designer, I rarely get the opportunity to meet with nearly
a thousand potential users of an information service before it has been established,
You can provide great benefit to those of us who design and implement data bases
and information services by telling us what your real needs are and by reacting to
the proposed product and service concepts. Your inputs will help those of us in
the information industry to more quickly fashion and produce information products
and services that meet your actual requirements, at a cost you can afford.
WHY LEGAL AND LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION IS IMPORTANT
The economic impact of environmental standards will be far too great to expect
voluntary compliance from all of those concerned. Consequently, we will see a
rapidly increasing volume of litigation and new legislation at every level of
government—from the county pollution control agency to the Environmental Protection
Agency, the Congress, the White House and the Supreme Court.
Environmental laws and regulations impinge on nearly every activity we engage in—
the air we breathe, the water we drink and utilize for recreational purposes, the
power we need to propel our automobiles and operate our factories, the food we eat,
the highways and railways which cover our landscape, and our parks, forests, streams
lakes, beaches, oceans and other property in the public domain. When a company
closes down a plant because it cannot afford to meet a newly imposed environmental
quality standard, cbere are potential legal repercussions from the stockholders and
bondholders, from the labor unions and employees involved, and from the community
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itself. All of these parties have a vested interest in environmental law.
The cost of pollution control equipment will ultimately be passed through to the con-
burner in the form of higher prices of goods and services. Since this is in conflict
with the anti-inflation objectives of the administration, there will also be sub-
stantial interest in environmental law from many agencies of the federal and state
governments, that would not normally be expected to be involved in this area.
(V national company must concern itself with legislation and regulations by several
Agencies within the federal government, the fifty states, regional pollution control
agencies, counties, cities and possibly even with international treaties. It faces
legal action not only by these government entities directly, but by private citizens
and citizen interest groups, individually, in class actions, or under the so-called
public trust doctrine. If such a company wants to build a new plant, it has a lot
to consider and much red tape to overcome, just in the environmental field alone.
EAT IS THE PROBLEM IN SEARCHING OR KEEPING TRACK OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW?
o begin with, there is no clear cut body of environmental law. There is no single
Lace to look or to buy copies of all there is to know about environmental law. We
ust begin with all of the statutes and regulations of the states, counties, munic-
palities and the federal government as well as all of the reported decisions which
agether make up our common law system.
lere are over 1-1/2 million statutes on the books of the 50 states and 2-1/2 million
sported decisions. Each of these files is growing at a rate of about 25,000 per year.
Lnce nobody can keep up with this volume by reading everything, we must look to in-
-xes, classification schemes, digesting services and other means to aid in retrieval.
lose of you who have occasion to use the existing manually indexed statute publica-
Lons and digests of reported decisions probably realize the difficulty in using
iem for searching out a particular environmental problem. Since the law in this
•eld is just now developing, the concepts which are likely to be important to you
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in the future were probably net thought to be important at the time this material Was
indexed. Hence, many cases and statutes may be difficult if not impossible to fin(j
through traditional manual searching of published indexes. In the case of statutes
there are typically articles or chapters bringing together all of the laws on a par-
ticular subject. Examples are the Education Code, the Criminal Code and the Health
Code. Unfortunately, in the environmental field, the laws are scattered throughout
the statute books, which increases the difficulty of access, and makes it necessary
to have the entire set of books which is typically 15 volumes per state.
With computerized information retrieval, and particularly the full text natural
language approach pioneered by the Health Law Center at the University of Pittsburgh
in 1959, (now part of Aspen Systems Corporation), these deficiencies in indexing
and codification are easily overcome.
Under the Aspen full text search approach, every word or phrase contained in the
text of the statute or case can be used as a search inquiry statement either singly
or in combination. The power of such a tool is illustrated by the problem which
faced all state legislatures in the past few years involving minor children.
Approximately 20 of our state legislative clients asked us to run a search to
identify all statutes in their respective state which contained the words "21 year"
or "minor". With the change in voting age, it became necessary to consider whether
the definition of minor should be changed as applied to each individual law. As
you can imagine, the search turned up thousands of valid references in each state.
Such a search costs about $200., takes less than a minute of computer (CPU) time
and perhaps 15-20 minutes to printoout the full text of all statutes satisfying
the search query. A manual index search would have taken several man weeks and
only turned up about 60% of the references, since the concept of "minor" would
have been relatively insignificant to many of the laws at the time they were enacted
To accomplish a result with the same thoroughness as the Aspen full text search
would have taken several man years of manual effort to examine every page of every
statute in one state and you can be sure that a few items would be missed.
Before going into further detail, let me show you what a computer search of state
statutes actually looks like. Fig. 1 is a portion of a search run by Aspen for
EPA on the Maryland statute data base. Looking at LIST15 we are trying to identify
all statutes dealing with junkyards, rubbish and trash collection^ land fill, in"
cinerators and littering generally. The (R) you see after such words as junk(R)
tells the computer that it will accept any word which has these letters as a root.
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poking down you see "words added to SEARCH JUNK JUNKED JUNKYARD JUNKYARDS," etc.
These are words which were picked up from the file itself based on the root word
expansion feature. Note that the word RUBBLE is listed as an "invalid search term"
since it did not appear even once in the entire Maryalnd Statute file.
Turning to Fig. 2 we begin to look at some of the search output. This is a statute
which provides definitions of a number of terms including JUNK, JUNKYARD, etc. Note
that the words contained in the search are highlighted by putting them in caps both
in the text and in the margin. Since the full search dealt with a broader question,
you will see other words highlighted that were not part of the particular subselarch
illustrated here. Fig. 3,4,5 and 6 are all examples of statute printouts that are
directly relevant to the search query. Fig. 7 is an example of a search output that
is not relevant but contains the word SALVAGE and hence was pulled by the search.
II. THE DATA BASE
At this point I would like to go into a little more detail on what the data base of
the environmental law center would contain and in what form it should be stored.
Fig. 8 illustrates the wide range of legal materials which will make up the data base.
'tatutes
t the top, we see all of the existing international, federal, state, regional and
'ocal laws. Df the 1-1/2 million statutes on the books, at least 25,000 relate to
'ae environment. If we add in federal, regional and local laws plus those state
tatutes which are of only indirect relevance to environmental problems, the file
Ight build up to 100,000 laws. If these were in full text form, this would rep-
Ssent a file of approximately 200,000,000 characters. Such a file could be stored
i five of the new IBM 3330 disc packs.
irrent Legislation
: is generally impractical to attempt to update a statute file in between legis-
itive sessions which may be held annually or bi-annually. It is necessary, there-
ire, to provide for retrieval and dissemination of new laws passed during the
irrent legislative sessions. As indicated earlier, there are approximately 25,000
•w laws enacted each year, of which 500 to 1500 will have some impact on environ-
' total problems. This file could either be stored as full text or, as Aspen has
ne in past years, the new laws abstracted and stored in text form. As we will
f.e in a few moments, this can be used to prepare specialized abstract and index
blications and alerting services.
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Pending Legislation
There are probably some 150,000 proposed bills introduced in the various state
latures and federal government annually. Pending legislation is of significantly
more interest to large companies and citizen interest groups that are concerned with
affecting the outcome of proposed legislation. There are bill digesting services in
nearly every state which produce daily or weekly printed or mimeographed abstract
reports of all bills introduced in a given state. The information center would
make arrangements to obtain copies of all proposed or introduced bills relating to
the environment and would store abstracts of the bills in the data base. The same
thing would be done with pending regulations. An estimated 3-5000 bills would be
relevant.
Pending Litigation and Rulings
Since the field of environmental law is in its infancy, the arguments and testimony
in cases now pending may be as significant if not more significant than those found
in reported decisions over the years. The complaint, the answer, motions by either
party and the briefs, which are written legal arguments, will provide interested
parties with all of the current theories upon which cases can be brought or defended,
Another potentially valuable data base will consist of the transcripts of testimony
associated with major litigation in the environmental field. This information, when
oorganized into a computerized data base, can provide companies and agencies with an
interpretation of how the laws and regulations are actually being applied in practice,
Aspen currently provides a computer based information management service for litigation
files; in fact one of its major clients is involved in a large environmental case.
Case Law
The reported decisions affecting the environment will ultimately represent the
largest data base. Since the field has only recently become active, there are
only a relatively few cases. However, a case is generally much more voluminous
than a statute and hence we would be talking of an initial data base of over
200,000,000 characters which will grow in a few years to over a billion characters.
My suggestion would be to initialize the case law data base by providing detailed
abstracts or extracts of each case in machine readable form. As the commercial case
law data base serviceo evolve, full text copies of the relevant portions of these
data bases could be acquired. Computer storage costs will have dropped substantially
in a few years as well.
Regulations
The federal, state and local regulations probably represent the most important seg-
ment of the environmental law data base. The regulations of state agencies are
generally not nearly as well organized and disseminated as state statutes. The
situation for municipal governments is more difficult, probably by an order of
29Q
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lagnitude. Hence, an important service of the information center is simply v. :* collect
md make accessible all regulatory materials concerning the environment.
,y nature, regulatory materials are detailed and will get down into quantitative
easures in terms of standards, tolerances and the like. It is very difficult to
.ndex such materials since one page may contain 50 items of probable releavance
o different parties. Hence, it would appear that the most effective method of
torage will be in natural language full text form. Because the state and local
egulations are still in the process of being promulgated, I frankly have no
eel for the volume of data. My guess is that we are talking about a file of
ieveral times the volume of those statutes directly related to the environment.
f I had to put a number on it I would say that the file size would be about 100
lllion characters, if we limit the regulations to those having a direct impact.
n the other hand, if we included regulations of indirect importance, the file
ould probably go to 300 million characters.
.dministrative Rulings/Attorney General's Opinions
ost of the compliance activity will take place within the administrative process
t all levels of government. Hence an important body of law will be the adminis-
rative decisions of the pollution control agencies and in some cases the Attorney
eneral's Opinions of the state. This body of law is typically one that is very
ifficult to gain access to. Hence it is a most appropriate function for the
'nformation center to address. Again, its major contribution will be to pull
ogether information of this type. Again, there is really no basis for estimat-
ng the volume of this material. If it becomes too great, we might consider
bstracting it and storing the abstracts in text form. If I had to hazard a guess
n. the size of a text file, I would say it would be at least comparable to the
eported decision file which should represent over a billion characters within
everal years.
orm of Storage
Is I have indicated all along, the most effective form of storage for detailed access
ould be natural language text in machine readable form. As you might suspect, it
s quite expensive to Convert a billion characters of text into machine readable
orm. It is also relatively expensive to store files of this size for on-line com-
'Uter searching. If there are enough users and inquiries to justify keeping the
ile on-line, then the storage costs will become insignificant. It is further not
lear that all portions of the data base need to be stored on-line, which means
hey would be accessible to a remote typewriter or display terminal in the user's
ffice. If the file is not stored on-line, the storage costs become relatively
linor.
291
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The decision as to whether to store full text in machine readable form, abstracts
in machine readable form or manually assigned index terms will depend upon a detailed
systems analysis and design study. The factors which will determine, however, are:
A) the existence of machine readable text
B) the need for on-line storage
C) the volume of text
D) the types of searches and other uses contemplated
E) the volume of requests
F) the availability of manual indexes
G) the speed of response required
H$; technological developments in storage and input methods
III. EXISTING SOURCES OF INFORMATION
More than two billion characters worth of legal and legislative information have
already been committed to machine readable form. Aspen Systems Corporation has
converted state and federal statutes, decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court, Circuit
Courts of Appeal, and Pennsylvania Supreme and Appellate Courts; and a small portion
of municipal ordinances, Attorney General's Opinions and Regulations. Mead Data
Central has converted the case law of Ohio and New York and has created a federal
i.ax data base. The Air Force under the LITE (Legal Information Through Electronics)
Project has created a data base of the Comptroller General's Decisions, U.S. Code
and a few smaller data bases. A number of state legislatures are operating in-
ternal systems which utilize a full text data base of their statutes. Many of
them are operating computerized bill status systems which can provide information
on pending legislation. Some of the state courts are beginning to utilize com-
puterized typesetting which will provide a by-product machine readable data base.
IV. INFORMATION PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
At this point I would like to describe for you some of the types of services that
could be provided by an information center with the data base already described.
Retrospective Searching
The first product, of course, would be the c',ility to search the data base for
any particular problem. I have already shoved you an example of search output
(Fig. 3). Fig. 9 illustrates a typical search request.
292
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Selective Dissemination of Information
bother type of service known in the industry ?.s SDI or Selective '?'.!ssemin^cion of
information provides an alerting function. This would be used to keep asers apprised
if new pending legislation, recent enactments, major decisions, proposed Tabulations
jr new rulings according to prestored request profiles. For example, an oil company
light be interested in any legal developments affecting oil spills. The Sierra Club
light wish to be automatically alerted to any new regulations affecting land use.
jig. 10 illustrates an SDI printout utilizing Aspen's abstract data base of recently
snacted legislation.
'ublished Compilations
is I indicated earlier, one of the most valuable functions of the information center
n.11 be to pull together all of the information relevant to environmental law. Once
taving done this and converted it into machine processable form, it will be possible
:o produce specialized publications such as a compilation of all laws on a given
subject. Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate a special compilation of the water laws in the
itate of Idaho prepared for the State itself. This was accomplished by first pro-
lucing a search of the data base to identify all of these laws, many of which were
scattered throughout all volumes of the Idaho Statutes. The search results were.
:ept on magnetic tape and after reviewing and editing were used to computer photo-
:ompose a special publication which was distributed to all those concerned with
rater laws in the State of Idaho. You will note in Fig. 12 that in addition to
:ypesetting the statutes themselves, we provided a published index to the compila-
:ion using an Aspen proprietary automatic indexing system known as AUTO-INDEX.
.egal Guides for Selected Industries
fust as we can produce a compilation of statutes,, regulations, etc., for a given
subject such as water laws, air pollution, etc., the center could produce special
feompilations for different industries, e:g., steel, petroleum, airlines, etc,
todel Laws
-he information center might also provide the function of drafting model legis-
lation. It would certainly be in a very good position to evaluate the laws of
;he fifty states and all municipalities and regional agencies. It is assumed
:hat the center would be staffed with attorneys with experience in environmental
Law and legislative drafting.
293
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Legislative Bill Drafting ^
The center could also provide assistance to state and local legislatures in draitine
O
specific legislation and/or regulations. Along these lines, the data base could be
used in conjunction with a legislative bill drafting or text editing system, which
is becoming more prevalent in state legislatures in particular. Using a system
such as the Aspen Qwik-Draft system, an existing statute can be called up to the
face of a display terminal with a television -like screen. Using the keyboard,
:;1 e suggested changes or additions can be keyed directly on the screen as illustrated
in Fig. 13. With the press of a single button, the computer system will print out
tha revised text of the proposed new statute or regulation.
hi
Published Indexes and Digests
The services of an information center generally obtain mass distribution through
published products. One type of product will be a cumulative index to the
collection of statutes, rules, regulations, etc. If abstracts are also prepared
and published, the indexing can be done automatically, and would result in a printed
digest ind index similar to Fig. 14. Alternatively, the index might be done in
the classical hierarchical editorial index fashion as we recently completed for
the State of Michigan (Fig. 15) . In both cases computer programs were used to
in the assembly of the final index.
.lecial Federal Subfile Data Bases
Tbe center would also be in a position to repackage a variety of data bases on
specific topics or for specific industries for inclusion in internal corporate
information systems, by industry associations or with government agencies. This
is becoming a common practice in the information industry. Tapes are sold by
Engineering Index, Chemical Abstracts Service, American Institute of Physies,
ERIC and others.
?. TECHNOLOGY AND NETWORK OPERATIONS
The technology exists today to implement the system I have described. The computer
hardware has reached a stage of cost/effectiveness wherein the operating costs of
the computer aspects of the system should not be a major problem. A key issue is
whether the services should be provided to use rs in an on-line interactive mode.
This requires that the data base be stored on mass random access storage equip-
ment, typically disc files and that all of the programs be resident in the com-
puter at all times in order to service any remote terminal that may enter a
request at any moment. The storage costs for a file of approximately 2 billion
•h, -racters would range in the area of $30,000 per month. The computer costs for
-..-parting an on-line application of this nature would add another $20-30,000 per
294
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month, assuming a minimum of 20 terminals. In addition, the on-line sy .;».«=,, *I11 involve
communication costs for transmitting the data back to the user. Si;:-,.?, we. at£ talking
about full text, the lines will be utilized for a half hocr to an hour £or any given
query. Conversely, if the search portion of the service were to utilize batch pro-
cessing techniques, wherein all inquiries would be referred to the center sad the
results mailed back to the user, the operating costs would be in the range of $25
to $30 per full text search and the fixed costs would probably be under ?10,000 per
month for computer hardware.
Searching is only one of the many services which would be provided by the center.
Most of the others including the specialized compilations, the SDI service and
specialized indexes can be operated in a batch processing mode and do not necessarily
require a dedicated computer. I am a strong advocate of on-line interactive search
systems since they put the user in direct communication with the data base. Whether
the cost of such a system is justified will depend solely on how much use will be
made of the system.
VI. SUMMARY
The system I have described represents an ambitious undertaking. Its feasibility.,
however, is clearly demonstrated by the existence of such enterprises as Aspen
Systems and Mead Data. Central. Some of the services I have described c.r.e available
commercially from these two companies. For example, Aspen can currently provide
searches of existing statutes in many states, can provide tracking of recently
enacted and pending legislation and can provide specialized subfiles in machine
readable form on such topics as air pollution, water pollution or any other
subject which may be of interest to a governmental, private or commercial organ-
ization that wishes to operate its own internal information system. If theft:
are a number of organizations with significant interest in a data base on environmental
law, Aspen and other members of the information industry could begin to pull to-
gether the system I have described today even without government funding or $,assaga
of H.R.56.
Now that I have described for you the services which exist today and the c ^ipr
data bank which could be established tomorrow, it is up to you the users to ii.l
us what your real needs are and whether the proposed system would satisfy them
•'t.
I thank you for your attention.
295
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PRINT.
LIST15 GARBAGE,OFFAL,BUBBISH,TBASH,JUNK(R),DUMP(R),RUBBLE,LANDFILL,. FIGURE 1.
PUTRESCIBLE,NONPU?RESCIBLB,ASH, ASHES,INCINERATOR {R} ,SALV&G(S) ,. Search Frame
LITTER(R).
****WOSDS ADDED TO SEARCH: JUNK
JUNKED
JUNKYARD ^
"" . JONKYABDS
DUKP
DUf5PED
D«MPING
DUMPS
***** BUBBLE INVALID SEARCH TEfiH
^ 3NCINEBATOR
INCINERATORS
SALVAGE
r* SALVAGING
LITTER
LITTERING
*"' - PRINT.
LIST16 «ASTE,WASTES,EFFLOV(S),EFFLUEH(R),RON-OFF.
****HORDS ADDED TO SEABCH: EFFLUVIA
^ EFFLUENT
LIST17 INDUSTRY) ,HOOSEHO LD, COMMERCIAL, AGBICDLTOE (B) ,HUMAN, HIME, MINES, .
ANIMAL,aSIHALS,SOL ID,SEKISOLID,SEMI-SOLID,MUNICIPAL,UTILITY,TBANSPOBT.
v***w03DS ADDED I"1 SEABCH: INDUSTRIAL
I INDUSTRIALIZATIOK
N3 ' IKDUSTBIALI2ED
^ INDUSTBIALLY
I INDUSTRIES
INDUSTRY
AGRICULTURAL
AGRICULTURE
***** SEMISOLID INVALID SEABCH TEBM
***** SEBI-SOLID INVALID SEARCH TERM
LIST18 TBAKSPOBTATION,DEMOLITION,EXPLOSIVE,SLADGHTEB(R),NONBIODEGKAD(B),.
NON-BIODEGRAD(B),CONSTEUCTION,COMBUSTIBLE,NONCOKBUSTIBLB,.
NQN-COHBUSTIBLE,HARKET,PRODUCE,FOOD,PATHOLOGICAL.
****KOBDS ADDED TO SEARCH: SLAUGHTEB
SLAUGHTERED
SLAUGETERSB
SLAUGHTERHOUSE
SLAUGHTERHOUSES
SLAUGHTEBIHG
SL&OGHTERS
-------
TEXT:
co
vo
Md. Stats. Art. 89B, Sec. 240
Sec. 240. Definitions.
(a) JfiNK. The term JUNK shall mean old or scrap copper, brass, ropp,
rags, batteries, paper, TRASH, rubber, dabris, WASTE, iron, steel, and other
old or scrap ferrous or nonferrous material, including JUNKED, dismantled, or
wrecked AUTOMOBILES, or parts thereof.
(b) AUTOMOBILE graveyard. The term AUTOMOBILE graveyard shall mean an
establishment or place of business which is maintained, used, or operated for
storing,, keeping, - buying or selling wrecked, scrapped, ruined, or dismantled
motor vehicles or footor vehicle parts.
(c) JENK yard. The term JDNK yard shall mean an establishment or place
or business which is maintained, operated, or used for storing, keeping, buying
or selling JDNK, or for the maintenance or operation of an AUTOMOBILE
graveyard, and the terir. shall include GARBAGE DUMPS and sanitary fills.
(d) Scrap metal processing facility. Scrap metal processing facility
shall mean an establishment having facilities for processing iron, steel or
nonferrous scrap metal and whose principal product is scrap iron, steel or
;nonferrous scrap for sale for remelting purposes only.
(e) Interstate system. Interstate system means that portion of the
national system of interstate and defense highways located within this State,
as officially designated, or as may be so designated hereafter, by the State
Roads Commission, and approved by the Secretary of Commerce or TRANSPOHTATION,
pursuant to the provisions of Title 23, Unites States Code, Highways.
(f) Primary system. Primary system means that portion of connected main
highways, as officially designated, or as may be hereafter so designated, by
the State Roads Commission in accordance with Sec. 7B of this article, and
approved by the Secretary of Commerce or TRANSPORTATION, pursuant to the
provisions of Title 23, United States Code, Highways.
State Roads - Bridges
JUNK, JUNK
TRASH, WASTE
JUNKED
AUTOMOBILES
AUTOMOBILE, AOTOHOBILE
JUNK, JUNK
JUNK, AUTOMOBILE
GARBAGE, DUMPS
TRANSPORTATION
TRANSPORTATION
-------
NJ
\O
oo
POLLUTION FIGURE 3.
Search Result
DOCOHENT NUHBER: 11715 LIST15
TEXT:
Md. Stats. Art. 89B, Sec. 247
Sec. 247. Violations.
(a) Injunction. The State Roads Commission nay apply to the Circuit Court
of Baltimore city or the circuit court of the county in which any nonconforming
JUNK yard may be located for an injunction for violation fo this subheading. JUNK
(b) Penalties; continuing violations, Any violation of the rules and
regulations promulgated by the State Roads Commission, including the
establishment, jaaint&r.ance, or operation of_ a JUNK yard without a license, is a JUNK
misdemeanor, punishable upon conviction thereof by a fine of not less than $25,
nor more than $100, and, in default of the paymen-t thereof, shall undergo
imprisonment for not more than thirty days. Whenever the State Roads
Commission has given written notice that a JUNK yard is maintained or used in JUNK
violation of this subheading, each day of such maintenance or USE beginning USE
with the thirty-first day following receipt of notice shall constitute a
separate offense.
State Roads - Bridges
POLLUTION
DOCUHEST NUMBER: i716 LIST15
TEXT:
Hd. Stats, art. 89B, Sec* 2U8
Sec. 248. Authority to make expenditures in excess of fees collected.
The State Roads Commission is authorized to expend from its CONSTRUCTION CONSTRUCTION
Fund such money in excess of that collected from license fees as is necessary
for matching federal funds to accomplish the purposes of this subheading.
Provided, however, such funds shall not be expended to pay the cost of
screening or relocating any JUNK yard when appropriate matching federal funds JDNK
are not available therefor under the Highway Beautification Act of 1965.
State Boads - Bridges
-------
vo
Search
DOCUMENT HaUBBR: 11707 LIST15
TEXT:
Md. Stats. Art. 89B, Sec. 239 >
Sec. 239. Legislative declaration.
Th
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o
o
POLLUTION
DOCUMENT SUKBER: 11711
TEXT:
LIST15
Md. Stats. Art. 89B, Sec. 246
Sec. 216. Authority to acquire interest in LAND for removal or screening
of JUNK yards.
When .the State Roads Commission determines that the topography of the LAND
will npt permit adequate screening of such JUNK yards, or the screening of such
JUNK yards would not be economically feasible, the State Roads Commission shall
have the authority to acquire, by gift, purchase, or COHDEMNAT-ION pursuant to
Articles 33A or Sees. 10 through 19 of Article 89E ^orE-the .Annotated Code of
Baryl&'nd, such interest in lands as tn^y. be necessary to effect the relocation
and removal of such JUNK-yards -to another location; and which Is not in any of
the classes specified in subsections (b), (c) and (d) of Sec. 24U of this
subtitle, provided the Commission shall not' have the authority to CONDEMN LAND
for such purpose unless it is zoned for INDUSTRIAL USE or is located in unzoned
areas vhere the LAND is used' for INDUSTRIAL activities. In such cases, the
Commission sh,all receive the approval of the local governing body where the
LAND to be acquired is located before proceeding vith such acquisition and the
Commission shall pay for the cost of relocation, removal or DISPOSAL of such
JUNK yards. Hhen the State Roads Commission determines that it is in the .best
interest of the State, it may.acquire such lands, or interest in lands by gift,
purchase or CONDEMNATION, as aforesaid^ as may be necessary to provide adequate
screening of such JUNK yards. . ,
State Roads - Bridges
POLLUTION :
DOCUMEITf HffKBER: 11710
" ' '
FIGURE 5.
Search Result
LAND
JUNK
LAND
JUNK
JUNK
CONDEMNATION
JUNK
CONDEMN, LAND
INDUSTRIAL, USE
LAND, INDUSTRIAL
LAND
DISPOSAL
JUNK
COHDEHNATION
JONR
LIST15
Stats. .Art. 89B, Sec, 242 - , -,r: ;, •; •"- :;i; -
1&U2. License required for JUNK yard. ";:V. >•- ^A " * JUNK
after January 1, 1968, a o person shall ..establish, operate or • •
new JONR yard, or expand the.,area of an existing JUNK yard, any JUNK, JDNK
which is within 1,000 feet of^the nearest edge of the right-of-way •- - -'
rstat^ or primary highway andT, visible from the main traveled way of
the 'Highway,, Without obtaining a license from the State Roads Commission. The
pro«3«^ons of this section , shall not apply to J;ONK yards inf?'existence on or JOBK
be fa£j& -January 4, 1968, except to those JUNK yards which expand the area of JUNK
'
State" Hoads - Bridges
-------
Search Result
DOCHHENT HtlMBER: 11712
TEXT:
LIST15
Md. Stats. Art. 89B, Sec. 244
Se-c. 244. Restriction as to location of JUNK yards.
On or after January 1, 1968, no license shall be granted for the
establishment, maintenance, or operation of a new JDNK yard, or expand the area
of an existing JONK yard, within 1,000 feet of the nearest edge of the
right-of-way of any highway on the interstate or primary system, except the
following:
(a) Those which are screened by NATURAL objects, planting, fences, or
other appropriate means, so as not to be visible from the main traveled say of
•the system.
(1>) Those located within areas which are zoned for INDUSTRIAL USE under
authority of local law. «.
(c) Those located within areas not zoned INDUSTRIAL, but vhich are used
for INDUSTRIAL activities as determined by the State Roads Commission, with the
approval of the Secretary of Commerce or TRANSPORTATION, in accordance with the
ilighway Beautif ication Act of 1965, provided, however, nothing in this section
shall authorize the State Roads Commission to change, modify or alter any
zoning act or ordinance enacted by any political subdivision of the state and
provided further that if any political subdivision of the State shall, after
unzoned areas adjacent to such highways are so determined by the State Roads
Comsission, zone such areas for a different USE, such zoning by the subdivision
shall become effective and the determination of the State Roads Commission
shall be void.
(d) Those which are not visible from the main traveled way of the system.
State Roads - Bridges
JUNK
JUNK
JUNK
HATURSL
INDUSTRIAL, USE
INDUSTRIAL
INDUSTRIAL
TRANSPORTATION
USE
-------
POLLUTION
DOCUMENT NUMBER: 122U6
TEXT:
LIST15
FIGURE 7.
Search Result
(Not Relevant)
Hd. Stats. Art. 95B, Sec. 2-610
Sec. 2-610. Anticipatory repudiation.
Whon either party repudiates the contract with respect to a performance not
yet due thp loss of which will substantially impair the value of the contract
to the oth^r, the aggrieved party may
(a) For a commercially reasonable time await performance by the
repudiating party; or
(h) Resort to any remedy for breach (Sec. 2-703 or Sec. 2-711), even
though he has notified the repudiating party that he would await the letter's
performance.and has urged retraction; and
(c) In either case suspend his own performance or proceed in accordance
with the provisions of this subtitle on the seller's right to identify goods to
the contract notwithstanding breach or to SALVAGE unfinished goods (Sec.
2-704) .
Oniforn COMMERCIAL Code - Sales - Breach, Repudiation, Excuse
SALVAGE
COMMERCIAL
o
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CO
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INTERNATIONAL
TREATIES
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UNITED STATES
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REPORTED DECISIONS (case law)
-------
Ik
K FIGURE 9.
1 Soarch Request , i i i i
1 Describe the purpose of Wl%equest: the legal problem U> be solved, the proposition
to be supported, the slaorfftrry material required, or other purpose.
^.ttd fitL itlit'iil^Klftiintq unfit ri[ skills n.
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Uiat would solve your problem, support your position, or otherwise be considered a J material you expect.
favorable result. _ g
All!/ itflttM df.'jfAUjtflil AC.Iuttltimf t ' ^ht,.1',""™".' P°"
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the words in
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7 Check Word
Frequency
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8 Indicate the relationships between words, phrases and groups of words and
phmscs that should exist in the relevant documrnls: specific word tlis'-arc^,
word proximity, sentence, paragraph, entire document. Vut NOT iM-fort- wiL- WQRb*- twid, ~~>J>'iLl-A{]£ M'rt~r£>5 PM, wC- &LW^
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91
LIST 1
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-------
TEXT:
Cal R 2« 1
requesting federal agency action - E Feb 13
NATURAL RESOURCES: Petitions the President and appropriate officials to
allow stricter state regulation of gas and oil drilling in federal waters and
to halt the drilling on federal tidelands in the Santa Barbara Channel.
(All 50 States)
NATURAL, RESOURCES
POLLUTION
DOCUMENT NUMBER: 66
TEXT:
LIST!?
Me C 522 1
AH section 29.2127,2 - E Jan 19
Rotor Vehicle Equipment: Adds LPG-powered vehicles to those exempted from
AIR POLLUTION control requirements.
AIR, POLLUTION
POLLUTION
Q DOCUMENT NUMBER: 77
Ui
TEXT:
LIST17
He C 535 2
AH sections 10.2155, 12.3752.6 - E Jan 23
POLLUTION Control: Provides for hearings and suspension of licenses and
permits, for engaging in offshore mineral retrieval activities.
POLLUTION
POLLUTION
DOCUMENT NUMBER: 1191
TEXT:
LIST17
N.J.R 9 1
Setting forth policy - E Nov 5"
POLLUTION Control: Sets forth the States policy to enact and administer
laws, codes, and regulations designed to limit AIR, HATER, and NOISE POLLUTION
and to regulate USE of NATURAL RESOURCES.
POLLUTION
AIR, WATER, NOISE, POLLUTION
USE, NATURAL, RESOURCES
-------
FIGURE 11.
Computer Based Compilation
of Water Laws
IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF ¥/ATER ADMINISTRATION
R. K. HIGGINSON, DIRECTOR
306
-------
WATER LAWS AND REGULATIONS
SPECIAL
U)
O.
COMMISSIONERS FOR IDAHO
/s/ Ival V. Goslin
Ival V. Goslin
/s/ R. Willis Walker
R. Willis Walker
/$/ Alex 0. Coleman
Alex O. Coleman
/s/ Leonard E. Graham
Leonard E. Graham
/s/ Chas. E. Anderson
' Chas. 6. Anderson
/s/ A. K. Van Orden
A. K. Van Orden
COMMISSIONERS FOR WYOMING
/s/ Carl Robinson
Carl Robinson
/s/ Ciril D. Cranney
Ciril D. Cranney
/s/ Clifford P. Hansen
Clifford P. Hansen
/s/ Clifford S. Wilson
Clifford S. Wilson
/s/ Lloyd Van Deburg
Lloyd Van Debuig
I have participated in the negotiation of this compact and intend to report
favorably thereon to the Congress of the United States.
/s/ R. J. Newell
R. J. Newell
Representative of
The United States of America
EAR RIVER COMPACT RATIFIED.
Ratification and approval is hereby given to the Bear River Compact as
signed at the city of Salt Lake City, in the state of Utah on the fourth day of
February, 1955, by Fred M. Cooper, Melvin Lauridsen and Mark R. Kulp,
commissioners of the state of Idaho, acting pursuant to authority granted
by chapter 90 of the Idaho Session Laws of 1943, and the commissioners
representing the state of Utah, the state of Wyoming and approved by E. O.
Larson, Representative of the United States, which compact is in full as fol-
lows: ,*.
BEAR RIVER COMPACT
The state of Idaho, the state of Utah, and the state of Wyoming, acting
through their respective commissioners after negotiations participated in by
a representative of the United States of America appointed by the Presi-
dent, have agreed to a Bear River Compact as follows:
ARTICLE I
A. The major purposes of this compact are to remove the causes of present
and future controversy over the distribution and use of the waters of the
Bear River; to provide for efficient use of water for multiple purposes; to
or loss by evaporation and
or loss by evaporation and
ration, transpiration, and
endangered by overtopping,
r ihe purpose of utilizing
in section 42-907, may be
section 42-905, the person
ale commissioners shall be
the third member shall be
the season for which he is
ose of conveying water and
ights attacncd being given
Appeal shall be taken by
by chapter 90 of the Idaho
cation and ascertain if it
he numerical order of such
are hereby declared to be
e United States, all other
n of new sewerage systems,
isting sewerage systems or
or extensions to existing
or the construction of new
n and turn him over to the
and turn them over to the
er pollution of interstate
ue reports and post public
e director of new fishways
orks. 4. In all other
ge, or alter any headgate,
and all the tributaries of
and all the tributaries of
Creek, Sublette Creek, and
al channel is tributary to
ion to its confluence with
al channel is tributary to
channels are tributary to
ion to its confluence with
'Pine Creek Springs' means
'Hobble Creek' means the
2. 'Spring Creek' means a
20. 'Pine Creek' means a
19. 'Grade Creek' means a
ing Creek, Sublette Creek,
Meridian, Idaho; 18.
ch it is composed, whether
of said roll, shall open a
After the
s section shall pay to the
isonment Whenever the
tment shall then appoint a
seepage. Approval of any such exchange Sec.42-105
seepage, at some convenient point on th Sec.42i905
seepage, may be taken out of the Bear R Sec.42-3402
seepage, settlement, erosion, cracking Sec.42-17IT
seepage, waste or spring water of the s Sec.42-107
selected and appointed by a written ins Sec.42-908
selected by such parlies on or before A Sec.42-908~"
selected in accordance with state law Sec.42-3402
selected. The Director of the Departme . Sec42-237d
selected, and in addition to the powers S«.42-910
selling the same for irrigating purpose Sec.42-199
separately. 8. The number of acres Scc3C-806
serving a notice of appeal upon the Dir Sec.42-237e
Session Laws of 1943, and the commissio ... Sec.42-3402
sets forth all the facts necessary to s Sec.42-204
settlements or improvements; but whenev Sec5
severable and if any provision of this ... Sec.42-I413
severable provisions of this compact sh Sec.42-3402
sewage treatment or disposal plants or Sec39-112
sewage treatment or disposal plants, sh SecJ9-112
sewerage systems or sewage treatment or SeeJ&112
sewerage systems, sewage treatment or d SecJ9-II2
sheriff of the county in which the misd Sec.42-802
sheriff or the nearest peace officer of Sec.18-4309
significance; 6. Perform all fund Sec.42-3402
signs indicating compliance with these SecJ7-2102
simply to replace old ones but a fishwa Sec.36-1104
situations not governed by these provis Sec.42-204
sluiceway, weir, water box, or other me Sec.I8-4307
Smiths Fork above the mouth of Hobble C
Smiths Fork above the mouth of Hobble C
Smiths Fork and all the tributaries of
Smiths Fork in Section 17, Township 25 Sec4Z-3402
Smiths Fork in Section 35, Township 28 Set.42-3402
Smiths Fork in Section 36, Township 25 Sec.42-J402
Smiths Fork in Section 36, Township 25 Sec.42-3402
Smiths Fork in Section 4, Township 24 N ... Scc.42-3401
Smiths Fork tributaries which rise in L Sec.4I-3402
Smiths Fork tributary which rises in Li Sec.42-3402
Smiths Fork tributary which rises in Li Sec.42-3402
Smiths Fork tributary which rises in Li Sec.42-3402
Smiths Fork tributary which rises in Li Sec.42-34C2
Smiths Fork, and all the tributaries of Sec.42-3402
Smiths Fork' means a Bear River tributa .... Sec.42-3402
soil, rock or other substance, and incl Sec.55-10IA
special account to be known as 'Water D .... Sec.42-613
special deputy and his assistants shall Sec.42-802
special deputy and to each assistant a Sec.42-801
special deputy or any assistant shall d Sec.42-802
special deputy whose duty it shall be t Sec.42-801
(TEXT PAGE)
(INDEX PAGE)
-------
SAMPLE PAGE
FIGURE 13.
Sample of Bill On Text
Editing Screen
(Aspen Qwik-Draft)
EXAMPLE - AMENDING MINNESOTA STATUTES
A bill for an act
relating to medical assistance for the needy;
amending Minnesota Statutes 196°, Sections
256.81; 256.93, Subdivision 2; repealing
Minnesota Statutes 1969, Section 246.25.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OP MINNESOTA:
Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 1969, Section 256.81,
is amended to read:
256.81 LCOUNTY AGENCY, DUTIES.] (1) The county agency
may shall keep such records, [etc.]-
Sec, 2. Minnesota Statutes 1969, Section 256.93,
Subdivision 2, is amended to read:
Subd. 2. [ANNUAL REPORT.] The afcteFRey-geBeyal
commissioner of public welfare shall annually or, [etc.].
Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 1969, Section 246.25
is repealed,
START
STEPS
TITLE
and
ENACTING
CLAUSE
STEPS
TEXT
STEPS
REVISION
STEPS
FINISH
STEPS
REI/IEW
STEPS
PRINT
STEPS
308
-------
FIGURE 14.
Published Digest and Index
• (DIGEST)
Safely.: Regulates the use of explosives. Defines terms and clarifies
sndtheirpenaltics.
». iiafndirt KH 5.3. JI..4Q. ..'6, 565, ripejlinf of. 2! - £ Jun 4 1 3 pages.
(INDEX)
Vehicle": Requires screeningofeyeright for driver's license renewals.
landing |7) b. 77 - £ Jun -I - im'fafcs
Welfare: Authorizes the Commissioner of Public Welfare and coun-
nunicipalities 10 make grants for ch'ifdcare services.
f an sea- EJun 4- three pa fa
Parks and Recreation: Authorizes additional lands to he included
the boundaries of several state parks, exchanges of land within inter-
irks. the acquisition of lands via eminent domain, and the establishing
sandfisheries.
g new IKS. 85.015. repealing S4. 164. 55. 198. amending 879. /Laws 1969. Si.013 - EJun
I Pollution: Prohibits the discharging of wastes from marine toilets
'lie waters.
| am a Jing 36 1.29. 36 1 .24 - EJun 7 • five pages
Consumer Protection: Limits finance charges of open end credit
adding new sees- EJun 4- three pages
• Prisoners: Authorizes the Commissioner of Corrections to set a
mm amount of compensation to be held for inmates' later benefit.
• aintnding243.24-EJun 7-twopages
I Pollution : Authorizes the Commissioner of Natural Resources to re-
'• grant eminent domain powers to persons, corporations, or associa-
fhichare involved in pollu tion control.
'nldingne*sec-EJun 7-twopages
ijlillution: Requires that Pollution Control Agency hearings be pub-
Ngnates recordsand documents of the agency as public.
•at/ding 116.075-EJun 7-twopages
1 Drugs: Intoxicating Liquor: Authorizes establishment and
action of a 'detoxification center'. Provides appropriations and other
Ig for the center. Instruction in drug, tobacco and alcohol abuse is re-
| to be taught to public school pupils. Establishes a teacher training
'irn.
• adding new sees. amending245.6S.253A.IS. 144.832. 126.05. 126.04 - E Jan 7 ISpagcs.
I Intoxicating Liquor: Prohibits the driving of a vehicle by a person
blood contains. lOpercent or more by weight of alcohol.
•imtndinf 169.121. 169.123-EJun 7-sixpagn
1 Health: Requires local agencies of the Board of Health to submit a
or the delivery of public health nursing and home health agency serv-
i commensurate with the health needs of the residents of the counties
:rve.
•amending I45.U. 145.125-EJun 7-tl\ret pages
) Pollution: Prohibits cleaning agents, chemical water conditioners
Jlrients to be disbursed in waters of the state. Tests for percentage con-
Iphosphatcs in laundry or dishwashingcompounds are required by the
ion Control Agency.
1-addmgncwsKs-F.Jun 7-sevcn pages
\ Education: Eslablishesacommumty school program.
'•*Min$ntwsccs-EJun 7-four pages
2 Housing: Creates county and multi-county housing and redevelop-
authonties. Designates areaof operation andduties of county commis-
p.
-Hiding 462.426 lhru462.429. amending462.421 - EJun 7 13 pages.
9 Pollution: Allows the Pollution Control Agency to authorize per-
or airandlandpollution control. Prohibits the construction, alteration
.•ration of anemission facility, air contaminant treatment facility, treat-
tac»ily>a»r contaminant storage facility, and any other facility respon-
or the disposal of sol id waste wi thout a permit.
jj-amtnilmg 116.07. adding 1 16.08). / 16.09- 1 Jun 7- three pages
f» .Civil Procedure: Establishes a Commission on Judicial Standards to
nine the removal, retirement, discipline or censure of judges.
'•"Id/rig „(»,«„. E_,un 7-lhrec pages
l Landmarks: Authorizes the State Historical Society to
irttneScience Museum of Minnesota.
'•xldineoewsm.EJun 7-onepage
Hi if*''*? fU1uires the employer of persons required to pay child
W.J; ~lthhold money from their earnings upon court order and to pay
otne Department of Public Welfare. ,
s. EJan 7.
ivin'ri!"11 APPr°Priales money for'the Range Center, Inc. to provide a
y 'or inecare of mentally retarded ersons on a da-niht care basis.
309
composed of 2 or more POLITICAL subdivisions Vi 11-1437
ion of use lax between POLITICAL subdivisions S.D. 11-1243
elections in keeping a POLL hsl N.U. II-949
: ' |S»ilhon#S I special POLL ta\ (or school dislricls lor \ I 11-1420
' (tlUlsiJc of POLLING plr.ci-s jt closing lira* be Penn I1-1094
Stf WA 7 HK POLU'l'ION
atiori Of county POLHTION ahaicincnt and indmlria N.C. II-86J
'Ihllion: Provides for POLLUTION abatement and waler man Ohio 11-988
att in connection wilh POLLUTION .ihnlcmcnl or control W.VA 11-1497
ion and urban sediment POLLUTION abalemcnl programs and Ohio II-IOOI
implement agriculture POLLUTION find urban sediment poll ....
lution: Requires thai POLLUTION ConIrol Agency hearings • • •-f^. Minn
Pollution: Allows ihe POLLUTION Control Agency to autho .
ds are required by the POLLUTION Control Agency Minn 11-640
approval of the Stream POLLUTION Control Board before es Ind 11-389
s as a duty of the Air POLLUTION Control Board N.Y. 11-812
s. Empowers Ihe stale POLLUTION Conlrol Commission 10 a Ark 11-39
n: Authorizes the Air POLLUTION Conlrol Commission lo e W.VA 11-1497
f Ihe cost for feeillol POLLUTION control equipment. Exe Minn 11-622
or furnish industrial POLLUTION conlrol facilities N.V. 11436
live, or removing, air POLLUTION control mechanisms and N.V. 11-841
which are involved in POLLUTION conlrol Minn 11-635
rmils for air and land POLLUTION conlrol. Prohibils [he Minn 11-643
forair, walerorland POLLUTION from laxalion Minn 11-622
its Ihe obstruction or POLLUTION of streams, brooks and R.I. 11-1188
eble liability Cor oil POLLUTION or conlamination caused Conn 11-159
ilities arising oul of POLLUTION or conlaminalion of ihe N.Y. 11-803
apparalus lo curb air POLLUTION lhal has reached danger R.I. 11-1128
t of waters to prevent POLLUTION Mich 11-616
tionary sources of air POLLUTION W.VA II-K97
or contribuling lo air POLLUTION, and provides for vana Okla 11-1020
f ihe environment from POLLUTION, impairment or deslruct Minn 11-652
POLLUTION: Allows the Pollution Minn 11-643
POLLUTION: Aulhorizes agencies e N.Y. 11-836
POLLUTION: Authorizes counties I S.D. 11-1222
POLLUTION: Aulhorizes the Air Po W.VA 11-1497
POLLUTION: Aulhorizes the Commis Minn 11-635
POLLUTION: Authorizes the creali N.C. 11-863
POLLUTION- Aulhorizes the creali Okla 11-1032
POLLUTION: Aulhorizes Ihe Direcl R.I. 11-1115
POLLUTION: Eslablishes Ihe Mmne Minn 11-653
POLLUTION: Eslablishes Ireble li Conn 11-159
POLLUTION: Includes oil among ih N.Y. 11-819
POLLUTION: Prohibits cleaning ag Minn 11-640
POLLUTION: Prohibils Ihe burning Mass 11-583
POLLUTION: Prohibits Ihe dischar Minn 11-632
POLLUTION: Provides for pollulio Ohio 11-988
POLLUTION: Provides for specific R.I. 11-1128
POLLUTION: Provides ihe promulga N.Y. 11-812
POLLUTION: Provides waler qualil Okla 11-1033
POLLUTION: Regulates ihe applica Ark 11-74
POLLUTION: Regulates ihe dumping N.Y. 11-847
POLLUTION: Removes provisions es N.Y. 11-834
POLLUTION: Requires permits for Okla 11-1020
POLLUTION: Requires lhal Polluli Minn 11-636
POLLUTION: Requires variances gr Oreg 11-1058
POLYGRAPHS, deceplographs or simi Okla 11-1028
PONDS :..«.!. 11-1188
POOLROOM NJ. 11-788
POOLS in harness and running hors Me 11-468
POOR houses and insane asylums be Ill 11-308
POPULATION for election of direct Oreg 11-1050
POPULATION of belween 44.000 and Va 11-1455
POPULATION of less than 10.000 Term 11-1292
POPULATION of less than 15.000 pe NJ. 11-784
POPULATION of more lhan 6.000 but Kans 11-422
POPULATION qualifications of 2nd Penn 11-10%
POPULATION slabilizalion Haw 11-279
POPULATION to expel pupils guilty Ill 11-324
POPULATION '.~. Kans 11-409
PORCINE animals lo be licensed. R Mass 11-585
PORT authorities Okla 11-1046
PORT authorilies. increases Ihe s Okla 11-1046
PORT authority lo 1 mill annually Ohio 11-987
PORT for shipment upon receipt of Okla 11-1038
PORT cf entry R.I. tl-1122
PORTION of said drug into Ihe bod N.Y. 11-823
POSITION of Stale Entomologist fr N.H. 11-751
POSITIONED that the hands of Ihe Cal 11-103
POSSESS n rifle and/or shotgun un N.Y. 11-824
POSSESSES a narcotic drug and ml N.Y. 11-823
POSSESSION and distribution of pa V» 11-1469
POSSESSION and prohibits the poss Ncv 11-732
POSSESSION and transportation of S.C 11-1214
POSSESSION of a dangerous drug N.Y. 11 -846
POSSESSION of a permit issued by N.C. 11-865
POSSESSION of abandoned motor veh R.I. 11-1187
POSSESSION of an apiary after exp Nev 11-732
such as lie detectors.
of streams, brooks and
a minor under 16 in a
wagered on pari-muluel
and inmates of county
zoned on the basis of
udes counties having a
0 in counties having a
unicipalities having a
000 in counties wilh a
vernment: Changes the
proposed commission on
not more than 500.000
es of less than 20.000
; Requires dealers in
in the development of
Expands the power of
the electors within a
sas River navigational
foreign trade zone or
e or needle all or any
Government: Changes
les wilh handlebars so
otherwise eligible to
owingly and unlawfully
: Regulates the sale.
iary within 10 days of
neclion wilh the sale.
mplion of the criminal
ons other lhan zoos in
ice department lo take
' sion and prohibits the
-------
FIGURE 15.
Traditional Hierarchical Index
INDEX
AGRICULTURAL WORKERS—cont.
Unemployment compensation—cont.
liability of employer for benefits paid,
384-4
liens against employers, 384-7
misrepresentation of fact, 384-9
proportion of employer's liability for
benefits, 384-4
repeal and amendment of applicable law,
384-14
revolving fund, 384-5
savings clause., 384-14
state not liable for payments, 384-13
unlawful disclosure of information, pen-
alty, 384-12
AGRICULTURE
Dealers in farm products
agent, definition of, 145—1
broker, definition of, 145-1
cornmiss;on merchant, definition of,
145-1
consumer, definition of, 145-1
dealer, definitions of, 145-1
department, definition of, 145-1
farm producer or farm product, defini-
tion of, 145-1
licenses, persons required to be licensed,
145-2
processed, definition of, 145-1
processor, definition of, 145-1
producer, definition of, 145-1
retail merchant, definition of, 145-1
Definition of (planning and economic
development), 201-1
AID
see Depressed Areas
Definition of, 29-11
AIR CARRIERS
Certificate of public convenience
application for Certificates, 269-24
issuance of Certificates, conditions for,
269-24
AIR NATIONAL GUARD
Militia, organization, 121-12
AIR, NAVIGATION FACILITY
Definition of, 261-1
AIR POLLUTION
Civil or criminal remedies, application of,
322-76
Complaints
rjjiSvestigation of, 322-68
rjfiotjee, servicr of, 322-69
ClJfltroLssction, expenses, 322-65
"* " agencies, effect on
322W7T
Health Department
appointment of master, 322-64
control of, 322-64
AIR POLLUTION—cont.
Health Department—cont.
designation of areas for specific control,
322-63
education, 322-64
general powers of, as to, 322-62
hearings, 322-64
initiation of complaints, 322-64
inspection of buildings, 322-64
investigation of complaints of by, 322-68
investigation of rule violations by,
322-68
liability for disclosure of confidential in-
formation, 322-66
nonliability of personnel, 322-75
organization of county advisory pollution
control associations by, 322-67
penalties for disclosure of confidential in-
formation, 322-66
permit fees, 322-65
reception of complaints, 322-64
receiving of money from federal govern-
ment, 322-64
requirements for filing reports, 322-64
requirements of private persons, 322-64
rule making as to, 322-62
supervision of state wide prevention,
322-64
technical defects in rules, 322-74
Hearings
answer, 322-69
confidential information revealed, 322-70
determination of violations, 322-70
compelled attendance of witnesses, by
subpoena, 322-69
Injunctive relief
appeal on hearing decision, 322-73
for failure to remedy, 322-71
stay of pending appeal, 322-74
Inspection by Health Department, fine for
hampering or obstructing, 322-79
Order to correct violations, 322-70
Penalties, legal proceedings to recover, by
Health Department, 322-72
Rules and regulations
designation of areas for specific control,
322-63
failure to correct, 322-72
hearing on adoption of rules, 322-62
notice of hearing for, 322-62
repeal of, 322-62
penalty for violations, 322-72
Ail
CONTROL AGEN-
inconsistaiit- rales invalidated, 322-77
sharing of technical air pollution control
facilities, 322-77
31Q
-------
LEGAL BIBLIOGRAPHY:
A CRITICAL OVERVIEW
By
George S. Grossman
Professor of Law and Law Librarian
University of Utah
311
-------
J would like to begin by conveying to you Professor Mersky's
regrets at not being able to be here. He was scheduled to speak,
but he was unable to attend because he has found his time entirely
taken up with preparations for a very demanding assignment. He
Is departing soon for a one-year visit to Israel, where he will
undertake both the job of National Librarian and the job of head
librarian of Hebrew University. Those jobs are roughly equivalent
to the Librarian of Congress and the Director of the Harvard
Libraries; so I am sure you will understand that he has become
quite busy in getting ready.
I would also like to begin with an apology of my own. 1
would like to aoologize. to those in the audience who are attorneys,,
if some of what I have to say sounds somewhat like a review of
freshman legal bibliography. I am told that most of those
attending this Symposium are not lawyers; so I fee] it necessary
to briefly define the legal tools ! will be dealing with.
But before the lawyers in the audience leave, let me hasten
to add that I hope to do more than merely define the tools of
legal research. I hope to examine these tools critically, and
one of my major criticisms is directed at the legal profession
itself; for perhaps the most striking aspect of legal bibliography
is the almost total lack of involvement on the part of practicing
profession in the publishing process. in other professions, the
leading research journals are usually published by professional
associations; in law, the journals of bar associations and other
professional groups are looked upon as intellectual light-weights.
professions devote a great deal of effort to monitoring, improving)
and sometimes maintaining their reference tools;
312
-------
i law, this is .almost entirely left to commercial publishers.
In law, professional influence on the shaping of the system
i imperceptible; the communication from users of reference
)ols to pubUshers is practically non-existent; no legal profes-
jonal association today is engaged in the ascertainment of lawyers '
'iformation needs or in the effort to shape legal research tools
b meet those needs. Even elementary forms of communication
'tween publishers and publication users -- such as market surveys
-------
CASES-PUBLICATION
The publication and indexing of case law stiil follows the
pattern established in the late Nineteenth Century. The system
is wastefully overlapping.
Judicial opinions are published in "slip" form by the court,
as advance sheets by West Publishing, and as hard bound volumes
often by both West and the state printer.
Not only is publication duplicated between the official set
and the West set, but a decision may appear several more times in
several other sets. For example, the Arnerican Law Reports of the
Bancroft-Whitney Company, or in any of several subject-oriented
reports, such as the Envi ronmejrMRepo r ter-°Cases of the Bureau of
National Affai rs.
CASES-I'NDEX ING
Cases are generally published in rough chronological order,
To provide subject access to any set of case reports, it must be
indexed.
The indexing of cases is almost exclusively the province
.of the West Publishing Company. The American Diqest S v stem and
various regional and state digests, with their familiar "key
numbers" and abstracts, have been the main too! of legal research
since first published in 1896.
In using the West Digests, it becomes apparent that the legal
profession pays a significant price for its lack of communication
with publishers. For example, in Environmental Law today, it is
•
virtually impossible to do adequate research in the digests.
West key numbers scatter environmental cases under general topics
such as "Health," 'Navigable Waters," "Nuisance," neater and Water
•5 i /
314
-------
;ourses," and even broader topics such as "Municipal Corporations,"
'•Statutes," and "United States." No specific environmental key
* :• * ' '
' bring these cases together again. Even in the descriptive
•.•• ' . - .
ford indexes at the end;6|lcach set of the digests, the terminology
' t* ' '
tf, Environmental Law is not , I ndexed .
ty
Judging from the past, f^may be awhile until Environmental
.aw Comes into its own in the;digests. For example, Labor Law
"" w
iid not receive its own key numbers until 1956. Of course, even
after a key number is finally assigned to. a new subject, research
>roblems remain, for the editors never go back to reprocess those
;ases which were indexed prior to the new key number.
:ASES-GAPS
Another defect of case ptibi ication which renders research
iifficult is the fact that only certain cases are reported. For
lost states, only the decisions of the top appellate court are
:overed. Only in the federal courts sre the decisions of the
owest courts included in the reporters.
Even those courts which are covered in the reports are not
severed comprehensively. I have recently had an opportuni ty to
Hiblfsh an account of an environmental law case "from Utah, in
/hich I was peripherally involved,, and for which the key precedent
insisted of an unpubl ished case from the Federal District Court
:or Colorado.^ Currently, I am getting interested in the area' of
• • \, ,
•able television regulation. The leading case in this field in
i
Itah is a decision of the Utah Supreme Court which is also I
4 ' i
mpubl ished. It consists simply df a "minute order" which may
,, ' i
Je read only fn the "minute book" in the Court's chambers. I
Another serious gap in the avai labil ity of information about,
315
-------
cases is the lack of coverage for pending cases. Lawyers doing
lengthy research and writing long briefs never can be sure that
they are not unnecessarily duplicating efforts which another
lawyer had recently gone through.
Of course, case reporting can never be truly comprehensive,
There is simply too much to report, and lawyers already complain
about the existing volume of publications. Selectivity is
Inevitable. The trouble lies in who is and who is not involved
In the selection process. The decisions now are made by profession
editors, and the users of the information have no way to make their
needs known to the editors. For example, the case 1 mentioned
from the Federal District Court in Colorado was cited by one of
the leading experts in Environmental Law, Joseph Saxs as "one of
the most extraordinary law suits yet to arise in the area of
environmental litigation."^ But such expert opinion has no impact
on what is or what is not included in the legal bibliographic
system. What is needed, particularly in-a new, rapidly growing
and highly interdisciplinary area like Environmental Law, is a
means for the generators and users of information to make their
input into the decisions involving bibliographic control.
So far, I have dealt only with cases; but bibliographic
control over the publfeations of the other branches of government -
the legislative and the executive -- is even less adequate than
Control over "judicial decisions.
LEG I SLAT ION-PUBLI CAT ION
After enactment, legislation Is published in two forms: In ;
\
the session laws, which are arranged chronologically, and in the
codes which are arranged by subject and often annotated to cite
316
-------
legislative histories and interprative cases.
Although the codes reprint the full texts of statutes in
force, the session laws continue to be consulted for historical
research on statutes which have been repealed or amended, and for
the most current legislative session, whfch is generally published
in the session laws sooner than in the codes.
LEGISLATION-INDEX ING
In addition to having to consult both codes and session
laws, statutory publications are difficult to use because of the
lack of a national statutory index. To do national research, it
is necessary to consult the indexes to the codes of all 51 juris-
dictions; and the codes, of course, vary in their indexing
nomenclatures.
LEGISLATION-GAPS
Legislative research also suffers from the unavailability
of certain publications. On the federal level, published sources
include the hearings and reports of congressional committees and
the Congressional Record, which records floor debate. Such
materials are valuable because they throw light on the legislature's
intent.
On the state level, legislative history materials are very
difficult to obtain. The difficulty increases as the level of
government decreases. County or municipal legal sources are
generally less available and more poorly indexed than the publica-
tions of higher levels of government.
The same may be said of time-gaps in the availability of
legislation. For federal legislation we have the weekly
317
-------
service,, the Digest of £y_b]_Lc__ Bills &
Re soj_ u JLJonj5 . ( b i -week! y ) j, C.C.l-L C^nj3£e_s_^_[oj2iaj.__l£idex , and the
efforts of the Library of Congress Congressional Research Service,
On a state level, few such services exist. The computer-produced
of ASPEN Systems, provides
some relief at the state level; but ft is only an Index. Full
texts of statutes may be obtained only on request.
NISTRAT1VE LAW
On all levels of governments, the most difficult area of legal
research is administrative law.
On the federal level., rules and hearings are indexed in the
which Is updated by the Federal Register,
mlnistrat I ve materials are also covered in the Modern Federal
and in various portions of the Shepard's citators,
which is a set designed to link citations with the original work
cited, (Those sn the sciences af°e familiar with this device from
the Science Citation Index.) Again, state and local governments
a re se 1 dom p rov i oed w I th s i m I'! a r i ndex i ng.
Perhaps the greatest difficulty in researching administrative
law lies in the fact that, because single agencies conduct all
three phases -of government--they legislate, judge, and enforce--
partically everything agencies do partakes of the quality of law.
A policy lette;/, a press release, tue minutes of an internal
meeting can each effectively alter ::he law. Lawyers and others
who would keep up with such developments must literally maintain
daily personal touch with the agencies -- and it often helps to know
such insiders. Such Is haraiy the description of a rational informati
system,
Two writers recently referred to much of administrative law
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."secret law,"6 "secret" not so much because there are deliberate
attempts to keep generally significant information from the public,
but "secret" simply because of inadequate J&jjbljographic control.
(Of course, deliberate witholding of information has also been a
problem. Otherwise we would not need a Freedom of Information
Act? -- which, incidently, we still need.)
SECONDARY
You will recall that at the beginning I divided all legal
materials into primary and secondary sources. So far I have
discussed only primary sources. Turning to secondary sources,
among the most striking features of legal research are that it
concentrates almost exclusively on examining the law; It seldom
examines the world in which the law operates. It has traditionally
been library research -- not empirical research. It is generally
the effort of individuals -- not of groups or research orgainiza-
tions.
Despite the efforts of Legal Realists since the 1930's,
no real tradition of interdisciplinary legal research has developed.
One of the major problems we now face in areas such as Environmental
Law is to get lawyers out of their traditional 'insularity and to get
them into genuine interdisciplinary work. To do this, one of
the major challanges faced by publishers is the development of
truly interdisciplinary information access.
This problem exists on two levels: Environmental Law not
only involves a variety of disciplines -- in the social sciences,
in the sciences and even in the humanities -- but it also involves
several fields within law. Topics such as standing, class actions,
the trust doctrine, nuisance, tax, insurance and others certainly
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are not limited to Environmental Law, although they play a
large part in it. In fact, ft is difficult to identify an area
which is strictly speaking "Environmental Law.'r
What is happening in fields like Environmental Law is that
we are becoming problem-oriented rather than discipline-oriented;
and as we look at the problems, they impose thair own framework --
they have little regard for our traditional divisions between
disciplines. This should radically alter our information system--
our curriculum, our law and our whole culture.
PERIODICALS
Another feature of legal research is that it is concentrated
in the law schools. In fact, the major sources of secondary legal
information are the law reviews, produced largely by law faculty
and students.
The major research tool for approaching the law reviews is,
of course, the index to LeqaI Per i od ica 1 s« To read a catalog of
horrors of what a reference tool should not be like, read the
recent observations of Professor Jacobstein, Law Librarian of
8
Stanford, examining the Index to Legal Periodicals. To summarize,
the main faults of the I...L.P, lie in the poor quality of its
indexing, in the excruciating slowness of its updating, and in its
9
exclusion of relevant articles. An example of the last cited
fault is that Ecplogy Quarter1y published by the Law School of the
University of California at Berkeley is indexed, but Envi ronmental
Affairs.,, published by Boston College Law School and Envi ronmental
Law, published by the Law School of Lewis and Clark College, are
not. Also excluded are interdisciplinary journals such as the Yajl
t
Review of Law and Social Action, the Columbia Journal of Human
320
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Rjqhts Law, and Law and Computer Technology.
Nor does the Index to Legal Periodicals provide any coverage
of law-related articles in non-legal journals. For that, we
must turn to the Index to Periodical Articles Related to Law.
published by Oceana Publications, which was privately started
by two law librarians, Professor Jacobstein, and our absent
speaker, Professor Mersky, in desperation to provide some access
for lawyers to such materials.
It should also be noted that neither periodical index
provides abstracts of articles. Nor do the law reviews them-
selves contain abstracts at the beginnings of articles.
MONOGRAPHS
To turn to monographs, two bibliographic items should be
mentioned: the multi-volume bibliography, Law Books Recommended
for Libraries, published for the Association of American Law
Schools by the Rothman Company, is perhaps the major tool for
the library selection of legal monographs. It, too, exhibits
a sluggishness in areas of current interest. For example, no
sections are included for Environmental Law, or other newly
developing areas such as Poverty Law.
The second monograph bibliography worthy of mention is the
monthly, Current Publications in Legal and Related Fields, also
published by the Rothman Company. This is the main tool for
keeping up with legal publishing on a current basis. Of course,
here, again, the range of coverage is rather narrow. In areas
such as Environmental Law, where a'great volume of materials are
pouring out, not only from orthodox commercial sources, but also
from sources such as university departments, independent research
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organizations, citizens groups and government agencies at a!)
levels, bibliographic monitoring becomes extremely difficult.
Even the most rum-soaked environmentalist can miss publications.
This is partly due to the fact that knowledge about new publica-
tions becomes available only after publication. As with cases,
'statutes, administrative materials and periodical articles,
practically no information is available on pending developments.
To improve this situation, a commitment of professional
manpower to the bibliographic control process is essential. For
bibliographic control over monographs, for information about
legislation and administrative developments, for the indexing and
digesting of cases and periodical articles, the profession itself
must take an interest and communicate its evolving needs to the
publishers. The expertise of those who use the information is
needed at every stage: to develop the nomenclature governing the
input °f information; to decide what the data base should be; to
develop interest profiles of users so that the system may be
responsive; to decide what time factors may be reasonable in the
delay of information; and to translate user questions into the
language of the system.
Mechanization, of course, should help with the manpower
problem. But the advent of mechanized information storage and
retrieval makes it all the more imperative that professional ex-
pertise be brought to bear in the development of new information
tools. As one commentator has remarked, "Mechanization itself
can be'considered the answer only if one does not understand
•
the question.rr10
In the area of secondary legal publications, both periodicals
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and monographs have been discussed. There is one other item
which should be mentioned before leaving secondary publications --
the legal encyclopedias ..-- Corpus Juris Secundum and American
Jurisprudence. Neither yet has an article dealing with Environ-
mental Law. Just as with the digests, even the refined word-
indexes, at the ends of these encyclopedias do not index the
terminology of Environmental Law, This is a perfect illustration
of the lag In the adaptability of legal research tools to newly
developing fields of law. That can only be ascribed to the
r1
indifference o^ the major law publishers to the information needs
of lawyers which are not perceptibly tied to a direct sales
•potential. That indifference is also exemplified by the fact
Ithat the West Publishing Company has not even bothered to send
!an observer to this Symposium.
i
ENVIRONMENTAL SOURCES
I
So far, I have spent about 30 minutes coming to the conclusion
that those Interested in doing legal research in the environmental
area will find that the major traditional tools of legal research
are not of much use. That leaves about 10 minutes to explore how
this area should be researched.
What happens in law publishing is that the Inadequacies of
the major research tools create an opportunity for the smaller
law publishers to jump into the breach. Their therapeutic efforts
usually take the form of looseleaf services, the formats of which
[
allow for rapid updating. ^ ....
In Environmental Law, there are two major looseleaf services -•
the Envi ronment Repo rte r of the Bureau of National Affairs and the
Environment-a i i'aw- Reporter of the Environmental Law Institute.
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It may be rn order to briefly compare the two. ! have been
asked a number of times which I recommend; my answer is, that you
should have both If you can afford it, because they serve essen-
tially different purposes.
The Environment Reporter Is published most frequently (weekly);
It follows the traditional role of looseleaf services and passively
conveys information. It is no doubt the better known of the two,
and on the whole the more comprehensive.
The Environmental Law Reporter is unique, as far as I am
aware, among looseleaf services in any field; this Is because it
Is normative; it does not simply convey information neutrally, but
in Its commentary evaluates the information and recommends legis-
lation and litigation strategy with a definite public interest
bias. This .»s not to say, however, that its orientation detracts
from its accuracy.
There are also some differences in the materials included
in the two services; what Is missed in one reporter, may be
included in the'other. The Environment Reporter has by far the
the greater bulls.* It does an ambitious job of reprinting federal
legislation and regulations; as well as case law from federal
and state courts and from federal administrative hearings; plus
state legislation on air, water, solid waste, and land use.
Parenthetic^} 1 y, I must confess that I am somewhat irked by
the fact that this massive: set, the Environment Reporter, is
marketed only as a unit. At least as second copies, certain
portions should ]3e\ ma rketed, separately. The Current Developments
*\. i'
volume would be ^Specially ^Interesting foy ? tsel f, since it con-
tains the type of wide-range coverage whJch environmentalists
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should keep up with regularly.
V The Environmental Law Reporter contains nothing akin to the
..>:-,.'
Current Developments portion of the Environment Reporter. Its
section, called "Summary and Comments" consists mostly of critical
case analyses, somewhat on the order of law review case notes, or
of similar consideration of administrative or legislative action.
The Environmental Law Reporter also provides a much more selective
coverage of state legislation than the Environment Reporter.
Nevertheless, the Environmental Law Reporter provides some
coverage which the Environment Reporter misses. For example, the
Environmental Law Reporter covers pending legislation more thoroughly
than the Environment Reporter; it also does a more comprehensive
job on the National Environmental Protection Act, publishing
regulations of ail agencies issued pursuant to the Act, which the
Environment Reporter does not do; and the Environmental Law Reporter
also does an especially good job on certain select areas -- such
as highways.
In its future plans, the Environmental Law Reporter hopes to
extend its coverage to local ordinances and to pending draft
legislation. Since the Editor of the Environmental Law Reporter
is my fellow panelist, may I also suggest the inclusion of
interstate compacts and model legislation.
<
The Environmental Law Reporter also contains some state
administrative gearings. I have found no state administrative
hearings in the Envi ronment Repor ter. And the Env? ronmental Law
Reporter. I understand plans to add an abstract-index of secondary
0
publications.
One of the unique features of the Environmental Law Reporter
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(and to litigators, this may be its most valuable aspect) is
that it makes available to subscribers, for IOC per page, copies
•' - •'•':. •'"
of brjefs, memoranda, complaints, answers and other written material;
••« '< •;*
associated With litigation. The Environmental Law Reporter also
I'll':! * ••/.
extends thi's ^service to provide copies of select administrative
'•'•:/'
and other materials of interest to environmentalists.
1 shoul|l!also mention; that both the Environment Reporter and
the Environmental Law Reporter provide some degree of individualized
•Me .;
; I' r
data search jby request. In particular, the Environment Reporter
is tied into; the Smithsonian Institution's Science information
Exchange, whUchstores information on research in progress --
.[ '
including Some" legal research. This is an area where lawyers are
extremely shbrt on information. The American Bar Foundation's
is
Index to Legal Theses and^Research Projects, the only tool listing
-.—MIL.. i-miF-,^ - — - % """*
' -"' \f •
research in progress, has not been published since 1964.
i_
OTHER TOOLS '] \
The Environmental Law .Reporter and the Environment Reporter
are not the only tools specifically servicing environmental
/
lawyers. The C»C.H. Urban Affairs Reporter covers matters deal-
ing with the environment. One of the most notable features of
this service is its phenomenal prjce. It costs $650.00 per year.
Incidently, the Environment Reporter costs $3^0.00 per year, and
the Envi ronmental Law Reporter, being subsidized by the Ford
Foundation, costs only $100.00 per year.
Among other tools, the Oak Rfdge^National Laboratory has
started about a year ago to publisMd $ervice called the
Environmental Law Abstracts, which provides an indexing and
\ ''
abstracting service for environmental law articles. Unfortunately.
326 .
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the service does not include I aw-related articles in non-law
journals; and it is troublesome that in their first issue, the
editors state that they will update the service by scanning the
new issues of the index to Legal Periodicals. 1 hope they will
do a more thorough job than that.
Nevertheless, the Oak Ridge Project Is a promising beginning.
I understand that it now might go under for want of financing. I
hope that will not be the case, especially since the editors plan
to extend the bibliography's reach retroactfVef y to the mid-1950's.
There are, incidently, also some similar abstracting services
not restricted to Jaw. The major ones are Pollution Abstracts of
LaJolla, California, and Environment Information Access of the
Ecology Forum, incorporated of New York. Another new service
reprints the tables of contents of environmental journals and
annually indexes them. it is called simply Environmental Periodicals
It is published by the International Academy of Santa Barbara.
I should mention, too, the law journals specifically devoted
to the environment. I have already touched on the Ecology Quarterly
from Berkeley, Envi ronmental Af fa ? rs from Boston College, and
Envi ronmental Law from Lewis and Clark College. There is also
an annual compilation of?; environmental law articles, calfed the
Env j ro nme n t I,, aw Re v ? ew. published by the Clark Boardman Company.
Two older; journals which often deal with the\environment are
the Natural Resources Journal from the University of New Mexico Law
School, and Natural Resources Lawyer from the American Bar
Association. Also if you don't already subscribe* you should
certainly get the 102 Monitor from the Council on rEnvi ronment&l
"'•"*•••.".
Quality. There are also valuable law-related articles in
327
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I
scientific journals -- especially in'the Scientific American.
i
Science and Science and Public Affairs. Other relevant publica-
tions include the Clean Air and Water News from the Commerce
Clearing House.
Let me mention, too, a couple of bibliographies on the
subject. One bibliography which is quite extensive, though
unannotated, is appended to the book Law and the Environment.
edited by Baldwin and Page. Another is in volume 11 of the
Natural Resources Journal at page 205; and yet another, an
annotated one, is in volume 2 of the Natural Resources Lawyer.
at page 63, updated in volume 3 at page 357. The trouble with all
such bibliographies is that they are rapidly outdated.
One publication, not a bibliography, but nevertheless a
valuable source of bibliographic information is the Annual Report
of the Council on Env?ronmental Quality. Each year's report is
packed with information of publications and projects around the
country.
There are many other bibliographies and abstracting sources,
I have fied to collect as many as ! could in the citations to a
pamphlet about to be published by the Council of Planning Librarians
That collection, too, is, I'm sure, incomplete. In fact, we have
begun to accumulate so many bibliographic services that we are irt
need of a bibliography of bibliographies.
Another type of reference tool which is needed is a directory.
A number of directories are available in the environmental area in
general. The National Referral Service of the Library of Congress
puts out a number of these. But I have found no directory
specifically listing environmental lawyers or research organizations.
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The lack of such a directory illustrates that environmental
lawyers, too, are victims of the lack of astuteness which plagues
the legal profession when It comes to information services.
Another example: an important piece of legislation, House
Resolution 56, which is to set up a National Environmental
Information Center, is virtually assured of passage in both
Houses of Congress. When Congressman Dingle held hearings on
this proposal (his hearings cover 395 pages) not one wi tness
testified regarding the information needs of environmental lawyers
The attendance of lawyers at this symposium is a more
promising sign. 1 hope it signals a growing awareness among
lawyers of the importance of bibliographic control.
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'The American Bar Association has a Special Committee on Law
Book Publishing Practices, but the attention of this committee
has been devoted entirely to the cost of law books and the
trade practices of law publishers.
^Non-lawyers desiring a basic introduction to legal bibliography
should find helpful Morris L. Cohen's Legal Research in a
Nutshel 1 (2d ed. 1971) published by West Publishing Company.
The most comprehensive treatment of legal research is Price
and Bitner, Effective Legal Research (3d ed., 1969), published
by Little, Brown & Company.
, rrLegal Bibliography of Current Social Problems," 64 L.
Library J. 452, 453 (1971).
'4
Community Television of Utah, Inc. v. Warner, Bennett £• Lambert,
17 Minute Book 566 (Utah S. Ct., No. 12989, Aug. 9, 1972).
J.Sax, Defending the Environment 206 (1971).
^A.F. Ginger & C. MacLeod, "The Rights of the People and the Role
of Librarians," 19 Library Trends 96 (1970).
75 U.S.C. § 552 (1967).
8
Panel, "Reader Services in Law Libraries,1' 64 L. Library J.
486. 502 (197D.
°To see what bibliographic control over periodical 1 ? terature sjioiijd
be like, compare Psychological Abstracts. While the Index to
Legal Periodicals indexes about 150 journals, all of which are
strictly legal, Psychological Abstracts indexes ajnd abstracts
over 650 journals, only about 5 to 10% of which are strictly
psychological. Of course, psychologists have long been involved
directly in -the development of their bibliographic tools; their
involved studies of citation frequencies, time lags, .indexing
quality and other aspects of publishing speak highly of their
recognition of the importance of bibliographic control. See,
R. Daniel, "Psychology," in R. Downs & B. Jenkins, Bib! ioqraphi:
Current State and Future Trends 332 (1967). See also, W.
Garvey & B. Griffith, Reports of the American Psychological
Association's Project on Scientific Information Exchange in
Psychology '(1963- .).
lOSwanson, If0n ;A$p,fQy?ng Communicat Ton Among Scientists," 22
Bull. Atomic 'Scientists 9 (1966).
Grossman, Bibl iographic Control in Law and the Envi ronment--
Surviving an Explosion (1972).
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Document Services and Referral Activities
in the Legal, Legislative, and Regulatory Area
James B. Adler
Congressional Information Service
Yesterday, Mr. Ruckelshaus discussed the fact that our information
problem in this area is not so much lack of information, but a lack of
tools of access, storing and retrieval. I think nowhere is this statement
truer than in the area of legal, legislative and regulatory publications
and data systems that we are talking about today.
The courts, the regulatory and administrative agencies, and
legislative bodies at the Federal and state and local levels of this
country have shown a frightening ability to produce information. We
producers of information retrieval mechanisms are just beginning to
meet the need for tools of access to this information. The remarks that
I am going to make about what does exist, however inadequate it may be,
will emphasize the area that I am most familiar with, which is the Federal
legislative process. But I will touch upon some other areas where I feel
have some knowledge.
Legislative and regulatory activity in the environmental area has
grown to the point where a majority of congressional committees and
federal agencies are now creating documents with significance for environ-
mental research. Indeed, it's well over a majority; in the case of Congress,
more than two-thirds of the committees on Capitol Hill ha\re in the past
year issued publications having a direct and significant impact in the area
of environmental information.
Now, there are some committees that you would expect to be active
in the environmental field: Public Works, Interior and Insular Affairs,
and so on. But it has reached the stage now where you just don't know
who is going to produce the next bit of Congressional information on
the environment.
In 1971, for example, one of the most significant set of hearings
held in the environmental area was on the subject of air pollution;
specifically, it was for the Clean Air Tax Air of 1970, which proposed
to put a special tax on leaded gasoline. These hearings, which developed
a tremendous atoount of information on the subject of automobile exhaust
emissions, were sponsored by the House Ways and Means Committee.
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In 1973, a major issue that will be facing the Joint Committee
on Printing, which is the committee charged with the supervision of
the Government Printing Office, is whether or not the Government>Printing
Office should require all government publications to be put out on
recycled paper. Now, the normal way for Congress to operate is to charge
the staff of the Congressional committee, sometimes with the help of the
Congressional Research Service, sometimes with the help of outside agencies,
to do as thoroughgoing a study of an issue as possible before legislation
is passed. I cannot say for sure that this will happen in regard to this
particular question, but if it does, in the years to come the record that
is built by the Joint Committee on Printing will probably become an
extremely important basic research document for people who are interested
in the potential impact on this country of a rapid expansion in the use
of recycled paper.
All in all, Congress is now producing research information at the rate
of well over 500,000 pages a year of printed material. I would say that
somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 of those pages can fairly be described
as being of interest either directly or indirectly to students of
environmental affairs. It's an enormous output.
I think that this congressional output, just like governmental
information output in general, has suffered from a severe lack of access
and bibliographic tools. The government has for many years been the
world's largest printer and the world's least effective publisher. As
a result, the kinds of bibliographic tools that one habitually uses for
research in the commercial publishing area and in the scientific publishing
area, have traditionally not existed in the government publishing area.
Consequently, people have simply not known what information is there. I
think that government information is the most underappreciated and under-
utilized major body of valuable information that exists in this country
today. The situation is changing, but not as fast as some of us might like.
The information that governments produce tend to be of two types. First
of all, some of it is purely and simply a record of legislative or
regulatory activity. It is the basic record from which one begins to build
if one is operating in the legal and legislative field. However, far
more of this material has a second significance, that is to say, it is a
record of those public problems and interests with which the government
deals.
Congress, for instance, has not always been successful and rarely goes
uncriticized as a legislative body. But as an investigative body, it is
an extremely active and very powerful force, and it is producing an enormous
amount of useful information.
I would like to give you some examples of the kinds of data that
emerge out of this huge information machine in the course of a single
month, just 30 calendar days. I have taken the month of July, 1972, which
was not a particularly productive month from the point of view of
environmentally-oriented publications, but one which is, I thinfe, illustrative!
nonetheless.
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Let's talk first about proposed legislation. Nobody knows kbw
many bills there are before Congress right now which bear on environmental
matters. There are, I understand, more than 200 bills just on the subject
of land management--that gives you some idea of the load that pours into
Capitol Hill. During the month of July, Five hearings were published in
the environmental area. A couple were significant, a couple were less
significant. One was a proposed legislation to identify farmers and
renchers and people who raise fowl. There were hearings on legislation
having to do with the preservation of historic monuments. There were rather
detailed hearings on the proposed Department of Natural Resources. The
four-part reorganization plan President Nixon proposed not too long ago
raised some very interesting questions about what the setup will be with
regard to mines and mining, energy production, and the relationship with
the AEC. This was gone into in some detail.
Then there were some rather detailed hearings on proposed amendments
to the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act. And, finally, extremely
important hearings on the Noise Control Act of 1972.
In addition to that, in the month of July, there were appropriations
hearings in which-rather detailed testimony and numbers were given with
regard to the purposes and the amounts of the budgets for public works,
pollucion control, atomic energy, agriculture, environmental protection,
housing and urban development, NASA, the scientific agencies, transportation,
interior and related agencies.
There was also a Senate Commerce Committee report issued reporting
out the Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act of 1972.
Second, Congress not only creates legislation, it also oversees the
implementation of legislation. Published in July, 1972 was a 1,500-page
volume entitled, "Legislation on Foreign Relations with its Monetary
Notes." This was put out by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It
deals with such subjects as arms control, foreign aid, and has a 200-page
chapter on "Law of the Seas" which includes the texts of all the international
conventions and protocols dealing with the conservation of ocean fish,
fisheries, seals,'-tuna, whales and sock-eye salmon, including the texts
of quite a few pieces of legislation as well as conventions, protocols
and treaties.
There was also published in this same month by the Senate Commerce
Committee something called a "Compilation of Federal Laws Relating to
Conservation and Development of our Nation's Fish and Wildlife Resources,
Environmental Quality and Oceanography"-*-600 odd pages divided into 18
subject areas, compiling dozens of pieces of legislation which have been
passed, most of them recently, in this very area.
There were three hearings that were held in the month of July, or
rather that were published in the month of July (they were all held earlier),
in which Congress has exercised its responsibility to look at the manner
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in which existing legislation has been implemented and to listen to
complaints about faulty or inadequate implementation, or to make its
own complaints. Those three pieces of legislation I am referring to
are "The National Environmental Policy Act," the "Clean Air Act Amendments
of 1970" and an overall look at the current status of aeronautical
research and development under the aegis ,of a number of pieces of legislation,
Now the information content of these and other documents would give
you information on such subjects as the extent of the saline seep problem
which is causing lion infertility in Montana, the plans of the Geological
Survey for a topographical mapping of the State of Alaska, an analysis of
the attack being mounted in the U.N. against American'policy regarding
the development of deep-seabed mineral resources, a compericliOTif 0f projections
from various sources on the anticipated U.S. energy consumption rates
through the year 2000, the text of the by-now-famous annual EPA Report on
the Economics of Clean Water, and a list of all proposed noise pollution
control legislation introduced in state legislatures last year. I could
go on, but I think I have made my point. The information is just over-
whelming and it's under-used.
It comes from a variety of sources which I would just like to tick
off. At the Federal level, obviously these are the legal documents, the
statutes that have passed, the U. S. Code, the federal court reports (an
area I am not familiar with, but will just touch on). In the regulatory
and administrative area, you have those publications which are put out by
the Office of the Federal REgister: the Federal Register itself; the
Code of Federal Regulations, which is essentially an accumulation of these"
administrative laws; and the compilations on a weekly and an annual basis ,
of presidential documents. You also have the rulings and other issuances
of agencies themselves. '
i
In the legislative area, you have the bills and resolutions themselves,
you have the Congressional Record which is, in my view, one of the least
important of the publications that we are talking about right now, but
somehow the best known. You have House and Senate Documents with a
capital "D", you have hearings, you have committee reports, you have
committee prints which tend to be staff studies, you have so-called
executive documents, you have executive reports and you have special publi-
cations. Those last four categories—committee prints, executive documents^,;
and reports, and special publications—age ;nat -made available to the Federal |
Documents Depository System, which I understand you've heard something about '
earlier during the course of this meeting.
To review that system briefly, there are some 1100 libraries in this
country which receive free of charge a portion of the Federal publications
output from the GPO in return for promising to maintain these documents1 and
and to make them available to the public. In the cas© of congressional
documents, which I know best, approximately 75% of the documents that are
issued are in the depository system, the other 25% are not. These last
four classes of documents are the ones that are not: Committee prints,
executive documents, executive reports and special publications of the
334
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House and the Senate as a whole.
It is possible to make some generalizations about Federal documenta-
tion; with regard to state and local documentation there really are no
generalizations' possible except that it** an incredible morass. I just
simply can't go beyond that.
Now, what are the available services? At the Federal level, in the
legal and regulatory area there is very little and what these is I will
leave to other legally-oriented panelists to discuss.
In the legislative area, I am goind to mention a few. A couple
really are publications, but people are sometimes confused about what
they do, so I want to mention them.
The Congressional Record is a combination of two things, Number one,
it is a close-to-verbatim report of floor debate; number two, it is a
miscellany into which Members of Congress are permitted to drop things if
they would like to see them in print. It occasionally contains some
extremely valuable information—there is some wheat among the chaff. I
myself feel that the most valuable part of the Congressional Record is the
Daily Digest, which is a brief, reasonably accurate, very convenient way of
finding out what went on in Congress yesterday.
There are two publications which are very well known, Congressional
Quarterly and The National Journal. These are reporting services. They
are not indexing services or information retrieval services, despite the
fact that National Journal, at least, is very: lire UK iftd6xe
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A somewhat more accurate status report system with excellent:
bill summaries is put out by the Public Bill Digest, but unfortunately
the publication is not very timely. (
There is also a service which is aimed primarily at lobbyists
called "Congressional Monitor" which has had tremendous ups and downs
and is, I think, of limited interest to this audience.
There is also in this Federal legislative area the publication
that I represent, CIS/Index. CIS/Index haa been designed to perform
four functions: Number one, current awareness. We announce every
publication within the Congressional area and I believe we are the
only comprehensive announcing service. We try to do it within a month
after the time the publication has been issued. Second, we are attempting
to do a bibliographic control job for people with documents collections.
All the bibliographic data which are basic to cataloging a congressional
document in a library are provided.
Third, for people who are interested in doing legislative histories, we
create very complete legislative histories and publish them on a regular basis,
And finally, and most important, we are an information retrieval system
designed for the person who is doing subject research.
The form of the CIS/Index is a monthly publication, an abstracting
and indexing service, with quarterly index cumulations and an annual cumulation
of the indexes and the abstracts.
In the case of hearing volumes, abstracts are written for each and every
witness appearance. The names of all witnesses, the names of all the
organizations they represent, the names and bill numbers of the legislation
being considered, the subjects that are discussed either in the prepared
statements or in the question period of any body's testimony, the subjects
of the hearings as a shole, all are indexed. , The Index tends to run about
60,000 or 70,000 references a year. It is a system which is designed to
provide detailed access to the content of the entire output in this area.
CIS is not alone. There are two other systems which are attempting
to do something more or less similar in areas of interest to you. I don't
think that either of them has yet been quite so ambitious with regard to
indexing detail as.CIS, but they still seem to me to be extremely useful.
One is a job which Greenwood Press has begun to do with regard to
urban documents. This is a real morass: the publications of cities,
regional governments, counties, and so on. "The Index to Current Urban
Documents" was announced not too long ago, and will begin publication
in Fall 1972.
There is another publication which I believe has been talked about
in other meetings here. I am referring $o Environmental Information AceesSj, ,
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which cuts across documents from various sources and has a special section
which abstracts and indexes significant materials appearing in the Federal
Register. And anyone who has ever tried to use the index to the Federal
Register or the Code of Federal Regulations--that's
At the state and local level, in addition to* th^liiew rn$6k to urban
documentsj abiwt the only publication tnat I son aware of that is worth
.looking at is the Checklist of State Documents which is put out by the
Library of Congress.
Now, if you are lucky, maybe you have discovered that the document
that contains the information you are looking for not only exists
(because in almost all cases it seems it does), but you've discovered
where it exists. All you have to do is get your hands on it. What are
the documents acquisition services that are available?
I don't think we need to discuss libraries, unless people have some
questions about the Depository System.
The GPO, in addition to being a printer, also has a document
distribution operation and, indeed, many government documents are available
only through the GPO. If you are very patient, you can buy them from GPO.
Or you can try the issuing agency. Many Federal agencies and
congressional committees will respond to letters requesting documents,
while they last.
If you are interested in a congressional committee publication, they
will never charge you for it; but you are much more likely to get what
you want reasonably fast if you send them a self-addressed envelope or at
least a self-addressed label, so that when they send it back they don't
have to put a label on it.
There are some private document services. For years certain local
dealers have been providing government documents as a matter of course
to their customers. Bernan's has a good reputation. They have
essentially what amounts to a book-dealer operation in Washington,
specializing in government documents; and there are some new services
which operate on a service-charge basis. One that I am aware of that
is only a year or two old is called Washington Service Bureau, Inc.
Certain legal, legislative and regulatory documents are available
through National Technical Information Service (NTIS). For instance, the
environmental impact statements are all available through NTIS.
Now, what about microforms? With microforms there has been a
tremendous amount of activity recently in this field. The oldest firm
in the field is Readex Microprints, which offers not microfiche, but
micro-opaques. "Slightly larger than 4x6 microfiche, they have Considerable
drawbacks froin Ja aser standpoint, but they are far better than nothing.
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They go back to the 1950's, I believe, and virtually anything that has
been in the GPO monthly catalog over the last 10 or 15 years has been
put into this microprint form. A decent number of the depository libraries
around the country do subscribe to this service. The only way you can
get at it, by the way, is through a library.
I mentioned Greenwood Press before. They will issue the Index to
Current Urban Documents in conjunction with an urban documents microfiche
collection. They have similarly announced a state documents microfiche
collection, which will perform a similar service. Here, however, they
are not starting from scratch to create an index of current state documents,
They are taking the Library of Congress's Checklist of State Documents
and annotating it to indicate which ones they are handling. (They are only
handling about 70% or 80% of them, which I think is wise.) And that again
is a service which I don't believe has begun yet, but it's on the verge.
Third, we have the "Envirofiche" which are published in conjunction
with Environment Information Access. 'j
And, fourth, we have the CIS/Microfiche, Library--every single document
which we abstract and index, every one that Iwe have abstracted and indexed
since January, 1970, is available on microfiche through CIS on a subscription
basis. We make it available on a full-collection basis and according
to certain breakdowns.
Now, what about the future? Well, it's very difficult for me to talk
about the future in general because I don't know what other people Hill
be doing.
But I am aware of what CIS itself is doing, and conceivably CIS is
typical of the young information processing companies which are attempting
to dig into our information overload. It is only a matter of time before
CIS's data base, which is rapidly approaching the 30-million character
mark, will be available to on-line questioning and retrieval. Right now
the only way you can access our indexes is through the printed page.
Secondly, we have given some consideration to creating subject collections
of microfiche aimed at specialists in a given field.
We are also hoping to make available an indexed microfiche collection
of all versions of all public bills introduced in Congress.
Finally, we are aware of the fact that the U. S. Government is not
only the largest publisher in the world, it is also the most active collector
of statistical data in the world. We are in the process of launching
something called the American Statistics Index, which will attempt to
classify, catalog, abstract and on a current basis virtually the entire
published statistical information output of the Federal Government, a large
part of which obviously has blaMiig on environmental problems.
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Our activity is perhaps typical of what private information publishers
"have begun to do over the last few years. Now that the newer technological
tools—the microform, the computer, the computer-driven photocomposition
devices—have started to come into their own, is is becoming possible to
dig into this enormous flood of information and conceivably bring it under
control so that researchers can make better use of it.
There's a long way to go -- but I think you will see a steady
improvement, over the next few years. At least, it is now possible to
try!
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Victor John Yannacone, Jr.
Yannacone and Yannacone
Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Sessions
Litigation has been called civilization's alternative to
revolution (1), and certainly environmental litigation represents
a substantial source of tested and evaluated environmental informa-
tion of use to scientists (2) , engineers (3), legislators (4),
officials of regulatory agencies (5), business (6) and industrial
managers (7) , and the general public. (8)
Within the Anglo-American system of jurisprudence, the bulk
of the substantive law (9) is contained in serially promulgated,
chronologically published reports of judicial opinions generally
grouped for the purpose of binding according to the Court which
renders the decision. The entire set of these published judicial
opinions and decisions makes up the body of what is traditionally
referred to as the Common Law. Over the last one hundred years
several attempts have been made by private publishers and government
agencies to index and abstract these decisions, and since great
weight is placed upon the doctrine of stare decisis (10) within the
Anglo-American system of jurisprudence, the need to locate particular
precedent becomes more important and more difficult as the elements
of the set of all judicial opinions and decisions increase in number,
The generally accepted index and abstract services utilized by
the legal profession to search the vast body of Common Law have
been the product of private enterprise in the field of legal
publishing, and range from the straight forward Sheppard's Citations
(11) through the Key Number System of the West Publishing Company (12)
to the heavily editorially dependent Total Client Service Library of
the Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Company (13) .
While there seems to be a movement towards assembling the entire
data base for that area of legal concern now generally designated
Environmental Law in some form suitable for computer assisted search
and retrieval, consideration of the origin of the phrase "Environmental
Law" (14) immediately demonstrates the difficulty of defining the
data base.
of the effort of the participants in the National Environmental
Information Symposium and the organizations and institutions they
represent has been directed toward serving the needs of legislators,
administrative agencies and practitioners in particular areas of
Environmental Law. Often environmental litigation has been overlooked
as a primary source of environmental information. In order to
340
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properly evaluate the substantial environmental information
resource represented by environmental litigation, some considera-
tion must be given to the litigation process itself.
One of the principle characteristics of Anglo-American litigation
is the adversary nature of the process, which generally commences with
service of a document setting forth a claim of right and seeking
some legal remedy. (15) Litigation is essentially a dialectic process.
In a criminal or quasi-criminal proceeding, the party charging that
a crime has been committed (usually Government representing the
People of the United St?to=
-------
of the relevance of each item to the resolution of the controversy
concerning the benefit-risk to the People of the United States
occasioned by the continued widespread use of DDT. The dialectic
process of direct and cross-examination also suggested new opportunities
for scientific research and identified inconsistencies in the existing
body of scientific information on the subject available at the time
of trial.
There is a substantial need for an environmental data base
which is subject to search and retrieval at the level of state-'
of-the-art in computer information retrieval technology, which
includes the full text of federal, state and local laws and regulations.
Pending legislation, the opinions of attorneys general, legal scholars
and appe-Ilate courts, together with the complete legislative history
of all environmental legislation must also be included as elements
of any complete environmental information system. The scientific
information necessary to support ecologically sophisticated; environ-
mentally responsible, socially relevant and politically feasible
legislation (24) must also be available in a form readily accessible
by legislators, regulatory agencies, the Bench, the Bar, business,
industry, and the public.
There is a substantial need to protect the diversity of editorial
viewpoint represented by private enterprise in the distribution of
environmental information. (25) There is a similar need to encourage
the continued concern of public benefit, nonprofit corporations in
the area of interdisciplinary cooperation in environmental science.
The Federal government, and to a necessarily more limited, but
nonetheless important, extent, state and local governments must be
encouraged to improve aeeessibility to government generated or
government sponsored data,, information, and publications. The
National Environmental Information Symposium marks an important
preliminary step towards this goal. At the same time we must improve
the access of legislators and regulatory agency personnel to data
available in the private sector. (26)
It appears that in matters of an inherently controversial
character, such as the benefit-risk evaluation of the continued
use of certain environmental toxicants and the cost-effectiveness
of public projects andrcertain administrative agency actions,
litigation will furnish an increasingly effective and sophisticated
means for resolution of issues and reduction of the data base prior
to ultimate consideration by legislative bodies and regulatory agencies,
It is this often overlooked function of environmental litigation,
particularly in cases of substantial public concern involving benefit"
risk and cost-effectiveness, which should be of increasing value
to legislators and regulatory officials. Unfortunately, unless access
to the data base generated during such litigation i& improved, much
of its value and effectiveness will be lost.
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One of the most obvious functions of the National Elwironmental
Information Symposium has been the public demonstration of the
enormous quantity of environmental information that does exist and
the continued proliferation of private and public processes each
contributing to the generation of more environmental information, all
without general coordination and some without recognition of the
inherently multi-rather than vtexefyt inter-discipJinary nature of both
Environmental Law and Environmental Science.
Just as it is essentially impossible to practice environmental
law without a substantial background in environmental science, it is
equally futile to attempt to organize environmental science, or
more particularly classify the body of environmental information,
without a considered awareness of the needs of society which lead
ultimately to the legal regulation of activities having environmental
impact.
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1. Yanriacone, Victor John, Jr.
Using Courts of Equity to Protect Our Environment
Proceedings, Sixty-third Annual Convention, National
Audubon Society, September, 1967.
2. Harrison, H.L., O.L. Loucks, J.W. Mitchell, D.F. Parkhurst,
C.R. Tracy, D.G. Watts, V.J. Yannacone, Jr.
Systems Studies of DDT Transport
Science, Vol. 170, pp 503-508, 30 October 1970.
2. Loucks, O.L.
Systems Methods in Environmental Court Actions
in Vol 2, SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND SIMULATION IN ECOLOGY
ed. Bernard C. Patten, Academic Press, N.Y., 1972,
2. Yannacone, Victor John, Jr.
Systems, Science and Society
Society for General Systems Research, Annual Meeting, December, 1969,
2. Yannacone, Victor John, Jr.
General Systems Science in Environmental Litigation
American Jurisprudence TRIALS, in press
Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Co./Bancroft Whitney; Rochester,
N.Y., San Francisco, Cal., 1973.
3. Yannacone, Victor John, Jr.
Engineering, Environment and the Law
Summary Paper, STET Conference on Aircraft and.the Environment,
Washington, D. C., February 1971.
4. Yannacone, Victor John, Jr.
Environmental Protection and Legislation
LEADERSHIP 70, The 1969 Mid-Winter Republican Governor's Conference,
Hot Springs, Arkansas, December 1969
34%
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§. Yannocone, Victor John, Jr., Bernard S. Cohen, Stft««B Gebauer
• Davis on
J '. 4 -1 ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS § REMEDIES, Chapter 7, op. cit^.
i: _ ' , ' '" ""
, 6.i Yannacone, Victor John, R., Editor
1970 High Level Conference
American Society of Real Estate Counselors, Chicago, Illinois 1971
7. Yannacone, Victor John, Jr. '
Environmental Litigation and Legislation
Executive Systems, Inc.
in press
8. Henkin, Harmon L., Martin J. Merta, James Staples
THE .ENVIRONMENT, THE ESTABLISHMENT AND THE LAW
Hough ton-Mi fl in, Boston, 1971
8. Harmer, Ruth Mulvey
UNFIT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION
Prentice-Hall, New York 1971
8. Longgood-, William
THE DARKENING
Simon fT Shuster, 1972 "
9. Substantive law, as contrasted with procedural law, create*,
defines and regulates rights, as distinguished from remedies
and the procedures for enforcing rights .
Statutes, Rules and Regulations promulgated by legislative
bodies or administrative agencies are characterized as
substantive or procedural according to the effect of their
implementation.
10. The doctrine of stare decisis sets forth the principle that
decisions by a Court should stand as precedents for guidance
in cases arising in the future.
"The great principle, stare decisis, so fundamental
in our law, and so congenial to liberty, is peculiarly
important in popular governments, where the influence
of passions is strong, the struggles for power are
violent, the fluctuations of party are frequent, and
the desire of suppressing opposition, or of gratifying
revenge under the forms of law and by the agency of
the courts, is constant and active."
-------
Ex parte Bollman 4 Cr'anch (US) 75, 89; 2.LEd 554,^559.
however, • , . , •
f, I'
"While even a single adjudication of the court,
upon a question properly before it, is not to be ' •<-
questioned or disregarded except for the most cogent
reasons, and then only in a case where it is plain ,that
the judgment was the result of a mistaken view of'the
condition of the law applicable to the qu&stion, .jthe
doctrine of stare decisis is not without exceptions.
It does not apply where it can be shown that , the. law
has been misunderstood or misapplied, or where the
former determination is evidently contrary to reason.'1
Rumsey v. N.Y. § NtE. Ry. Co., 133 NY 79; 30 NE 654
The phrase stare decisis derives from the latin phrase, stare
decisis et non quieta movere - To stand by the decisions and not
to disturb settled points.
Ballantine's Law Dictionary, Third Edition, Lawyers Cooperative
Publishing Co., Rochester, New York 1969.
11. Sheppard's Citations provides notational information regarding the
current status of legislation and citations to judicial inter-
pretations of statutory law, the Constitution) of the United States
and the State Constitutions, municipal charters and ordinances,
selected federal^administrative decisions, and fedesral and state
court rules, as'well as furnishing information through coded
designations as'' to how courts ruled subsequently uppn case law.
\
Sheppard's Citations are not arranged by subject. To enter
the Citations, the researcher must have a citation 'to some case or
statute in point. The most common use of the Sheppard's Citations j
is to determine the present status of statutory law (and locate cases
which have construed the statutes. Most attorneys allso check
Sheppard's Case Citations to determine the subsequent history of
a case sought to be relied upon as precedent.
12. The Key Number System is a limited thesaurus of 425 titles, or
topics arranged alphabetically in the American Digest System. Under
this arrangement each principle of law (recognized at the time the ,
System was generally organized - 1896) is given a number within ' <
a topic and all cases which apply that principle of law are digested
under that number. The topical material is arranged under main
divisions, subdivisions aiidj sect ions. , The symbol oJf a key is used
v to denote the sections and the designation off^he system as the,:.Key
Number System derives from the use of the symbol as a replacement-!!
'- for the section sign. The digest paragraphs bear>t@pic and key.'- ^
number designations and both parts are essential to locate cases in
point: _•••
/
i
346. f,
'
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13. The Total Client Service Library of the Lawyers Cooperative
Publishing Company is an effort to establish an integrated body
o.£ legal information ranging from general case reports, with
•tftiriotations and additional pertinent information such as the
, limited States Supreme Court Reports, Lawyers Edition (L Ed),
and/American Law Reports, Annotated, (ALR); the encyclopedia,
American Jurisprudence; treatises on particular areas of the
law; aids to practice such as American Jurisprudence Forms,
American Jurisprudence Proof of Facts, and American Jurispru-
dence Trials.
14. Yannacone, Victor John, Jr.
ENVIRONMENTAL LITIGATION
1971 Proceedings, Section of Insurance, Negligence § Compensation
Law American Bar Association
15. Yannacone, Victor John, Jr., Bernard S. Cohen, Steven G. Davison
ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS § REMEDIES §§ 6:16 op cit.
16. Yannacone, Victor John, Jr., Bernard S. Cohen, Steven G. Davison
ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS g REMEDIES |7:6
16. Yannacone, Victor John, Jr.
ENVIRONMENT AND THE LAW, Chapter 18
ENVIRONMENT: Resources, Pollution £ Society
ed. William Murdoch
Sinauer Associates, Stamford, Conn. (1971)
16. Yannacone, Victor John, Jr.
Natural Resources and Environmental Control
Highlights 70' - 1970 Congress for Recreation § Parks
17. Yannacone, Victor John, Jr.
Evidence In Environmental Litigation ;
Trial Lawyers Quarterly, in press
New YorJpState Trial Lawyers Association, New York
-%.'
18* Yannaco^, Victor John, Jr.
A CHECKLIST FQR WATER POLLUTION LITIGATION
Trial Eawyers Quarterly
' * i
NEW YORK;STATE TRIAL LAWYERS ASSOCIATION
in press. .
342
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19. Yannacone, Victor John, Jr.
INDICATOR PLANTS AS DEMONSTRABLE EVIDENCE IN AIR POLLUTION
LITIGATION
Trial Lawyers Quarterly
NEW YORK STATE TRIAL LAWYERS ASSOCIATION
in press
20. Yannacone, V. Dennison, et. al.
(Sup.Suff. 1967) 55 Misc 2d 468; 285 N.Y.S. 2d 476
for summary of the evidence presented, see
Yannacone, Victor John, Jr.
PESTICIDE LITIGATION in American Jurisprudence
TRIALS in press
LAWYERS Cooperative Publishing Co./Bancroft-Whitney Coppswa?
21. EOF v. BALL, et. al. (CA Migh 1967)
_M i ch
EOF v. 56 Michigan Communities, (DC/WD/Mich 1967)
United States District Court, Western District Michigan,
Southern Division File No 67-5760
22. EOF v. BALL, et.al. (DC/ED Wise 1968)
In the Matter of the Petition of the Citizens National Resources
Association, Inc., et.al. (Department of Natural Resources,
State of Wisconsin 1968) 3-DR-l
23. EOF v. U.S. Department of HEW (1970, App/DC)
428 F2d 1083
EOF v. Hardin (1970, App DC)
428 F2d 1093
EOF v. Ruckelshaus (1971, App DC)
24. Yannacone, Victor John, Jr.
GEOLOGY: Bedrock of Environmental Legislation
Proceedings Geological Society of America, Northeast Region, 1971
348
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25. The Environment Reporter
Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.
1231 25th Street, NW.
Washington, D. C, 20037
Weekly.* $340.00 yearly.
Environment Information Access
: Environment Information Center, Ind.
Publishing Division
124 East 39th Street
New York, New York 10016
Bi-weekly. $150.00 yearly.
Pollution Abstracts
Pollution Abstracts, Inc. '
P.O. Box 2369
LaJolla, California 92037
Bi-monthly. $80.00 yearly.
26. Opening Congressional and other Legislative Headings to permit
cross-examination of witnesses by selected representatives of
constituencies concerned with the subject matter of'the Hearings
together with more adversary hearings conducted by Regulatory
Agencies at the preliminary stages of Administrative Proceedings
would help.
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Claude T. Gurley
Information Centers
Before World War II it was usually considered adequate for an
individual or an organization to subscribe to appropriate trade
publications and attend one or more professional meetings each
year to keep up with the state of the art in their particular
line of activity. The exchange of ideas and information was
frequently.done in an informal manner among a few associates.
Reading the news media and listening to the radio completed the
normal loop of information exchange. :
During and after World War II we have experienced a quantum
advance in technology. There has been a vast increase in research
and development activity throughout the world. Computers were
invented and these computers are now so large and operate at such
high rates of speed that they can store and retrieve enormous amounts
of information on almost a real-time basis. In the same time frame
a multitude of very complex problems have surfaced, particularly
in the field of ecology. These complex problems make the need for
more and better organized data a must. Because these problems
interrelate, it forces the correlation of many series of data to
assess the problem or address the solution to that problem. This
leads to the consideration of the relationship of this multiplicity
of ecological problems to sociaLand economic problems.
Durinp the past two decades a flood of data was produced in the
general ecological area, but this data needs to be managed and
adequately distributed to potential users. Effective management
of data in any field, and particularly in ecoldgyv depends upon
several factors. First, a degree of standardization of the measure-
ment, method of handling, means of distribution, etc,, is essential.
To achieve standardization requires central leadership and in our
country that must be provided at the Federal government level. The
use of commonly understood terminology in each data field is also
quite important. Clear definitions, both of the content and the
use of the data are essential. Much good work is being done in this
area both by the public and private sector, but it is only fair to
say that much more remains to be done.
Let us consider for a moment the principal media that is
currently available for the distribution of information, first,
I would,list publications and newspapers; second, the radio and
television; thitfd, the pitcraatewi files that can be shared either
by duplication or through computer systems; and last, the wide
variety j&f reference materials available in many locations.
1 ' " .X
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It is apparent that we do not lack the means of distribution, but
it is equally apparent that we are not using these means in the
most effective manner. I know this is a dangerous point to allude
to, but we are not managing effectively the distribution of
information.
There exists, to a large extent, duplication and overlap in
the gathering, processing and distributing of information. In the
Federal government we have attempted for several decades to eliminate
this duplication and overlap by the bureaucratic issuance of
directives from on-high which say "Thou shalt not duplicate." These
directives have, not accomplished their mission, but we have discovered
that you can cut down on dupliation and overlap in these areas by
letting a large number of people know that the duplication and
overlap exists. Most of us re-invent wheels without even knowing we
are doing so, because we lack the knowledge that someone else has
done or is doing the same thing. The spread of knowledge of the
existence of duplication and overlap to middle and top level managers
w:ill usually cause? them to take an active interest in preventing
the waste of valuable technicians' time on such projects.
I mentioned before that we now have computers. Some of these
computers are so laifge and have such sophisticated s0ftware that it
is now possible for a wide variety of information users to be serviced
by one center. Also through some degree of standardization in the
compu'ter and telecommunications field, most of these computers can
communicate with each other over great distances at high rates of
speed. The point here? is that this tends to either eliminate dupli-
cation and overlap or call it to the attention of both managers and
general users.
Simultaneously, we have developed our technology at a phenominal
rate and have also increased the scope and content of virtually all
of our data files. This is particula7fly true in the general field of
ecology. In other words, the multiplicity of pur data has increased
in, direct ratio to the vastly increased complexity of our technology.
This may be because rapid technological advances have by their very
nature created huge arrays of data in the physical arena. We must
sadly recognize, however, that this is not true in the human resources
development arena.
There are many problems that, we face when We consider setting up
and operating an information center. First and foremost among these,
I think, is the people problem. This concerns both the desire of
managers for ownership of all they survey and the fear of individuals
that their privacy may be invaded. We have known for at least ten
years that it was not practical; or logical for each small organization
to have its Own computer. It is even questionable today as to whether
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it is feasible and rational for large organizations to own and
operate their own computer. We have demonstrated over and over
the line managers in parochial fields of endeavor (industry,
business an
most organizations will pay a premium for good service but they dislike
paying anything for poor service. Make certain that your income or
other financial support is adequate to keep this standard of service
high. Be sure you know your clientele and that they know what you are
doing. Provide for a first class public relations effort; in other
words keep your best foot forward at all times. Start small and
'control growth of the center, always letting demonstrated need lead
expansion. Now one final word of caution,, do not let technical
matters and technical difficulties occupy ja disproportionate amount
of your attention. People problems deserve most of your attention and
will cause you the greatest difficulty if you do not address them
promptly and aggressively. ,
I * ? ' ,
I M. • >' * . '
•In summary, it isn't easy. -:, ; '"•
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Now, let me tell you briefly about our OEO experience.
OEO's founders foresaw a need for a data gathering and handling
capability. They wrote a provision for an Information Center into the
Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 and began implementation as one of
the first steps in setting up the organization.
To get off to a fast start, we picked up two surplus computers
from anether agency and engaged a contractor to perform the Systems
design and programming. We later, in 1966, added two more surplus
computers identical to the first two to give us more processing
capability. We had two -Immediate goals: 1) to get a handle on where
federal money designated by Congress to aid the poor and disadvantaged
was going by locality and just what it was being used for, and 2) to
set up adequate records on what OEO was doing in-house for both
operational control and analysis.
Again, our founders had the foresight to get authority to
require the other federal agencies to provide us with the information
regarding their activities in the general poverty arena. We published
a catalog of federal assistance programs in 1966 and also produced
a report of the outlays of federal funds through those programs, by
county and city. This was the first time the federal government had
produced a consolidated picture of their efforts in the "help-the-
people" area.
Also, in 1966 we engaged another contractor with experience in
data gathering and processing to build a community profile that we hoped
would gauge the well-being or lack of well-being in each community and
thereby aid us in identifying need for assistance. We used over 300
series of data and printed 200 sets of these for every county in the U.S.
Now, back to the method we chose for operation of our center. In
addition to the computer-oriented functions I've mentioned, we early-
on developed a capability for dissemination of information to both
officialdom and the general public. This was comprised of four groups:
1:) Statistical or number massagers, 2) Correspondence clerks, 3) General
clerks and 4) Librarians. These four groups were placed under one manager
who coordinated their activities and reported to the Head of the Center.
Development Of this in-house delivery ability was, I think, the most
important step we took in building the center.
Now to our OEO experience after 1966. In 1967 our three most
visable products, the Community Profiles, the Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance, and the Federal Outlay Reports came to the attention
of the state governors, a number of Congressmen, and the President, The
President instructed the Director of the Bureau of the Budget and the
Director of OEO to set the Catalog and the Outlays Reptttfts up on an
expanded and more permanent basis. B.O.B. issued Circulars A-84 and A-89
instructing all Federal Departments and Agencies to report the necessary
353
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data to OEO each year. Beginning with 1967 OEO published large numbers
of these documents each year. In 1971 we transferred the Catalog
function to OMB. We still publish annually the Federal Outlay Report.
In 1971 we published a record of the Federal Grants made in FY 1970.
OMB has also assumed the function of maintaining the Federal Grant File.
Let's look now at a couple of state activities among the many efforts
state governments are making in the information arena. These are
notable in that they are somewhat innovative and they are successful.
On July 1, 1970, the State of Minnesota consolidated control of
Data Processing in one organization, the Department of Administration.
For about 18 months thereafter they operated out of two locations. They
are now in one location with two large modern computers and a
consolidated staff. The significance of these moves is more .than
improving efficiency or saving funds. Just by putting state information
services under one control they have largely caused a high degree of
coordination to come about without strenuous effort. It is now much
simpler for them to establish and maintain a state polity on
information matters. For example, they pioneered the state position
against dedication of computers for certain parochial uses. They have
served other political entities within the state by providing them
leadership, and facilities.
Several other states have gone the same route as Minnesota. And
the others are headed that direction. The States have an organization
called the National Association for State Information Systems (NASIS),
to which the chief information or data processing official in each
state belongs, together with a number of state legislators. I suggest
that the environmental people tie into that organization.
Another rather interesting development is beginning to evolve from
the operation of the state clearinghouses that keep track of federal
grants. A number of states are finding this mechanism useful in
tracking environmental protection statements, California is developing
an ability to coordinate intergovernmental activities in many fields at
three levels of government. As a part of this effort they are
gathering a great deal of specific data re ecology in 30,000 acre
tracts. This should result in an excellent data base against which
they can analyze each new proposed project. The cities, counties,
regional planners, state and federal officials are beginning to get
their thing together in California. The Office of the Governor is
providing leadership. This looks like the beginning of a worthwhile
information center.
I've used up my time and I thank you for yours.
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N ....• John R. Totter, Director
Division of Biomedical and Environmental Research
'•'-•;':• U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
• At this Symposium it is proposed that the speakers acquaint the audience,
which is presumed to consist largely of users of- environmental research
information, wfth appropriate sources. It is hoped that potential users would
have the opportunity to learn about a large number of such sources and thus
greatly reduce the effort required to become familiar with research work going
on concerning some partioilar aspect of the environment.
In this session, which has to do with data used by Federal agencies, I will
discuss first one source, the Smithsonian Science Information Exchange, which is
ff
widely used by Government agencies with interests in biological research for
storage and retrieval of scientific data including environmental or ecological
research results .
Information in SIE which is most useful to, for example, people who manage
research programs includes much that is also useful to portions of the general
public. But much of the information will not be particularly relevant to problems
which normally arise when, for example, someone is challenging a decision to place
a power plant of dam in some particular location. One kind of material not
presently available in most data centers including SIE, and which would be
extremely useful in managing a research program, is that which might be found in
a first-class comprehensive and critical subject review and which would be of
necessity quite up-to-date. Incidentally, the Federal agencies handle this
problem usually by such means as attempting to have a staff which can evaluate
data; using consultants; convening panels o£ experts; commissioning studies made
by .contract With the National Academy of Sciences, educational institutions,
A
foundations or private consulting firms.
-------
The Science Information Exchange, originally limited to Biological Sciences,
was set up by several Federal agencies in response to a desire to avoid dupljcar
tion in research support and to keep all participating agencies aware of the total
Federal support in all areas of interest to the agencies. Later the mission of
the Exchange was broadened to include physical sciences and fiscal and management
responsibilities for the exchange were transferred to the National Science Foundati
At the present time full responsibility for both budgeting and, management jrests wit
the Smithsonian Institution..
The AEC and many other Federal agencies provide the Exchange with a summary
of each research proposal it funds. The research programs of AEC's large ,
laboratories are broken down in convenient categories which are similarly described
in short summaries. Each year these are collected and sent to the Exchange which
then replaces the old summaries and thus keeps a "current" record of research in
progress. - - - ;
Anyone may obtain summaries from SIE for a fee. The summaries may be grouped!
according to subject or author, by supporting agency and in a variety of other ways!
An example I have here is the latest summary of AEC's program in Environmental ^
? :
i
research.
The completeness of SIE's data file and its degree of currentness is dependent!
upon the agency's insistence that its investigators comply with a directive to j
provide the necessary information in the first place, including - for example - the!
200 word summaries and to keep them up-to-daite as the information changes. At the]
present time, we believe that AEC has information for more than 90% of its
v «
\ '
and environmental research program entered into the Exchange's data base.
-------
t It seems to me that the chief usefulness of this SIE data base to
non-agencjf users would be that it might provide the names of people currently
working in a field of interest. Thus one would be able to search other data
bases for past\researcy by the same scientists. In other words it would be a
usaful point 6f/cutty into the literature on a subject, but by no means would
it furnish a comprehensive or authoritative summary of all of the work already
accomplished in a given field. It's more nearly a "who's who" than a'What's what."
The SIE is very useful for certain types of internal AEC needs but does
not lend itself to rapid comparisons of budgets in research fields for which
other agencies have special requirements.
For many years the AEC has submitted information about its research and
development programs to various Government agencies. Reports have been furnished
to the National Science Foundation, Office of Management and Budget, the Office
of Science and Technology, NIH, a number of executive departments, and
.Congressional committees. More recently, the public interest in problems of
. the environment has resulted in numerous requests from both public and private
.sources for information about the AEC's programs in this area.
While thc'AEC has been responsive to requests for information, «ach new
inquiry usually required extensive clerical work. Therefore, consideration was
givert to the development of a new information system, designated the Research
Projects Information System (RPIS), at Headquarters to provide a capability to
respond to needs for information by the Commission, by Congressional committes,
*' '
Or executive agencies other than AEC.
357
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The RPIS is designed to integrate contract, budget, financial and
technical information on the Division of Biomedical and Environmental
Research (DBER) program and the AEC, environmental R&D program in one central
data base.
The RPIS was developed to provide the AEC with centralized information
on the environmental R&D programs of the AEC; to meet the need for maintaining
an information file for various reporting requirements of the DBER; and to
improve the management capability of the DBER, for example, by simply speeding
up information retrieval.
The system was developed as a result of continuing requests for management •
information pertaining to the AEC-DBER programs. Further, the increasing
interest in environmental effects intensified the need for similar information
on the AEC's environmental research projects directed by other program divisions,!
The lack of an automated retrieval system and dependence on a manual record searcj
resulted in delays in responding to management queries. The information in the |
RPIS will be stored to provide a basis for manipulating the information to j
produce combinations of output in report form to meet both internal and external
requirements of the DBER and /EC. The scope of the RPIS will consist of the
following:
1. Information concerning each environmental research project
supported by the AEC.
2. Information concerning all other research projects supported
by the DBER.
.*•'
3. Information about each project to provide historical, current
and projected data.
4. Two hundred-word summaries on each DBER project.
-------
The basic information planned for storage in RPIS is already available
at Headquarters. No new information is being created for the system. The
advantages lie in the speed with which computers can assemble and transmit
information for display on as many as several thousand research projects.
Rapid and accurate compilation of information on research projects is expected
to help in program analysis and management within DBER. We expect that RPIS
will produce a variety of reports now prepared manually. • These efforts require
extensive staff input and clerical time.
A study of the data elements in the reports now produced manually revealed
that most of the proposed report outputs required similar data elements and that
some redundant information was being produced. Examples of the proposed major
outputs are the following specific reports, by title:
1. Summaries of USAEC Environmental research and Development.
2. Research Contracts in the Life Sciences (Listing).
3. Contract Listing by State and/or Institution.
4. National Science Foundation Annual Report.
5. Medical Health Related Annual Report.
> 6. Budget and Financial Reports.
We feel the following accrued benefits will be derived from the DBER
Research Projects Information System:
The economies which would be achieved by serving AEC users from_a single
- . M^^^M l _ _._ .. _ MMV—l - _•••••••. _. . _MMMM«a^MM W««^»« _ P™««.^.^«™^—™^—
system^ For example, the Division of Biomedical and Environmental Research
could retrieve environmental research project information pertaining to their
program and the Division of Environmental Affairs could retrieve information
concerning all AEC environmental research projects.
;359
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The ability to respond to management queries in an accurate and timely
manner. For example, information on all AEC environmental research being
conducted in a geographical area may be retrieved as easily as information
pertaining to all research projects on thermal pollution of air.
The ability to update the project file and generate reports on an
exception basis.
The production, of. management summaries as .well as detailed reports on
a scheduled or as-required basis.
To the extent practical and relevant, the R?IS will contain coded data
from the Federal Information Processing Standards publications (PIPS). We are
now using PIPS 5-1, States and Outlying Areas of the United States, and FIPS 6-1,
Counties and County Equi\a lents of the States of the United States. In addition,
data codes used by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health,
and the Office Of .Management and Budget will be incorporated within the RPIS data
base for use in generating output requirements of those agencies. These steps
facilitate the interchange of information on the DBER program within the AEC, its
contractors, and between the AEC and other Federal agencies.
The Usefulness, if any, of this system for the requirements of non-agency
information seekers is not yet fully apparent. It is certainly true that it shouli
permit AEC to answer more quickly and more accurately requests for information.
However, a more direct employment by other users does not seem feasible at present
-------
Raniune Kubiliunas
Predicasts, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio
SURVEY OP NONGOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS
CONTAINING ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION
OP USE TO MANAGERS AND PLANNERS
f; Wtfat fcyj>6;.fof information^ do managers and planners need
A. Which industries/companies are involved in environ-
mental problems
B. How does the Government regulate these industries/
companies and enforce environmental decisions
C. How do industries/companies face their environmental
problems
D. Who are the major environmental control associations,
services, and equipment companies
II., What are the sources for this information
A. General discussion of business information publications
B. Environmental information from non-environmentally
centered publications \
1. General business publications
General business publications, a few of which are
listed below, provide broad, nontechnical infor-
mation in the environmental area.Their features
and news stories give good background information
and usually an up-to -date analysis of current
environmental activities.
, Barrens
• Business Week
-, Commercial and Financial Chronicle
Financial World
Fortune i
i ' . Industry Week V
Journal of Commerce
New York Times '•:
U.S. News and World Report
!', . wall Street Journal
-361
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2. Government sources (covered by Mr. Shriner)
3. Industry and Trade Association publications
Industry and trade associations are a primary
source for environmental information. Whether it
be in chemicals, paper, metalworking or other, these
associations report on the activities, problems,
expenditures and results of their industry's pollution
control efforts. This information is reported either
in the news releases, bulletins or publications of
the associations, or in special reports produced by
the associations. While these publications cannot be
properly classified as periodicals, many are published
on a more or less regular basis. The following is a
list of some key industry and trade groups that are
currently providing environmental information.
1
i
American Chemical Society
American Iron and Steel Institute
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
American Paper Institute
American Petroleum Institute
Chemical Marketing Research Association
Industrial Gas Cleaning Institute
Institute of Scrap Iron and Steel
National Coal Association
Society of the Plastics Industry
Technical Assn of the Pulp & Paper Inds (TAPPI)
4. Trade magazines
The trade magazines of specific industries are key
sources for technical as well as nontechnical envi--
ronmental information. They report what is being done,
where and how it is being done, who is doing it, and
how much it is costing. The following are some key
trade publications which report substantial environ-,
mental information on their industries. •'
Agriculture: -
; Agricultural Chemicals
: Farm Chemicals and Croplife
k. Feeds tuffs
Mining & Minerals
Coal Age
Engineering & Mining Journal
Oil & Gas Journal
Rock Products
362
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Paper:
Boxboard Container
Paperboard Packaging
Paper Trade Journal
Pulp and Paper
Chemicals:
Chemical & Engineering News
• f Chemical Marketing Reporter
1 . Chemical Week , ,
Modern Plastics
Plastics World
Bubber World
Metals & Metalworking:
American Machinist
American Metal Market'
Automotive News
Electronic News
Iron Age
Direct information from companies
Much information on what specific companies are
doing in the environmental field car be obtained
from the annual reports of the companies.The reports
list how much is being spent and how much is planned
.to be spent on pollution control. Sometimes the
reports also include long term environmental objectives
and plans.
Speeches by company representatives also contain
pertinent environmental information. In this area,
the Wall Street Transcript is a good source of infor-
mation. It reports the texts of speeches made before
security and financial analysts, market planners and
other such groups. Recently, many of these speeches
have centered on the environmental problems of various
industries.
Currently, many companies are producing brochures on
environmental problems and solutions. For example,
PMC has an excellent brochure on the different ways
industries pollute and on what machinery and/or
chemicals Are needed to control this pollution. Esso
Research & Engineering has a study of Markets for Air-
Pollution Measurementation, 1971-1986 which is available
for only $3.00. These are only two examples. There
are many more.
363
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0. Environmental information from environmental sources
1. Environmental Associations
-As with industry and trade associations, non-
government environmental associations are primary
key sources for environmental information. Much of
the information they publish is highly technical,
but many environmental groups provide management
related information as well, particularly on a
regional basis. Some key associations that publish
bulletins and/or reports useful to managers and
planners include:
Air Pollution Control Association
American Academy of Environmental Engineers
American Water Resources Association -
American Water Works Assdciation !
Environmental Engineering Intersociety Board
Environmental Equipment Institute
I Institute of Environmental Science >
i National Water Purification Foundation
National Center for Solid Waste Management
National Council for Air and Stream Improvement
National Pollution Controi Foundation
ii Water Conditioning Association International
! Water Conditioning Researcji Council
1 Water Conditioning Foundation
1 Water Equipment Wholesalers & Suppliers A§sn
Water & Wastewater Equipmeift Manufacturer^ Assn
Water Pollution Control Federation
'. - \
2. Environmental Journals
! |
These journals, many of which are published by
the associations mentioned above, provide a wealth of
information for managers and planners. Most of these
journals are highly technical; nevertheless, they <$o
contain invaluable economic and marketing information.
It is up to the user to determine the ones most suitable
for him. ' i
\
Air/Water Pollution Report
Air & Water News Weekly
Air Engineering
All Clear
American Water Works Association Journal
Atmospheric Report ;*
Clean Jrfater Report - -
Compost'Science
Contamination Control
364
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Environment
i' Environmental Science & Technology
Environmental Research
,t ,i Environmental Technology & Economics
. :- •• Ground Water
/ i" '"• Ground Water Age
Industrial Water Engineering
Industrial Wastes
Natural Resources Journal
Oceanology
Pipe Progress
Pollution Equipment News
Pure Water
Reclamation Era
Scrap Age
Secondary Raw Materials
Sierra Club Bulletin
Solid Wastes Management
Waste Age
Waste Trade Journal
Water Conditioning
, Water & Sewage Works
Water Research
Water Pollution
Water & Wastes Digest
Water & Pollution Control
Water & Wastes Engineering
Water Works & Waste Engineering
III. How can this information be retrieved
Concern for the envirnment surrounds every institution,
industry, and company. The combined output of material
concerning the environment is staggering and overwhelming.
It is absolutely necessary that users utilize services that
help discriminate and locate the specific information they need.
A. Indexing and Abstracting Services
These services provide compiled information from
numerous identified sources. Information is arranged in
a logical sequence. Since all Sources are identified,
original articles can then be easily retrieved. Some
abstracting and indexing services environmental information
users should find useful include:
Accession Bulletin of Solid Waste Information
Acoustics Abstracts
Air Pollution Abstracts
Applied Science & Technology Index
365
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Biological & Agricultural Index
Business Periodicals Index \
>;., Chemical Abstracts
,. , Chemical Mafrket Abstracts
; Conservation Directory
Engineering Index..
F&S Index of Corporations & Industries
Output Systems
Pollution Abstracts
Waste Trade Directory
Water Resources Abstracts
Water Pollution Abstracts
B. /Market Research Services
Some of the best handlers of environmental information
are professional market research companies and divisions.
These companies compile hundreds of bibs of information,
analyse this information, and produce concise, compre-
hensive reports on specific tppics. For example,
Mc-Graw-Hill 's Research Division publi,she£ annually
a Pollution Control Expenditures Survey by industry.
Battelle has completed an EPA sponsored, study for the
National Association of Secondary Material Industries.
And Predicasts,Inc. has recently published studies on
Solid Waste Disposal, Water Treatment Chemicals, and
Water Pollution Control Equipment. These reports are
extremely valuable to any user who does not have access
to sophisticated market research techniques or information
retrieval systems, or who does nbt have the time necessary
to compile such information. Other compaines producing
market research reports include A.D. Little, Stanford
Research, C.H. Kline, Spear & Staff, and Noyes Data.
NOTE:
My apologies to the numerous associations, journals , and
services that counld not be covered by this report.
366
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ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION: PUBLICATIONS FOR MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
by Robert D. Shriner
Director, Technology Applications Division
School of Public and Environmental Affairs
Indiana University
I recently received a letter which began as follows: "A recent
12-month survey of newspapers in the major cities of the United States
indicated that the environment was the nation's number one domestic
concern flaring 1971. As a reflection of this concern, published literature
in the field of environmental studies is increasing at such a rapid pace
that researchers, decision makers, and others in need of current information
are faced with the dissemination crisis. No individual haa time to
examine all the journals that deal with environmental science--yet
scientists, businessmen, teachers, students, and concerned citizens need
to keep abreast of the current literature." The letter then continued
tjfith the announcement of a new periodical. . . whose objective would be to
"provide immediate access to the tables of contents pages of approximately
300 current environmental journals."
In additioh to this vast amount of periodical material, there are
thousands of other publications--books, reports, monographs, etc.—produced
by business firms, government agencies, educational institutions, and
research laboratories.
The task.^ich Ramuna Kubtlanus and I have been assigned is to propose
"f
how one might approach this huge and rapidly growing body of publications
in $rd$r to get information useful for management and planning activities.
We have chosen to divide the assignment so that I will cover public sources,
she will cover private sources.
In April 1970, in preparation for the National Teach-in on the Crisis
367
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of the Environment, the Indiana University library prepared a special
bibliography entitled "Man and His Environment: Selected Government
Publications, 1950-1970". That bibliography and the outline which it
followed have been of great use to me in identifying publications in the
public sector. In general, it was organized by level of government and,
for each level of government, by agency. I will do the same.
Figure 1 shows the major public sources of publications for management
and planning. I will discuss each of these areas briefly. In the time
we have available, it is simply not possible to cover all—or even one—of
these areas with much depth. And even if I had a great deal more time,
I'm not at all certain that anything short of a series of volumes would
. be truly adequate. Despite this handicap, I will try to provide you with
a reasonably adequate perspective on the sources and types of publications
available from the public sector.
One of the principal difficulties in discussing publications for
management and planning is to decide just what sort of information is really
required for management and planning. Clearly, good management and good
planning require very specific bits of information, ranging from detailed
information on ,specific technology to equally detailed socio-economic
information. However, for purposes of this morning's discussion, I have
assumed that we are talking about information which has been specially
summarized and condensed to suit the time limitations and the need for
perspective that are most keenly felt by managers and planners. At the same
time, however, I will include some important statistical sources and
publications which, while not originated to serve the needs of the environment,
still provide information relevant to environmental problems.
368
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FIGURE 1
MAJOR PUBLIC SOURCES OF PUBLICATIONS
FOR MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING
U,S. Government
State and Local Governments
Associations of Governments
International and Governmental Organizations
FIGURE 2
BASIC FEDERAL PUBLICATIONS ON ENVIRONMENT
Environmental Quality - 1972, Annual report of the President and the
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), August release. $1.75
The President's 1972 Environmental Program, CEQ, March release. $1.75
The Economic Impact of Pollution Control; A Summary of Recent Studies.
CEQ with EPA and Department of Commerce, 1972. $2.50
Annual Report to the President and to The Council fon Environmental
Quality, Citizens' Advisory Committee on Environmental Quality,
June release. $1.25
The Cost of Clean Water; Summary Report, EPA, Annual. $.50
The Economics of Clean Air. EPA, annual. $1.00
369
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U.S. Government Agencies
Every cabinet level department in the federal government seems to have
said something on the subject of the environment. In addition, Congress
has published numerous hearings and reports dealing with the subject, as
have many of the large independent agencies including the Environmental
Protection Agency, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Atomic Energy
Commission, and quasi-governmental organizations such as the National
Science Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution, plus many others. So,
where do you start if you have a question or want to keep informed?
Let's begin with some basic publications that will in turn lead you
to other more detailed publications. (See Figure 2) The President's
Council on Environmental Quality prepares a number of reports that provide
the perspective needed for management and planning. The most important
of these is the Council's annual report, this year entitled Environmental
Quality--1972. This state-of-the-nation's-environment report is sent
to Congress by the President in August of each year. It contains infor-
mation about all phases of the environment, its problems, and its management.
In addition, in March of each year, the Council assembles the President's
message on the environment and specific information on the President's
proposals for that year in The President's 1972 Environmental Program.
In conjunction ^ith EPA and the Department of Commerce, the Council has
/
recently published ^he Economic Impact of Pollution Control; A Summary
of Recent Studies. The Council is also the recipient of an annual report
and policy recommendations to the Council and to the President that is
prepared by the Citizens Advisory Committee on Environmental Quality. To
the extent- thasf its Recommendations foreshadow future policy, the annual
report of the advisory committee is useful especially for long-range planning.
3.70
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The administrator of EPA prepares two reports annually for Congress
which also contain a great deal of useful information. Although each annual
report may run to several volumes including a lot of detailed information,
there is typically a summary report which condenses this detailed information
into a form that managers and planners will appreciate. Although the
titles vary slightly from year to year, the usual titles are as shown in
Figure 2: The Cost of Clean Water and The Economics of Clean Air.
All right, so much for the basic information. But how do we get
beyond that to find the specific information needed from the mass of
government issued publications? The keys are listed in Figure 3, Federal
Guides to Publications.
For the convenience of those who would like to know which federal
publications on a particular topic are still in print, the Government
Printing Office publishes a series of price lists by subject. For the
environmental field, the appropriate price list is PL 88-Ecology, which
is available free from GPO.
To keep abreast of new publications issued by the federal government,
you can ask GPO to send you its bi-weekly Selected U.S. Government Publications,
which lists 120 new publications released by the federal government. If
you want to know everything that GPO has published, you can subscribe to
the Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications, which costs $7.00 a year.
Many of the documents published by agencies of the federal government
and their contractors are not handled by GPO, however. Most of these are
instead collected and cataloged by the National Technical Information Service
of the U.S. Department of Commerce. NTIS prepares a number of monthly and .
semi-monthly indexes and announcements to inform agencies and the general
public of new publications and to provide a permanent record of the existence of
371
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FIGURE 3
FEDERAL GUIDES TO PUBLICATIONS
Ecology - PL88. GPO, uonthly price list of available publications by
subject, free.
Selected U.S. Government Publications. GPO, bi-weekly listing of 120
new publications, free.
Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications, GPO, monthly with
December cumulation, $7.00/year.
Fast Announcement Service, NTIS/Commerce, announces new reports as received,
$5.00/year/topic.
Government Reports Topical Announcements. NTIS/Commerce, semi-monthly,
$7.50/year/topic.
Environmental Awareness Reading List. NTIS/Commerce, highlights current
publications, semi-monthly, $16.00/year.
Government Reports Announcements, NTIS/Commerce, biweekly abstracts of
scientific, technical, business, and economic reports, $52.50/year.
Government Reports Index, NTIS/Commerce, biweekly, $57.50/year. (GRA-GRI
combination is $97.50/year.)
Air Pollution Abstracts. EPA, monthly, $1.50 each.
Selected Water Resources Abstracts, EPA, semi-monthly, $22.00/year.
Nuclear Science Abstracts. AEC, semi-monthly, $42.00/year.
Environmental Impact Statements, NTIS/Commerce, draft statements issued
90 days before proposed action by a federal agency, $22.50/year.
372
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the reports cataloged. The Fast Announcement Service alerts its subscribers
to hew reports in specialized subject areas as soon as they are received by
NTIS. Government Reports Topical Announcements does a similar job but is
issued semi-monthly. These are priced at $5.00 and $7.50 a year, respectively.
NTIS also publishes semi-monthly an Environmental Awareness Reading
List which highlights current publications. A subscription to that is *
$16.00 a year.
If you want to know everything that has been received by NTIS, two
companion volumes entitled Government Reports Announcements and Government
Reports Index, both issued bi-weekly, provide a complete listing of all
scientific, technical, business, and economic reports. An annual sub-
scription to the combination is less than $100.
In addition to these guides to federal literature, the U.S. government
also prepares a number of environmentally-related subject matter guides
to both public and privately generated publications. If you are interested
in finding information in one of the subject areas they cover, you
should consult AJ.r Pollution Abstracts, Selected Water Resources Abstracts,
or Nuclear Science Abstracts.
.Finally, if you are interested in keeping abreast of the environmental
impact statements which are issued 90 days before a proposed action by a
federal agency, you can subscribe to receive all of them on a continuing
basis from NTIS at a cost of $22.50 a year.
Since the availability of statistical information is generally of
concern to managers and.planners, Figure 4 lists a number of federal guides
tCrfctatistics which may be useful to you. The first two publications,
Ptepared by the Office of Management and Budget, describe the government's
statistical services and give the names and telephone numbers of the
373
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FIGURE 4
FEDERAL GUIDES TO STATISTICS
Statistical Services of the United States Government. OME, $1.54.
Federal Statistical Directory. OMB, names and phone numbers agency by
agency, $1.50.
Guide to Census Bureau Data Files and Special Tabulations. Census, $1.25.
Directory of Federal Statistics for Local Areas, Census, $1.00.
Directory of Federal Statistics for States. Census, $2.25.
Directory of Non-Federal Statistics for States and Local Areas, Census,
$6.25.
374
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players. In my opinion, these two publications costing $1150 each are among
the least known yet most valuable tools you can have when you are seeking
statistical information from the federal government.
The Bureau of Census also publishes four important guides to statistics
which you should be aware of.
Obviously, the publications which I have listed represent only* the
very tip of the iceberg of federal publications relating to the environment.
However, I believe I have provided the threads which will enable you to
track down the specific publications which may be best suited to your needs.
Unfortunately, the short amount of time here forces me to overlook a large
number of individual publications and all of the fine magazines and
periodicals of individual agencies. The individual agencies will be
glad to provide you with information about their newsletters and magazines,
if you will write to them, however.
State and Local Governments
I hope no one here will be offended if I say candidly that the area
of state and local governmental publications is, in contrast to federal
publications, virtually an uncharted wilderness. There is no central
catalog of the publications issued by individual agencies within individual
states, counties, or municipalities. In most jurisdictions it is necessary
to go to each individual agency to find out what publications it has
issued..
At the state level, periodicals relating to the environment appear to
be mostly of the recreational/conservational/esthetic orientation. Typical
of these are Wyoming WiId1ife, Outdoor Indiana, New York Conservationist,
and Michigan's Conservation Volunteer.
The sort of information which is needed for management and planning--
that is, information concerning regulations, legislation, economic and
: 3-75
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FIGURE 5
LIKELY PUBLICATIONS SOURCES AT THE STATE LEVEL
STATE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES (e.g., Air Pollution, Water, Natural
Resources, Forestry, Industrial Hygiene, Public Health, Fish and
Game, Parks and Recreation, Agriculture, etc.) - for research
and planning reports, local area studies, agency activities and
regulations, and agency-related information.
STATE PLANNING AND/OR DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES - for research and planning
reports, feasibility and development reports, economic data.
STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND/OR SECRETARY OF STATE - for copies of state
laws.
j
STATE PUBLIC WORKS AGENCIES (e.g., Highways and Roads, Waterways, Rail-
roads, Ports and Harbors, Utilities, etc.) - for technical informa-
tion and limited information on planned activities (they are
typically secretive about plans.)
STATE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL - for special studies aimed at evaluating
existing or proposed legislative measures.
STATE LIBRARY - for any publication of a state agency (if you're lucky).
STATE OFFICES OF FEDERAL AGENCIES - for publications that deal wholly
or partly with the state.
FIGURE 6
LIKELY PUBLICATIONS SOURCES AT THE LOCAL LEVEL
LOCAL OFFICES OF FEDERAL AGENCIES (e.g., Soil Conservation Service,
Agricultural Conservation and Stabilization Office, etc.)
PLANNING AND ZONING AGENCIES
HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES (e.g., Water and Sewer, Parks and
Recreation, Air Pollution Control, Public Health, Housing and
Community Developments etc.)
CITY AND COUNTY ATTORNEYS
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technical studies, and similar information—can usually be found most
efficiently by going to the particular agency which you believe might have
caused such reports to be prepared. Although the organization of government
varies widely among states, most states will have offices similar to those
listed in Figure 5, which should be likely sources of publications of the
sort needed for management and planning. The best bets are state environmental
agencies, state planning and development agencies, and state attorney
generals' or secretary of states' offices. In some states, the state
legislative council can also be a fruitful source of information.
State public works agencies responsible for such things as highways,
utilities, railroads, etc., produce large amounts of information for their
' internal use but are typically secretive about their future plans.
In some states, the state library may be a gold mine of publications
produced by state agencies, particularly if state law requires all agencies
to deposit copies of their publications with the state library. However,
not all states give their state library this responsibility, and some
state libraries with the responsibility are not really able to carry out
the function successfully.
In general, the smaller the jurisdiction, the fewer the number of
publications which are prepared for distribution. When the geographic
area and populations of a jurisdiction are small, publications are
usually less important as a means to communicate with the public than
at the federal level where the jurisdiction extends over thousands of
miles and more than 200 million people.
Reports prepared at the city and county level are often available
only on limited distribution or for internal use since the number of people
interested and affected by local affairs is less than at the state or
377
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national level. Figure 6 suggests some likely sources for information
at the county and city level.
One additional source of information which is not listed in either
Figures 5 or 6 is the National Technical Information Service which,
as I mentioned earlier, collects reports prepared by federal agencies
and its contractors, which includes states, counties, and cities.
There is also another possible source of guides to publications
at the state and local level: associations of governments.
Associations of Governments
In recent years, associations of government have become increasingly
important, both politically and as sources of publications intended to help
their members deal with the problems they face. Figure 7 lists several of
these organizations and some of their publications. Time and space do not !
]
permit a complete listing of the special studies and reports which , i
these organizations have published, even though many of them are useful
I
for management and planning at the state and local level. They can often \ t
provide guidance in seeking publications of individual states and local
governments as well.
At the international level, similar associations of government also
exist and they, too, publish numerous studies and reports dealing with
environmental issues. Figure 8 lists the international governmental
organizations cited in the bibliography prepared by the Indiana University
library, to which I referred earlier. Each of these organizations publishes
publications. i,
378
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FIGURE 7
SELECTED ASSOCIATIONS OF GOYERKMEMTS AW THEIR PUBLICATIONS
COUNCIL OF STATE GOVERNMENTS
The Book of the States (general reference)
State Government - quarterly
State Government News - bi-weekly
Special studies and reports
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES/U.S. CONFERENCE OF MAYORS
Nation's Cities - monthly
Urban Affairs Abstracts - weekly ($200/year)
Index to Municipal League Publications - monthly ($40/year)
Special Studies and reports
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES
American County Magazine - monthly
County News - weekly newspaper
Special studies and reports
SOME OTHER ASSOCIATIONS
* INTERNATIONAL CITY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
* NATIONAL-ASSOCIATION OF REGIONAL COUNCILS
* FEDERATION OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN STATES
379
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FIGURE 8
SELECTED IK!EERMATIOIIAL GOVERNMENTAL OKJAKHZATI01TS
Council of Europe
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
Pan Americans Union
U.N. - Economic and Social Affairs Department
- Economic Commission for Europe
- Food anct Agriculture Organization
- Industrial Development Organization «
- Education, Social, and Cultural Organization
- World Health Organization
- Conference proceedings
380
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Conclusion
In these few minutes it is clearly impossible for me to detail the
full breadth and depth of publications for management and planning available
from public sources. Instead, I've tried to identify the principal sources
at each level of government and to point in the direction one should
proceed to obtain additional information from these major sources.
The range of information which is involved in that topic we call
"environment" includes, literally, everything around us. From air pollution
to zoology. It is this all-inclusive nature of environmental information
that makes it so difficult to manage. And it is this difficulty and our
desire to overcome it which has brought us here today. And, if I may say
so, it is this difficulty which makes it necessary and important for a
number of us to be in the business of organizing and distributing information,
in order to help people like you work smarter as well as harder.
381
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Comments of Dr. Leonard Lund
Senior Researcher, The Conference Board
for the
National Environmental Information Symposium
CincinnatiT Ohio - September 26. 1972
Publications: Management & Planning Panel
The link in the information chain that I am to forge
relates to the publication of environmental information for
management and planning and to a large degree are products
of management and planning. Thus, one who must use this
information generally synthesizes new information while
using it to meet his own particular needs.
In discussing the information needs of management,
and it is this aspect that should be covered first, we can
tangentially note that the requirements for decision-making
refers to public enterprise projects almost to a like degree
as it does to private business - but in this instance we
wish to relate primarily to the private sector.
The concern of industry in dealing with environmental
matters has. undergone significant growth in the past few
years. What we began with was the concern of a few forward
looking "socially responsible" companies for the local en-
vironment they were contaminating with industrial pollution.
They lessened the problem simply by installing some end-of-
the-pipe mechanism for reducing the amount of pollution from
their manufacturing process. The basic information needed
382
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at this point was engineering data on how to reduce the
pollution and to a lesser extent some financial concept of
what these devices would cost. Because there were no re-
quired standards, any pollution control effort was a plus
factor.
Circumstances, newly generated by legislative action,
have been altered greatly in recent years and with them the
demand for information. The demand of the new laws for
specific levels of cleanliness of air and water has severely
affected management's capacity to make the necessary decisions
11
without extensive back-up information on the economic, legal,
dl
technical and social ramifications of each decision.
$
Moreover, the heightened concern for environmental
K
natters and the understanding of the impact of this one issue
an many other areas of corporate decision-making has shifted
entd
the seat of planning and management leadership on the pollution
control issue from the line positions or technical divisions to
1 :he corporate executive suite.
^ It is no longer adequate to get a fast engineering make-
W'ip and a rough budget estimate as a means of determining the
e'vorporate investment in a pollution control program. Now the
i,
(rlorporate decision requires such information as the legal re-
t
Muirements of several levels of governmental jurisdictions,
383
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including a variety of regulatory bodies, the economic
feasibilities of alternative approaches to the problem,
the short-range and long-range consequences of each
alternative, the economic effect upon other corporate
activities and priorities, the community and public relations
effects, the total physical aspect of new construction, the
relationship with suppliers and customers, the details of
product life from design to disposal, and a collection of
other involvements. In effect, we are concerned with
enough information to develop a complete impact statement on
major business decisions. These data are developed from both
within the corporation and from external sources.
Because the data which is sought is overwhelmingly
economic in character -- production costs, tax liabilities,
changeover impacts, competitive price structures, share price
effects, effluent quantities and treatment costs, etc., many
corporations utilize the sources of economic information
which they have previously used to support other decisions
which were not^ environmentally oriented. Thus the management
and economic consulting firms continue to be a principal
source of information for management. More and more, however,
precise information produced by professional scientific and
engineering organizations -- the very detailed technical data
384
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is finding its way into the corporate decision-making
mechanism through the organizational structure from below
the top management level.
The information from the consulting firms is compiled
on a contract basis for the individual company and tailored
to its particular demands and needs. In addition, the in-
formation is confidential and unaccessable to other data
seekers. Therefore, to most of us, the sources of manage-
ment data from which a substantial number
-------
customers of equipment would be unwilling to order until they
can be sure of the standards they will have to meet — and
because they anticipated that the government would take an
extended time in clarifying these standards, some plants may
delay placing iiew orders for equipment. The latter decision
on the part of this management was based upon a prevalent
impression of the time-span necessary for government action.
However, an enlightened corporation would be aware of the
current state-of-mind of the governmental decision-makers and
would be governed by long-range estimates of the later cost
of installing equipment. In other words, some companies will
delay and use any type of rationalizing to do so. Others will
responsibly deal with their problem with the decision based
upon available information on both long and short range
estimates.
Some of the better known of these consulting firms are
Stanford Research Institute, Battelle Institute, Arthur D. Little,
and Chase Econometrics. Many of them have also done work for
government and these studies are sometimes made available as
public documents. A prime example is the work done by Chase
Econometrics and some economic analysts contracted by them to
produce the Report on the Economic Impact of Pollution Control
386
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for CEQ, EPA and NIPCC. They analyzed activities in 14
industries by compiling information from individual companies
and applying the amalgam to the entire industry. The in-
formation produced in the published report is being used
to determine corporate pollution expenditure policy in other
companies now.
I don't want to leave the impression that all of the
corporations rely on these private sources. Many have units
within the corporation for developing similar decision-support
information. Here the effort is based upon the propriety in-
formation from within the company and data from such other
sources as may be available. These other sources include
reports from government agencies, trade association compilations
and data supplied by business research organizations like The
Conference Board.
The Conference Board began to compile and publish data
on corporate expenditures for environmental facilities in 1966
as an adjunct of an existing periodical series of quarterly
reports on corporate capital appropriations.
Based upon the responses to the annual questionnaire —
these surveys reveal the amounts expended for capital purposes
for pollution control equipment by a limited number of manu-
facturing companies. Presently the survey reviews the annual
387
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expenditure for a three-year period so eomparision among the
three years is possible. Also cover|tf 'are; the; anrtual operating
expenditures for these facilities, tfofc fesyearch afld develop-
jf-~ •
!*•
ment costs, and the growth in the number Of plants in$talling
i \
equipment. The value of the annual^survey is the indicator it
provides on the growth of this expenditure in corporate
activities. While there is no effort made to project these
results to cover the entire industry outlays, the respondents
»
to the surveys -represent an ascertainable portion of the total
industry involvement.
The premier value of these surveys lies An the veracity
of the responses. Because The Conference Board guarantees
confidentiality of the response and publishes only aggregate
statistics, the industry respondents are most candid in providing
data.
More important as information for management planning
purposes is the current study under way on the organizational
response to the need to provide policy and direction to en-
vironmental programs. A questionnaire for ascertaining the
type of organization set-up, the role of various corporate
officers in making policy, the content of that policy, and the
interrelation with all other corporate activities has been
388
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completed by over 500 companies and the analysis of these
responses will be available in several months.
This study is an expansion and up-dating of a study
done several years ago which has been vef y infltte11^61! in providing
guidance to many companies in the formation and operation
of pollution control sections in the company and in the
creation of a policy point-of-view for the company. Because
of the Aforementioned changes in corporate treatment of en-
vironmental matters, this older study is now out-dated and
' the recent trends in policy- direct ion for these purposes re-
quires new coverage. Aside from the publication of these data,
I The Conference Board provides for its Associates specific
examples of existing organizational patterns so that companies
t interested in creating units can have the advantage of knowing
iwhat other businesses are doing in this field and how t they
have organized to get this done.
Other sources of statistics on corporate expenditures
are provided by trade associations and special publications.
While efforts have been made to try to reconcile some of these
sources, the different patterns of collecting data and the
suspected bias of some of them has made their value as counter-
i *
checks of our collected data impossible. Many company re-
searchers have frankly stated that they are unable to provide
389
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accurate and comprehensive analyses of the economic commitment
of industry, even on a year-by-year basis because of the lack
of such data. Part of the problem is the absence of a standard
for reporting this data, and another factor is the suspicion
that truly accurate reporting is not being provided.
Finally, The Conference Board holds conferences and
seminars -- so do other groups - the American Chemical Society,
the Chemical Engineers and other professional groups. The pro-
ceedings, the papers, the distillation of thoughts in any form
(now including video cassette presentations) are valuable
sources of information for planning -- so are the one-to-one
relationships developed by attendees at these conferences — some
of these are lasting and^valuable in providing continuing inter-
I
change of information -- that's why some of you are here — why
I am here and why!it has been a pleasure meeting with you.
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DOCUMENT SERVICES AND REFERRAL ACTIVITIES IN
INDUSTRY AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Arthur S. Jenkins
Computer Sciences Corporation
I'm going to talk about some of the document services and referral actmties
available in industry and the Federal government. I'm going to take a very simplistic
Approach — that is, how the manager or planner can use these services so that he
can access the most useful available information to help make his go or no-go, build
t1
or tear down, buy or sell decision with minimum risk.
||
I know little (and care less) about the inner workings of most information systems
(and services. The reason I don't know is that I've been spoiled — by librarians. All
the companies that I have work for have had capable library staffs who took care of my
I'ffi
requests for information with a minimum of fuss and feathers.
>i;
If you can utilize such a service, just unload your problem, stated as clearly and
fiO
'simply as possible, on your librarian and relax. But if you don't have this help, stick
iwound and I'll go through some of the do-it-yourself routines in a few minutes.
10, A word about the great mass of environmental information which is lurking out
here, somewhere.
Everybody at this Symposium has been talking about its shortcomings and the
roids in it. How good data on the economics of pollution control do not exist; how the
^formation is not kept current; how it can't satisfy the needs of the business world;
low there is no good base for predicting future regulatory actions.
All of these things are true -- at least to some degree. But the manager/planner
nust do the best he can with what's available, so I'll concentrate on practical ways of
'jettingtt> today's information — be it good or bad.
Before we get down to specifics about the use of available, services, indulge me
18 I blow off some user-oriented steam.
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Very helpful to the manager/planner are those retrieval services which cut
across scientific disciplines and other boundaries to identify all the sources pertinent
to the solution of a given problem. For instance, a key factor in the choice of a wet
.scrubber or an after-burner to control an industrial emission problem is life cycle
costs. In order to estimate these costs, technical, legal and economic information
must be available to the decision-maker. It simplifies his task if most or all of the
data he needs can be identified by and procured from a single source.
I do have preferences as to the format in which the information requested is
delivered to me. If there is time I'd rather have parent documents available. Brief
abstracts are suitable for identifying the documents you need but they cannot tell you
the whole story. There seems to be a plot to substitute the longer informative
abstract for the real thing in some areas. This always leaves the nagging thought
that the condenser omitted the one fact that would really be valuable to me. I'd
rather scan the original and do my own abstracting. Or if time is short, assign a
sharp staff member who knows the situation to pull out pertinent facts.
I like my documents in hard copy form. Microfiche are just dandy if you
happen to have a reader on your desk. Most managers don't. And, as many managers
and planners do their catch-up reading and paper work at home at night, microforms
of all kinds are often inconvenient.
The most important characteristics of an information service are scope of
coverage, response time, currenty of information and that illusive aura of trust
and dependability that is so important. Only time and repeated usage of a good
service can build up that feeling that when they give you the word, you've got it all.
Cost of service is not a major factor to most managers and planners. An
auditor may pick a n,'t once in a while when he checks the cost of an extensive search
but the money spent for most information is readily justified.
Enough of these ramblings. Let's take a look at the referral services available.
392
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Simply put, a referral service guides and directs a user to those people or
iaces who have the answer to his question. It does not attempt to provide the
nswer or even to list a bibliography of documents on the subject. It does tell the
ser who can help him, where he can find specific information, what source can
,rovide the data he needs, and how he can locate the information required. It
4entifies individuals or organizations with specialized knowledge of a given subject
r discipline.
Almost everyone in the information business lists referral activities as one of
>e services provided to their users. Specialized libraries and services are usually
ippy to identify other information sources in their field. Government and industry
/stems are referrals to augment their coverage and assist their clients. But all
,: these referral activities pale before the size and reach of the National Referral
enter. Science and Technology Division, Library of Congress.
The Center is, in their own words, "concerned with all fields of science and
chnology; the physical, biological, social and engineering sciences, and the many
chnical areas relating to them. Also, it is concerned with all kinds of information
ssources, wherever they exist: in government, in industry, and in the academic and
'ofessional world."
The sheer numbers describing the Center's operation are impressive. The
3iiter has been in existence for ten years, has received 25, 000 requests for infor-
ation and presently receives 75 to 100 queries each week. Over thirty thousand
•ganizational and individual potential information resources have been contacted
id twenty thousand responses are on file. Over the years almost 12, 000 sources
'ive been listed, and about 8,500 are currently carried in the automated live data
ise. Four professional referral specialists, assisted by support personnel,
anage to produce a response to most inquiries in three to five working days. In
Idition, the Center has compiled several publications under the general title. "A
,rectory of Information Resources in the United States" which are printouts of
rtions of the Center's data base. These documents may be purchased from the
393
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Government Printing Office, but the referral service for individual requests is
available without charge.
Beautiful statistics, but does it work? Yes, it does, and the better you ask
your question, the more precise is the reply. The general question, "Where can
I get information on solid wastes?" brings a preprinted list of 23 sources of infor-
mation with a brief description of the activities and services of each. A more
specific query, "What are sources of information on methods of tree stump and
other forest waste disposal in land clearing operations", resulted in five recom-
mended sources. The response was received nine days after the request was mailed,
and a random check of two of the sources confirmed their ability to furnish specific,
pertinent information.
The Center has a practice of follow-up to appraise the services received by
the requestor. An evaluation of the information sources recommended is part of
this appraisal which ihe requestor is asked to make about three months after his
initial contact. The Center has a booth in the Exhibit area. Stop by and talk about
your problems.
Other Federal and industry referral activities are available but none have the
scope of the National Referral Center. However, there may be good reasons for
utilizing their services. The world of classified information is a weird, and
wonderful merry-go-round. Fortunately, most environmental-related information,
even that generated by the Department of Defense and its contractors, is not
classified. Much of the unavailable material is in the Chemical-Biological Warfare
area, but managers and planners can normally get along without detailed knowledge
of line source diffusion models and defoiliant concentrations. If you must have
access to the classified information and have the credentials, ask the Defense Docu-
mentation Center in Alexandria, Virginia, for help. In the very unlikely event they
don't have the document you need, they know who does.
The best reason for asking smaller, more specialized libraries for referral
services is that they are more likely to be able to put you in direct contact with a
394
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erson who can solve your problems. Examples at the Federal level are EPA's
olid Wastes Information Retrieval System and the Air Pollution Technical Informa-
;on Center and the Agriculture Department's National Agricultural Library. The
government is loaded with true, card-carrying experts on every subject
and the specialty library services are usually happy to help you locate
*e one of your choice.
Professional societies also will assist in identifying their members who have
ecognized subject matter expertise. Many consulting agreements have resulted
com this type of referral; in fact some consultants depend on such contacts for a
ubstantial portion of their business.
\
One final referral activity should be menti6ned. It is informal and appears on
y
o listing of information services. It's the grapeVine, or as some call it, the
invisible college". There's always somebody who knows a guy who knows a guy.
,ctually it's quite effective in many cases. A recommendation of a product of
service by a peer the manager or planner respects carries more weight than almost
ny other testimonial, So much referral activity takes place on the informal grape-
ine that it must be recognized as a factor in any encompassing environmental in-
jrmation system.
Now to take a look at some document services available in industry and the
'ederal government.
A document service, straight-forwardly enough, is a source of documents and
ublicationig. The documents may be provided in a number of forms: original
ublications, reprints, paper copies, several varieties of microforms, magnetic
apes, and 'computer printouts. Most document services also publish periodic
'Ulletins which publicize the documents available and can provide catalogs, bibliog-
'! >
'aphies, translations, indices and abstracts which supplement the basic service.
4
flany such'lservices specialize in subject or discipline areas but a few of the large
pederal systems can provide almost any document which could conceivably be of
Merest in/a search for environmental information.
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At the Federal level, you have to start With the Department of Commerce's
National Technical Information Service (NTIS). It is the central source for the
public sale of Government-sponsored research and development reports and other
analyses prepared by Federal agencies and their contractors and grantees. This
includes those Department of Defense documents which do not carry a security ,
classification of confidential or higher.
Last year NTIS distributed more than 2.5 million documents and microfiche
to the public. They have almost 700, 000 titles listed and all are available for sale.
They are currently filling about 8, 000 orders a day. Any way you look at it, this
is big business.
NTIS advertises its wares and services primarily through periodic publications
I
of abstracts of Government reports. These publications are sent to subscribers on a
weekly or semi-monthly frequency and may be ordered in a number of disciplines or
technical fields. The agency is required by law to price its products for cost .
recovery so there is a charge for all documents and other services.
Two weekly abstracts !of interest to this audience are "Environment Pollution
and Control" and "Management Practice and Research". NTIS issues several other
publications devoted to environmental subjects, so I suggest that you who are
interested check their booth In the exhibit area for complete details on these and
other available goodies. Incidentally, you don't need any special qualifications or
Government contract status to use-the National Technical Information Service.
The Government printing Office also is a source of documents generated by
Federal agencies. The GPO's primary mission is that of printing most of the billions
of forms, reports, instructions and all the other pieces of paper so dear to the
bureaucratic world. But GPO also sells some of the more interesting of these print-
ings to the general public and so can be considered a -document service. Documents
may be procured by mail or from one of the retail outlets operated by GPO. Listings •'
of some of the 25, 000 titles in print, classified by subject matter, are provided "v'1
without cost and the listing titled "Ecology" would be of interest here.
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There is no overlap between the GPO service and the National Technical
Information Service. Books and documents available from GPO cannot be obtained
from NTIS. In general, NTIS handles reports generated in the course of Federally
financed R&D programs of all kinds while most GPO dpcuments are specifically
written for public consumption.
Many managers and planners who are involved in environmental control problems
first think, naturally enough, of the Environmental Protection Agency. Our hosts here,
the agency was formed two years ago from elements of HEW, Interior, AEC and other
Federal departments and has been actively waging a more-or-less successful fight
against all forms of environmental pollution ever since.
There are at least three document services within EPA which are of potential
interest to an involved manager or planner. Documents pertaining to the health
aspects of pesticides can be obtained from the Division of Pesticide Community Studies
in Chamblee, Georgia. The Solid Wastes Information Retrieval System (SWIRS) in
Rockville, Maryland, and 1,he Air Pollution Control Office in Raleigh-Durham provide
document services in their specialty areas. Other EPA information systems are in
operation but some, like STORET, the water quality technical data system, is not
oriented to providing the type of documents normally useful to managers and planners.
As the scope and services of the various EPA information systems seem to be
rather fluid, a central contact in Washington would seem desirable. So I started
calling people in the Agency to identify this contact. I never could find anyone who
would admit to having the responsibility to distribute all EPA documents. Most of
the time I got the "why don't you call good old Charlie; this sounds like the thing his
group should do" routine. It was not until I arrived here in Cincinnati yesterday that
I found the answer.
As most of you know, the Federal Government has divided the nation into ten
Federal regions. In each of these is an EPA Regional Library, staffed by competent
people ready to locate and provide environmental subject matter documents in response
«
to your requests. Try it — it's just got to be better than running down the EPA Head-
quarters phone book.
397
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Another large document service at the Federal level is NASA's Scientific and
Technical Information Facility (STIF) in College Park, Maryland. Aerospace-
related documents from many sources are available here and, in keeping with
NASA's drive to show earthy benefits from spending dollars in space, material of
value in environmental problem-solving is included.
There are other Federal level document services available — too many to
attempt to name and describe here. The best way to find what you need is to work
through the National Referral Center and/or the National Technical Information
Service mentioned previously. If neither of these services can help you, the odds
are high that your quest for knowledge will go unrewarded.
These services concentrate on documents prepared by Federally funded
activities. This constitutes a large part of the environmental-related information
available today, especially in the scientific and technical areas. But there is still
some room for others to operate. Among these are some commercial document
services which can be of invaluable assistance to the manager/planner.
Typical of the better document services available from professional societies
is that of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Copies of most
technical papers and reports of interest to the aerospace community are available
\
in paper copy or microfiche form. The' managers and planners involved with the
effects of aircraft noise in the environment, for instance, will quickly find a broad,
accessible information base on the subject. Those interested in internal combustion
engine emissions can receive similar document services from the Society of Auto-
motive Engineers; the foundry manager contacts the American Societv for Metals
and so on. All societies mentioned are scientific and technically oriented, and they
seem to be a bit more adept in the document services business than the non-technical
groups.
The American Management Association can provide its members with microfiche
of thousands of specialized management documents. Commercial firms such a.s^-^^.
Standard and Poor's Corporation sell tapes of business data but can hardly be called:
document services. Several commercial document services can supply reprints from
;'*
398
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a wide range of domestic and foreign publications. One of the largest, Institute for
Scientific Information, has a booth downstairs and they can describe their service
better than I can.
This has been a very brief, almost superficial review of some of the document
services and referral activities in industry and the Federal Government which are ,
available to assist managers and planners to solve environmental problems. I have
just scratched the surface. But even this view should be sufficient to convey the
feeling that there are a number of rather simple ways of getting directly to the person
or place where the answer to your specific questions may be found, and that making
one phone call or filling out one form can set in motion machinery which will deliver
almost any known document to your doorstep.
399
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MINNESOTA NATURAL RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEM
a presentation made at
the National Environmental Information Symposium
Cincinnati, Ohio
September 26, 1972
by
i
Joseph E. Sizer
Director of Environmental' Quality Planning
Minnesota State Planning Agency
St. Paul, 'Minnesota 55101
612-296-3985
400
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MINNESOTA NATURAL RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEM
INTRODUCTION
AN EXPANDING AND MOBILE POPULATION HAS CREATED CHANGES IN OUR SOCIAL AND
ECONOMIC STRUCTURES THAT ARE RESULTING IN MUCH GREATER AND MORE DIVERSE DEMANDS
FOR SERVICES. ' THIS ACTION IS PLACING ADDITIONAL PRESSURES UPON OUR NATURAL
RESOURCES AND RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR HISTORIC MANAGEMENT PRACTICES. IN SOME
•)
INSTANCES WE SEE FRAGMENTED AND UNCOORDINATED MANAGEMENT OF OUR AIR, LAND,
AND WATER RESOURCES SERIOUSLY AFFECTING THE BALANCE OF OUR ENVIRONMENT.
THE MINNESOTA STATE PLANNING AGENCY STAFF RECOGNIZED THE NEED FOR A MORE
COORDINATED AND UNIFORM PLAN TO.GUIDE THE USE, MANAGEMENT, AND PROTECTION OF OUR
NATURAL RESOURCES, IT WAS ALSO OBVIOUS THAT SUCH A GUIDE COULD ONLY BE DESIGNED
IF ACCURATE, RELIABLE, AND CURRENT INFORMATION WERE AVAILABLE.
ONE OF THE MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PLANNING AGENCY IN MINNESOTA IS
TO COORDINATE PLANNING BETWEEN STATE AGENCIES. THEREFORE, WHEN THE LEGISLATURE
CREATED THE AGENCY, IT WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE AND WAS NOT
GIVEN FUNCTIONAL-RESPONSIBILITIES. AS IT BECAME MORE APPARENT THAT WISE DECISIONS
NEEDED A VERY BROAD INFORMATION BASE. IT ALSO BECAME OBVIOUS THAT NO AGENCY HAD
THAT RESPONSIBILITY EXCEPT THE PLANNING AGENCY.
THE NEED FOR A WELL ORGANIZED INFORMATION SYSTEM WAS SUPPORTED BY MOST STATE
RESOURCE AGENCIES, BUT THE NECESSARY FINANCIAL SUPPORT WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE
FIRST TASK WAS TO"DEFINE, AND THEN TEST, THE STRUCTURE OF A NATURAL RESOURCE
INFORMATION SYSTEM.
HISTORY
AT THAT TIME, WORK ON AN INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR LAKESHORE DATA WAS BEING
CONDUCTED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE CENTER FOR
URBAN AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS (CURA). A PROJECT CALLED THE LAKESHORE DEVELOPMENT
STUDY HAD BEEN FUNDED BY THE MINNESOTA RESOURCES COMMISSION TO DETERMINE WHICH
LAKES HAD THEIR SHORELINES DEVELOPED, HOW EXTENSIVELY THEY WERE DEVELOPED, AND
WHERE THE DEVELOPMENT OCCURED ON THE LAKES. THIS WAS DESIGNED AS A PREDICTIVE
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Minnesota Natural Resource Information System
Joe Sizer
MODEL OF LAKESHORE DEVELOPMENT, BUT IT APPEARED THAT IT COULD ALSO SERVE AS A
PILOT FOR A STATE RESOURCE SYSTEM.
<•
THE RESEARCHERS NEEDED TO ACCURATELY LOCATE ALL OF THE LAKES IN THE STATE,
AND WITH OVER 12,000 BASINS CONTAINING WATER, THIS WAS NO EASY TASK. THEY FIRST
WENT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES TO FIND THE SIZE, DEPTH, FISH TYPE,
ETC. OF LAKES AND IN THE PROCESS FOUND TWO FILES OF INFORMATION ON LAKES THAT
WERE NOT COMPATIBLE. WE ARE MOW BUILDING ONE. THE NEXT DATA ELEMENT SOUGHT WAS
SOIL TYPE AND FOR THIS INFORMATION THEY WENT TO THE U.S. SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE
AND THE SOIL DEPARTMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA. THEY FOUND AGRICULTURAL
SOIL CLASSES AND MORE THAN 400 SOIL SERIES IDENTIFIED IN THE STATE, BUT MO CLASSES
THAT COULD SERVE AS A DEVELOPMENT GUI'pE. SOIL SCIENTISTS FROM THESE GROUPS WERE
ASKED TO ASSIST IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SUCH CLASSES AND THE FOLLOWING SEVEN
\ !
WERE SELECTED: \
LOAMY SOILS WET SOILS j
SANDY AND GRAVELLY SOILS CLAY SOILS
BEDROCK , ALLUVIAL SOILS
BOULDERS-BEDROCK-SOIL ', \
\ • \
THE STUDY TEAM THEN NEEDED INFORMATION ON THE EXISTING VEGETATION AND FOUND
IT HAD TO BE COLLECTED FROM AIR PHOTOS. STUDENTS WERE HIRED AND TRAINED TO DO
THIS JOB. OF COURSE, IT WAS STILL NECESSARY TO LOCATE EXISTING DEVELOPMENT AND TH1:
REQUIRED MANY TRIPS TO THE COUNTY ASSESSORS OFFICE IN ALL 87 COUNTIES. HERE, AGAIN;
THERE WERE DIFFERENCES IN HOW THE DATA WAS COLLECTED. HOWEVER, THEY ALL USED 60 :;
ACRE UNITS FOR LOCATING DEVELOPMENT AND THEIR RECORDS SHOWED WHEN IT HAD TAlfN
PLACE. > /I
' 'If
'*
THE/DATA THAT WA$ EVENTUALLY COLLECTED FROM.THIS^PRQJ^T INCLUDED
•jff \. j '
LAKE NUMBER
LOCATION OF 40 ON LAKE
SEASONAL AND PERMANENT STRUCTURES
TYPE AND DENSITY OF VEGETATION
AQUATIC VEGETATION
ON AND OFF-SHORE SLOPE
ACCESS TO ROADS .*,
LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE (geographic location)
MCD CODE FROM 1960 U.S. CENSUS
OWNERSHIP (STATE .FEDERAL,LOCAL, OR PRIVATE)
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Minnesota Natural Resource Information System
Joe Sizer
THIS PROJECT DEMONSTRATED THE NEED TO INVOLVE DATA COLLECTORS AND MANAGERS
IN EACH STEP IN A PROJECT OF THIS TYPE. IT ALSO EMPHASIZED THE NEED FOR STANDARDIZATION
OF DATA AT ALL LEVELS.
A FEW ITEMS OF INTEREST THAT WERE FOUND:
'' ' 0
- THE DIVISION OF LANDS AND FORESTRY OWNED 10 TIMES MORE, POTENTIAL SPAWNING
AREAS THAN THE DIVISION OF GAME AND FISH.
- THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT OWNED MORE SANDY BEACH AREA THAN THE DIVISION OF
PARKS AND RECREATION.
MLMIS
USING THIS LAKESHORE DEVELOPMENT STUDY AS A GUIDE, THE PLANNING AGENCY DECIDED
TO EXPAND THE PILOT TO COLLECT DATA ON ALL LANDS, NOT JUST, LAKESHORE. THE PRIMARY
OBJECTIVE WOULD BE TO IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENTAL OR RESOURCE USE DECISIONS OF
PUBLIC OFFICIALS BY MAKING ALL DATA AVAILABLE NO MATTER WHAT THE SOURCE, BUT IN A
VERY SELECTIVE MANNER. IT WOULD ALSO PROVIDE AN INTERDISCIPLINARY TOOL FOR RESEARCH
AT THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL.
WE RECOGNIZED. THE NEED TO STANDARDIZE THE DATA COLLECTION AND STORAGE AND THAT
ONE OF THE KEYS TO THIS WAS THE COORDINATION BETWEEN THE VARIOUS DATA SOURCES. EVEN
THEN WE DID NOT KNOW WHAT FORM THE SYSTEM WOULD TAKE. IT WAS DECIDED TO DESIGN A
PILOT OF ONE MAJOR DATA ELEMENT FOR THE ENTIRE STATE AND WE SELECTED CURRENT LAND
USE. WE ALSO DECIDED TO WORK WITH THE SAME TEAM AT THE UNIVERSITY THAT HAD PRODUCED
THE LAKESHORE DEVELOPMENT STUDY.
WORK ON- THE LAND USE PILOT BEGAN IN 1969 AND IT WAS TITLED THE MINNESOTA LAND
MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (MLMIS). IT NOW SEEMS THAT THIS WILL SERVE AS THE
BASIC RESOURCE MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR THE STATE.
THE LAND USE INFORMATION WAS OBTAINED THROUGH INTERPRETATION OF HIGH ALTITUDE
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY. THE INITIAL PROBLEM WAS FUNDING AND SUPPORT WAS RECEIVED FROM
THE STATE PLANNING AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF HIGHWAYS, MINNESOTA RESOURCES COMMISSION,
AND THE UPPER GREAT LAKES REGIONAL COMMISSION.
• -• ' 403
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Minnesota Natural Resource Information System
Ooe Sizer
THE LAND USE MAP WAS PRODUCED TO DEMONSTRATE THE SYSTEM AND TO STIMULATE
ENOUGH INTEREST TO OBTAIN ADEQUATE FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO DEVELOP A RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.THAT WILL PROPERLY SERVE THE STATE AND ITS SUBDIVISIONS. OUR
EXPERIENCE IN PRODUCING THE LAND USE MAP AND THE WORK OF THE UNIVERSITY ON LAKESHOfi
••"»
GAVE US CONFIDENCE THAT THE STATE AGENCIES WERE INTERESTED IN THIS WORK AND THEY
WOULD COOPERATE IN THE PROGRAM.
A WORD ABOUT THE UNIT OF LAND THAT HAS BEEN SELECTED FOR THE SYSTEM. THE
40 ACRE UNIT OR GOVERNMENT LOT DATA CELL IS THE LAND UNIT THAT HAS BEEN USED
THROUGHOUT THE STATE BY ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT TO REPORT OWNERSHIP RESOURCE DATA,
THE LAKESHORE STUDY CONTAINS 40,000 OF THESE CELLS AND HAS THE DATA I DISCUSSED
EARLIER FOR EACH UNIT. THE STATE LAND U$E INFORMATION SYSTEM HAS 7,365,000
FORTY-ACRE UNITS (OR GOVERNMENT LOTS) AND EACH HAS A COMPUTER PUNCH CARD CONTAIN^
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION: PARCEL LOCATION
CURRENT LAND USE
WATER ORIENTATION
MUNICIPALITY LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE
OTHER DATA THAT WILL BE PLACED IN THE SYSTEM AS FUNDING BECOMES AVAILABLE INCLUDE!
DOMINANT SOIL TYPE ! - :
MINERALS DATA
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
RECREATION DEVELOPMENT
PUBLIC CONTROLS
SURFACE OWNERSHIP
GEOLOGIC DATA
SLOPE
SURFACE WATER DATA
GROUND WATER DATA
OTHER SYSTEMS
ANOTHER STATE SYSTEM THAT IS CLOSELY RELATED TO THE MINNESOTA'LAND MANASEH0J
INFORMATION SYSTEMS (MLMIS) IS THE NATURAL RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEM (NARIS), If
ILLINOIS. NARIS .IS MORE ADVANCED IN TECHNOLOGY THAN MLMIS, BUT IS OF A MUCH MOf
LIMITED GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE CONTAINING INFORMATION FOR PORTIONS OF EIGHT COUNTIES I
NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS. .>. : . ;
\
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Minnesota Natural Resource Information System
joe Sizer
THE SYSTEM IS ALSO BEING DEVELOPED AS A DECISION AID FOR USE BY PUBLIC
AGENCIES AND PRIVATE CITIZENS. IT IS BEING DEVELOPED AT THE CENTER FOR ADVANCED
COMPUTATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS.
THE NARIS DATA BASE CONTAINS NATURAL RESOURCE INFORMATION BASED ON 40-ACRE
TRACTS OF LAND AND IS ACCESSIBLE BY A GEOGRAPHIC IDENTIFICATION LABEL.
TO DATE, EACH TRACT CONTAINS 15 CLASSES OF INFORMATION UNDER THE MAJOR
HEADINGS OF GEOLOGY, LAND USE, FORESTRY, SOIL AND WATER:
GEOLOGY 1. INTERPRETATION FOR WASTE DISPOSAL
2. INTERPRETATION FOR CONSTRUCTION
3. WATER RESOURCES
4, SAND AND GRAVEL RESOURCES
5. SURFICIAL DEPOSITS
LAND USE 6. HUD CODES (HUD IS THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN
DEVELOPMENT)
7. NIPC CODES (NIPC IS THE NORTHEASTERN ILLINOIS PLANNING COMMISSION)
FORESTRY 8. NATIVE WOODY VEGETATION
9. PLANTED WOODY VEGETATION
SOIL 10. SCS SOIL CHARACTERISTICS (SCS IS THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE - SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE)
WATER 11. WATERSHED
12. WELLS
13. PRESENT IMPOUNDMENTS
14. FUTURE IMPOUNDMENTS
15. STREAMS
EACH OF THESE 15 CLASSES IS, IN TURN, MADE UP OF DATA ELEMENTS. IN GENERAL,
INFORMATION IS STORED WITHIN NARIS AT THREE LEVELS: CLASS, DATA ELEMENT, AND
VALUE.
THE NARIS LANGUAGE CAN ALSO BE USED TO DISPLAY INFORMATION FROM CREATED
REGIONS. ONCE A REGION HAS BEEN CREATED, THREE NARIS VERBS MAY BE USED TO DISPLAY
INFORMATION ABOUT THE REGION:
CALCULATE - PERFORMS BASIC STATISTICAL TESTS ON SELECTED DATA WITHIN
THE REGION.
TABULATE - LISTS THE TOTAL NATURAL RESOURCES OF A SELECTED REGION BY A
SELECTED CLASS (OR BY ALL CLASSES) ON A TRACT-BY-TRACT BASIS.
MAP - PROVIDES THE SAME INFORMATION AS TABULATE BUT IN THE FORM OF
A PICTURE OF MAP.
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Minnesota Natural Resource Information System
Joe Sizer
MARTS CAN ALSO BE USED TO MAXIMIZE OR MINIMIZE A DESIRED OBJECTIVE WITHIN
A REGION BY USING THE "WEIGHTING FUNCTION." THE WEIGHTING FUNCTION ALLOWS THE
USER TO SUBJECTIVELY ASSIGN NUMBERS THAT ACT AS WEIGHTS. THESE NUMBERS OR WEIGH,
REFLECT THE SUITABILITY OF ANY RESOURCE IN THE TRACT TO SATISFY SOME GIVEN
OBJECTIVE.
BOTH OF THESE SYSTEMS ARE BEING DESIGNED SO THAT THE USER NEED NOT HAVE
A DETAILED KNOWLEDGE OF COMPUTERS AND PROGRAMMING. THIS, I FEEL, IS ESSENTIAL
IF WE ARE TO GET MAXIMUM USE AND RETURN FROM THE SYSTEMS.
ORGANIZATION
MOST RESOURCE MANAGERS IN MINNESOTA TODAY BELIEVE THAT INFORMATION IS A
NECESSARY INPUT TO ANY RATIONAL DECISION MAKING PROCESS. THEY ALSO FEEL THAT
BETTER INFORMATION WILL MAKE THAT PROCESS EVEN MORE EFFICIENT. THE CONCERN FOR?
CONSERVING OUR NATURAL RESOURCES HAS STIMULATED THIS INTEREST IN AN ORGANIZED
AND SYSTEMITIZED METHOD OF COLLECTING AND DISSEMINATING RESOURCE DATA.
THE MLMIS IS BEING DESIGNED TO SERVE AS SUCH A DATA BASE AND POSSIBLY WILi
PROVIDE A FILE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. THIS WOULD PERMIT US TO ACCESS FILES HAINTA1
IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND ALSO ENABLE THE FILE MANAGER TO
CONTINUE TO ACCESS HIS MATERIAL AT LEAST AS WELL AS HE HAS IN THE PAST.
THERE ARE THREE MAJOR ELEMENTS THAT WOULD SEEM TO GOVERN ANY WORK RELATED
/IAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT:
- A STANDARDIZED CODING SCHEME FOR ALL RESOURCE RELATED DATA.
- COMMUNICATION AND EXCHANGE BETWEEN ALL DATA COLLECTORS.
- STORAGE OF ALL DATA BY COLLECTORS IN MACHINE-READABLE FORM.
THIS SYSTEM WOULD ALSO ATTEMPT TO ACHIEVE:
- AN AUTOMATED SYSTEM OF DATA ENTRY FROM COLLECTION POINT.
- A PROCEDURE TO UPDATE DATA BASES FROM THE POINT OF ORIGINAL ENTRY.
- ACCESS BY USER TO COMMUNICATE WITH DATA BASES AND ABILITY TO
DATA IN A DIRECT ENGLISH FASHION.
406 .
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Minnesota Natural Resource Information System
Joe Sizer
DISCUSSIONS ARE SCHEDULED TO BEGIN WITH THESE DATA COLLECTORS TO IDENTIFY WAYS
TO AUTOMATE THE DYNAMIC PORTIONS OF THE DATA INPUT. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS, WE WILL
INVOLVE THE FOLLOWING GROUPS:
STATE
ADMIN
SPA
DNR
PCA
HIGHWAYS
HEALTH
HRC
LEGISLATURE
REGIONAL
COMMISSIONS
UGLRC
ARROWHEAD
MINN VALLEY
METRO
UNIV
OF
MINN
MLMIS
UCC
UCS
MAPS
RAFT
FORESTRY
GEOGRAPHY
GEOLOGY
FEDERAL
AGENCIES
HUD
EPA
SCS
USGS
NOAA
NASA
HEW
PRIVATE COUNTIES
SECTOR
UTILITIES RAMSEY
BUS CORP ST. LOU IS
LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECTURE
SOILS
IF WE WERE TO DIAGRAM HOW THIS WOULD BE ORGANIZED FOR EFFECTIVE INVOLVEMENT
IT WOULD PROBABLY TAKE THE FORM OF THE DIAGRAM ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE.
THE STATE HERE PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYSTEM, AND
THE REGIONAL COMMISSIONS ARE MAJOR USERS OF THE DATA FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. THE
COUNTIES AND THE FUNCTIONAL STATE AGENCIES CONTINUE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
OPERATION OF DATA FILES AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS,
ALTHOUGH THE PROGRAM IS NOW BEING OPERATED AT THE UNVIERSTIY, IT IS FELT
THAT THE APPROPRIATE HOME FOR THE SYSTEM IS THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS DIVISION OF
THE DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION. THEY ARE NOW PART OF THE TEAM THAT IS DESIGNING
THE SYSTEM AND WILL GRADUALLY ASSUME OPERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES.
I
407
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STATE
Department of Administration
State Planning Agency
Department of Natural
Resources
Department of Highways
Department of Health
o
00
1.
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
Center for Urban and Regional
Development
Minnesota Land Management
Information System
Minneosta Analysis and Planning
System
Other Departments
REGIONAL COMMISSIONS
2
-t-
i
n
OTHERS
U.S. Forest Service
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency
U.S. Soil Conservation Service
Utilities
COUNTIES
St. Louis
Itasca
Lake
Cook
Aitkin
Carl ton
Koochiching
etc.
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Minnesota Natural Resources Information System
joa Sizer
THERE IS ADDITIONAL RESEARCH BEING CONDUCTED IN EXPERIMENTING WITH
DIGITIZING, THE USE OF THE CATHODE RAY TUBE, PLOTTER MAPS AND ISOPLETH
CONTOURING ON COUNTY MAPS. THESE TECHNIQUES SEEM TO HOLD GREAT PROMISE TO
VASTLY IMPROVE THE DATA COLLECTION SYSTEM.
WE ARE ALSO WORKING WITH THE ERTS IMAGERY UNDER A CONTRACT "WITH NASA
IS AN ATTEMPT TO INTERPRET LAND USE AND LANDFORMS. WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS
WITH CONSIDERABLE ACCURACY USING OUR OWN HIGH ALTITUDE PHOTOGRAPHY IN PREPARING
THE LAND USE INFORMATION AND WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SOME OF THE SAME
INTERPRETATIONS'WITH THE ERTS MATERIAL.
ANOTHER USE OF MLMIS IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCE INFORMATION TO ASSIST
IN THE PREPARATION OF MASTER PLANS. THE SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA HAS BEEN PREPARING MASTER PLANS OF TWO PROPOSED
STATE RECREATIONAL FACILITIES USING THE SYSTEM AND COLLECING ADDITIONAL DATA.
FROM ALL INDICATIONS, THIS IS A VERY VALUABLE TOOL FOR RESOURCE EVALUATION AND
ITS USE SHOULD EXPAND IN THE FUTURE.
SUMMARY
WE DO NOT FEEL THAT WE HAVE A FINISHED INFORMATION SYSTEM, BUT WE HAVE TAKEN
A SIGNIFICANT FIRST STEP AND DEMONSTRATED THE VALUE OF A RESOURCE INFORMATION
SYSTEM TO THE STATE. WE WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND REFINE
THE MANY SUB-SYSTEMS THAT NOW CONTAIN AND PROBABLY WILL CONTINUE TO CONTAIN THE
MAJORTIY OF THE DATA.
IT IS OUR INTENTION TO WORK ON THAT PORTION OF THE SYSTEM THAT WILL ASSIST
IN RESOLVING OUR MOST DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS AS WE EXPAND TO SERVICE ALL
POSSIBLE USERS. THE SEVERAL PILOT STUDIES PREPARING MASTF.R PLANS SHOULD BE MOST
HELPFUL IN THIS AREA.
FINALLY, WE ARE ANXIOUS TO DISCUSS OUR WORK WITH OTHER RESOURCE DATA MANAGERS
IN THE HOPE THAT THE SYSTEM THAT FINALLY EMERGES IS A KEY MANAGEMENT TOOL TO ALL
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Minnesota Natural Resources Information System
JoeSizer
USERS. WE ALSO FEEL THAT IT WILL BE HEAVILY USED IN THE PLANNING PROGRAMS
REQUIRED IN THE NEW WATER OUALT1Y LEGISLATION AND THE PROPOSED LAND PLANNING
PROGRAM.
410
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David L. Edgell, Deputy Director
Office of Actuarial & Research Services
UIS, Manpower Administration
U. S. Department of Labor
Environmental Information and labor Market Problems:
Today and Tomorrow
As Mr. Ruckelshaus mentioned this morning, there are over a dozen
Governmental agencies engaged in the collection and dissemination of
environmental information. One such agency is the U.S. Department of
Labor. In keeping with the spirit of this symposium, and to the topic
assigned me, I will confine my remarks this afternoon to some of the
socio-economic information available, and needed, by the Labor Depart-
ment in order to carry out its responsibilities for manpower planning
under the National Environmental Policy Act. In this respect, I will
briefly mention the Labor Department's dual role as both a user and
producer of important socio-economic information. Unfortunately, the
time allotted me does not allow for an opportunity to adequately cover
very many of the environmental policy issues affecting the Labor
Department in its collection and dissemination of information in this
area. What I can do, however, is share with you what I think are some
of the current highlights of informational needs for manpower planning
by the Labor Department's Manpower Administration.
When President Nixon signed the National Environmental Policy Act
on January 1, .1970, establishing the Council of Environmental Quality,
he signaled a shift in national priorities vhcse consequences for the
411
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' I i'~ - -
economy and for manpower|requirements and training ere, in some respect's,
» * •';' ;1
just now "being realized* In effect, the Act/"brought/to the forefront 'f
,'••' l« •
if- ' '7
urgent new claims on our economic resources isuch as an improved environment,
QSie Act made it quite clear that vhile using our productive resources to
produce the combination of goods and services most preferred by society,
v
we Hay not "be using resources in a way which best serves the national
welfare. Quite rigbtly, then, the Government's role vas, and is, con-
tinually being expanded to prevent overuse of environmental.resources "by
the various sectors of the economy»
Before discussing some of the details of the Manpower ij^dministra-
tion's activities in an effort toward gathering information for use in
improving the quality of the environment, I wish to mention one piece
of legislation currently on the horizon which could have important
socio-economic environmental effects for the Manpower Administration's
role in manpower planning. Biis legislation known as H.R, 16071^ and
which I have been informed passed the House of Representatives, Vould
amend Section 9 of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 19&5
by adding "Title VTII - Environmental Effects." This addition, as, I
understand it, would involve the Environmental Protection Agency and
the Labor Department in a cooperative venture to provide information , ,
and special types of economic assistance to persons losing jobs due to
Federal standards for the improvement of environmental quality. In
summary, the Secretary of Labor would bo authorized to provide for (l) ••".•
a special unemployment compensation program with unemployment insurance
benefits to equal at least 60 percent of the individual's former weekly
vage; (2) provide assistance on a temporary basis in the. form of mortgage ,
412
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or rental payments; (3) proyide reemployment assistance service; and
authorize payment of the actual reasonable moving expenses of individuals
affected. To carry out such legislation there would "be appropriated an
amount not to exceed $100 million. While the impact of H.R. 16071 has
not yet been fully analyzed, we can all think of additional types and
Mnds of information that would be needed to effectively carry out such
\
legislation*
\ In exploring environmental protection activities as a possible
\
source of jobs for unemployed and underemployed workers with different
\
levelis of skill, the Department of Labor has been severely hampered by
the laqk of data on occupational requirements. One of the first steps
\
taken to, collect this kind of labor market information was a.manpower
\
survey of\municipal waste treatment plants. This survey was conducted
A,
jointly by\ the Labor Department's Manpower Administration and affiliated
\
State emploi\nnent security agencies, and the Environmental Protection
Agency in Jusne 1971- The data were collected from more than $0 percent
of., the 3,500 ;plants in a sample selected for-this project. The sample,
represent.ing albout 25 percent of all operating municipal waste treatment
! • l
facilities, was stratified by size and type of treatment provided.
Manpower data also were collected for plants not built at the time of
tine survey but | anticipated to be' in operation by 1975* Detailed breakouts
(Of the survey fiata for individual States are still being made and a final
survey report will not be available for some time. However, a preliminary
analysis of tjie data has recently been completed on a nationwide basis.
•' ' \ *
The following are the major findings of this analysis:
413
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(a) Expenditures for :;ur.icipal vastevater treatment plants are expected
i» *
to triple in 3 years from $2 billion in 1970 to $6.1 billion in
/
1973, and then level off to $2.2 billion in 1975 ^ As a result
of this heavy increase in new plant and equipment, employment in
the Nation's municipal wastewater treatment plant facilities will
increase substantially by 1975* (Employment at the time of the
/
survey, June 1971, was 50,000.)
(b) This expansion will account for only part of the total manpower
needs for such water pollution control activities. According to
the preliminary survey data 6$ the Manpower Administration arid the
Environmental Protection Agency, en aggregate total of almost
^3*000 additional workers will be required to meet anticipated
manpower needs in municipal wastewater treatment plants between
1970 and 1975* About one-third of these workers will be needed to
operate new or expanded facilities, while the remainder will
replace workers leaving existing waste treatment plant jobs because
of such factors as deaths and retirements and transfers out of the
industry.
(c) Seventeen thousand jobs, or UO percent of the demand for additional
employees, are projected to be for waste treatment plant operators-
workers who operate wastewater treatment sludge processing, and
disposal equipment to control the flow and processing of wastevater,
sludge and effluent.
(d) Three out. of every four open positions during the 1970-1975 period
are expected to be in secondary waste treatment plants. The expan-
sion of seconrsry facil"'J:-:Lrrs is; being necessitated Try more strirv;er.ti
water quality standards being adopted by States across the country.
I/ TheSnvironnental Protection Agency. ^, ,
-------
Another important pro'jgct "begun in 1971 arid implemented in June 1972,
and which again involves the Jfenpower Administration and affiliated State
employment security agencies, and the Environmental Protection Agency,
deals with "economic dislocation." The Secretary of Labor has signed a
"Memorandum of Understanding" with the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency which provides for the establishment of an "Economic
« .
Dislocation Early Warning System." This action was taken in response
to suggestions from the Council on Environmental Quality in recognition
of the potential effects on employment of enforcement actions by Federal,
State and local environmental protection agencies. The objective of the
Department of Labor is to provide assistance to persons who become
unemployed or dislocated as a result of actions taken to protect the
environment•
The "Economic dislocation early warning systeir" will provide for
a routine flow of information between the Department of Labor and the
Environmental Protection Agency consisting of early notification to the
Department of Labor by the Environmental Protection "Agency of enforcement
actions which could adversely affect employment opportunities. This
will allow the Department of Labor to take prompt and appropriate action
to avoid or minimize unemployment problems. The Department of Labor
will, in turn, provide the Environmental Protection Agency with special
kinds of information, including job data and mass layoff reports. Much
of the information furnished to the Environmental Protection Agency will
be forthcoming as a coordinated and cooperative effort by the Manpower
Administration, and affiliated State employment security agencies.
415
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Finally, and without "belaboring the issue, I would like to describe
one further effort "being made "by the Labor Department's Manpower
Administration to obtain useful information needed for manpower planning
requirements in environmental protection activities. Currently a survey
is being conducted to determine the availability of job opportunities
for calendar years 1972-1975 for professional and technical personnel
*
in government and industry (both profit and nonprofit) in the fields of
air, water, solid waste, pesticides, radiation, and noise control and
protection.
It is anticipated that the available reservoirs of people trained
and being trained in these occupational fields will not be sufficient to
meet the longterm e:cpected demand. However, the true extent of this
demand is not known. At the same time, on the labor supply side, there
is a serious unemployment problem among professional and technical per-
sonnel formerly connected with the aerospace industry and related
industries, Reductions in expenditures by the Department of Defense, NASA
and other agencies of government connected with the aerospace industry
has significantly impacted the employment opportunities for professional
\
and technical support personnel. Many such people now find themselves
unemployed but lacking the skills needed to make the transition to the
professional and technical job market in the area of environmental control
and protection. The survey will hopefully develop information as to the
wage structure, educational requirements, residence requirements, employ-
ment criteria and other pertinent information which will assist manpower
agencies in detemininc the size and scope of the training, retraining
416
•v, i
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and other programs needed "to meet the immediate needs of.the industry
and the unemployed engineers and technicians.
The basic problem faced by manpower agencies in responding to this
critical demand-supply situation is the identification of (l) the type
and number cf job opportunities that will be available vithin the
immediate future; (2) the amount and type of training and retraining
f .
programs which will be needed; and (3) other obstacles, e.g., salaries,
restrictive employment requirements, etc. To train or to "over-train"
for non-existent positions or for positions that vill not become available
until some future period (5 to 8 years) is inefficient and non-responsive
to the needs of those now unemployed. Therefore^ it is imperative, at
this point in time, that this survey be directed at the demand for
professional and technical jobs immediately available within the next
one to four years in the environmental protection field in order to
structure training and other employment efforts that will be immediately
responsive to the needs.
The above-mentioned activities are only a few samples of some of the
kinds of socio-economic data needed for manpower planning, and methods
currently being used to obtain the information. These kinds of informa-
tional surveys are just a beginning. Similar studies of employment
requirements in other sectors involving environmental protection are
urgently needed as veil. The need for similar types of data is emerging
and developing so rapidly that unless we properly plan for gathering and
j
processing -mwh information now, we may be faced with inefficient and
.T*
Costly nethon's for ineetinj- such t>roolens in the future.
417
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So far, much of the Deformation has teen and is being collected by
; .
the State employment security agencies. These agencies have done a very
outstanding job in obtaining the most accurate and timely labor market
information available for meeting today's decisions. The coordinated
effort and cooperative attitude exhibited by these agencies has certainly
gained them much admiration and respect.
t ,
The more difficult problem is in obtaining information for tomorrow's
decisions. The task is a big one and should not be limited to just
people involved in socio-economic programs. It will take the collabora-
tion of all of the many disciplines represented here today to help
formulate an information system capable of ansvering future manpower
needs for environmental quality. Furthermore, an information system for
future decision making is likely to require the raanpover technicians and
analysts currently helping to collect the data to have a greater under-
standing of the principles and relationships of the natural sciences,
engineering, and other disciplines. And, needless to say, the real
success in obtaining the combinations of information needed will depend
on a "spirit of coordination and cooperation" and interdisciplinary
teamwork among all the users and producers of such data. It's not an
easy job to coordinate all the kinds of information needed from numerous
disciplines for manpower planning, but by such cooperative efforts as
this symposium and related activities, the job can be done.
In closing let me optimistically suggest that a good socio-economic
information system need not be just a drean. Certainly the money end
resources to hire and train the staff to accomplish this i?Toortant work
418
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manpower -information for environmental protection will largely depend
On politico-econoriic dcniands as prescribed "by legislative action and
administrative direction. But the priorities for information for
manpower planning are so essential in any assessment of environmental
protection ;that proper attention to this problem will certainly be
forthcoming.
419
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APPLICATIONS OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC INFORMATION TO ENVIRONMENTAL
RESEARCH AND PLANNING
William B. DeVille
Director of Program Development
Gulf South Research Institute
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Many years ago I read a classic 19th century book by the English
i 1
archaeologist Layard, Discoveries in the Ruins of Ninevah and Babylon.
More recently, I was delighted to find an excerpt from Layard's account
cited in a book on research writing. The excerpt, quoted here, seems
very appropriate for introducing some of the points we shall be con-
sidering during this symposium. The excerpt is a letter from a Turkish
official to an Englishman who had, obviously, put some very troublesome
questions to the official.
My Illustrious Friend and Joy of My Liver!
The thing you ask of me is both difficult and use-
less. Although I have passed all my days in this place,
I have neither counted the houses nor have I inquired
intc the number of the inhabitants; and as to what one
person loads on his mules and the other stows away in the
bottom of his ship, that is no business of mine. But,
above all, as to the previous history of this city, God
only knows the amount of dirt and confusion that the
infidels may have eaten before the coming of the sword of
Islam. It were unprofitable for us to inquire into it.
0 my soul! 0 my lamb! Seek not after the things which
concern thee not. Ihou comest unto us and we welcomed
thee. Go in peace.
Austen H. Layard, Discoveries in the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon,
London, 1853, p. 663.
2 •?<>..•
Jacques Barzun and Henry F- Graff, 'The Modern Researcher^ New Yorkvfj
Harcourt, Brace and World, 1957, p. 3. ,£{•*
420
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The attitude of this 19th century Turkish official comes as a
conceptual jolt to anyone who is aware of present administrative
practices in Washington or any state capitol. No vital statistics!
No data on industrial productivity, labor force, or economic indicators!
No historical collation of data used for extrapolation and prediction!
Having worked a few years ago with a 20th century Turkish administrator,
I can state that now socio-economic information and data furnish grist
for the mills of government in Turkey as well as in the United States.
The attitude of some of my environmentalist friends who see little
or no reason to discuss socio-economic information resources in the
context of attacking environmental problems hits me with a very similar
conceptual jolt. One of my friends is an ecologist who has been
studying the ecology of a small patch of grassland, paying particular
attention to the field mouse population. He has gathered, over a period
of years, a vast quantity of detailed information about the numbers of
field mice, their food supplies, their relative population with respect
to predators, birth and death rates under various conditions, and so on.
Several weeks ago he asked me why the National Environmental Information
Symposium was to include a section on socio-economic information.
Yet it seems very obvious that a great deal of the'information on
field mice mentioned,above is perfectly analogous to the kinds of
socio-economic information we are discussing at this meeting, and the
relationships of analogous sets of such information to our understanding
of environmental problems is very similar. Mice do not formulate
statements about environmental problems such as crowding, overpopulation,
421
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or lack of resources; but in a sense, this j\s precisely what the
ecologist has done. We can look at our physical environment,'our
institutions, our population and demographic characteristics, our
use or movement of resources, and many other factors and formulate
statements about our environmental problems very like those the
ecologist makes about field mice in the area of grassland.
Unlike field mice, fortunately, we can consciously analyze our
problems and t>y to modify our behavior or our institutions in order to
solve or alleviate them. We can plan, and implement our plans. But in
order to do such planning, or to administer effectively the implementation
of plans to solve environmental problems, we must ask a great many
questions about things that wer$ anathema to our friend, the 19th century
Turkish official.
The point I wish to emphasize here, in agreement with the philosophy
of Professor L. K. Caldwell of Indiana University, is that most
environmental problems are really problems of the man-environment
relationship. Significantly, most federal legislation dealing with
pollution and1 its control or abatement defines "pollution" as manmade
contamination of the environment. Therefore, we are not trying by such
specific legislation to control environmental damages arising from the
vast impersonal processes of nature such as earthquakes, tidal waves,
or volcanoes. Our environmental legislation is directed at bringing
human activity into, a balance with natural resources and processes such
that the quality of life is improved.
422
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Why haye we individually, or as governmental agencies, or as
business and industrial corporations—or as a society as a whole—
so perturbed the balance of our environment that we must now devote
a major portion of our energies and resources to restoring a suitable
equilibrium? What kinds of policies, programs, penalties, incentives,
etc. can be addressed to human activities to improve their impacts
upon the environment? Han can we choose among alternative paths for
improving man-environment relationships? What will be side-effects —
for good or for bad—on other human values and institutions, such as
social justice and economic well-being?
I believe these and other related questions are of the first
level of importance for anyone concerned with improving the quality of
our environment. So far as I know, no one has yet supplied the final
and definitive answers to any of them. But these questions do speak
to knowledge and to facts. If we are to act rationally and well, we
must raise such questions, and we must seek out the knowledge and facts
that can help answer them.
To whom can we put such questions with some hope of getting a
better response than the old Turk gave his English friend? One answer
may be to go to an information retrieval center using computerized
storage and retrieval techniques. Until very recently, I was the
project director of the Environmental Systems Applications Center,
an environmental information center associated with a scientific and
•*
technical information center, ARAC, at Indiana University. The design,
output formats, and some of our experiences at ESAC may serve to
423
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illustrate one kind of information center;which attempts,to service a
wide variety of information requests.
The sources of .information for ARAC and ESAC, or their information
inputs, are periodically updated files of abstracts of reports, papersi
monographs, books, and other publications. Such abstract files are
generated both by governmental and private sources. Examples of files
produced by government agencies are the NASA STAR and IAA files covering
U.S. and foreign publications in the aerospace fields; U.S. Government
Reports Announcements, which deals with unclassified reports from the
Department of Defense as well as reports from a number of other federal
agencies; Selected Water Resources Abstracts^ which is produced by the
Department of Interior and deals with all phases of water quality
management and water resources; Air Pollution Abstracts, produced by
the Environmental Protection Agency,.which covers all facets of air
pollution arid pollution control; and Nuclear Sciences Abstracts*
produced by the Atomic Energy Commission, which deals with all
unclassified reports on radiation and atomic energy. Examples of similar
resources produced in the private sector include Chemical Abstracts
Condensates-, which provides world-wide coverage of the literature of
chemistry and is produced by the American Chemical Society; Pollution
Abstracts3 which covers all facets of environmental pollution and
pollution coritrol; and Engineering Index., which provides world-wide
coverage of engineering literature. These particular examples are cited
because they are the most commonly used at ARAC and ESAC.
424
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This kind of input may be called conceptual information, to
distinguish it from another kind I shall call data. Conceptual
information of this kind is an abstract or digest of the published
literature. If we search a Chemical Abstracts Condensates tape in
response to an information query, we are essentially providing a
literature search, albeit using very sophisticated techniques.
Data input sources are quite different. An example would be the
use of tapes available from the Census Bureau containing population
data. A search of these tapes for a given inquiry would pull specific
facts, such as the number of people of a specified sex and age group
who live in some particular geographical region.
The output of information searches performed at ARAC and ESAC is
almost exclusively of the conceptual information, or literature search
type. If an information user needs to find out the nature and scope of
the recent literature on a topic such as demographic trends in a
selected area of the Midwest, ESAC might very well be able to assist him.
If the topic requires some sort of correlation of demographic trends
with regional transportation planning and water resources, then the odds
are that ESAC will be able to provide a valuable service by rapidly
surveying a very large number of literature citations, using an
appropriate search strategy which will bring together the desired key
terms.
The output format will be a bibliography of abstracts of the
relevant literature generated by the search. Some of the major problems
faced by EAAC or ARAC staff in conducting such a search should be noted.
425
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These are:
1) The request for Information must be as definite as
possible, particularly if the question is of a complex
type which requires integrating several subtopics in
the course of the search, or if the query would tend to
pull a large number of citations with low relevance to
the user's principal interest.
2) The relative quality of the literature Cited in an
information base is not guaranteed merely because it is
there.
Both of the above problems are serious enough to require that
considerable staff time be spent in analyzing the question or request,
usually by discussing the request one or more times with-the person
who submitted it. It has also Seemed necessary, with few exceptions,
to have each search output edited by a staff member with some
familiarity with the subject matter. An unedited search can present
the user with such a large proportion of chaff to wheat that it is of
little or no use. For example, ESAC received a request to survey
sulfur dioxide as an air pollutant, and control devices and techniques
for sulfur oxides pollution abatement. The initial search strategy
quickly pulled several thousand references. Although the user had
initially specified a comprehensive search, the final edited version <*
containing some 300 abstracts was more appropriate to his needs. y
With the possible exception of Chemical Abstracts Condensates, all,-/
$'•
the abstract information bases mentioned above contain a surprising ' /*
amount of socio-economic information. Several information searches -••'-'
performed by ESAC will serve to illustrate this point.
426
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I was involved with an ambitious research design project
developed by the Argonne Universities Association, the Midwest Regional
Environmental Systems Program. The purpose of the project was to design
an environmental baseline evaluation and planning system for the
Midwest region as a whole. The project was divided into a number of
research components: water resources; land allocation studies; geology,
ground water, and mineral resources; population structure; employment
and income; energy production and use; food production and agricultural
land use; transportation; waste management; synthesis and comprehensive
modeling; and behavioral, social and institutional research. My
component, the information storage and retrieval section, had the
mission of providing information support services to the other
components and planning a data management system for output of the
project.
We were required to survey the support information needs of each
of the research components. One of the most fascinating conclusions
of this survey was that, without exception, each research component felt
the need for one or more elements of socio-economic information. As an
example, an information search performed in response to inquiries on
water resource planning incorporated citations on public attitudes
toward water resource planning, public attitudes toward bond issues
to support water resource and recreation projects, population and
demographic trends in the region, and socio-economic modeling techniques
and models.
427
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A survey of the ESAC information bases for the transportation
component elicited references on the impacts of transportation develop-
ment, including highway location, on tax bases and rates, land use
development, the flow of goods and materials, industrial sitings, and
consolidations of public school systems.
A conclusion to be drawn from this experience is that socio-economic
information is indeed relevant to systematic study of environmental
planning.
But having arrived at this conclusion, I should like to examine
some of the blocks which tend to inhibit wider utilization of information
resources, and which are in part due to the nature of services such as
those developed at ESAC.
I believe that everyone in the information business agrees about
some of the blocks to information use. The first big one is habit—
people have hot been trained to use and evaluate information services,
and a request for information services from a computerized storage
and retrieval system just doesn't fit the life style of most people
today.
The second big block., in my experience, is connected with false
expectations about what an information system, particularly one producing.
a conceptual information output like ESAC's, will do for the user. All
too often, a potential user is told that a search on the information
system will answer his question or solve his problem. This may be true,
or not., It all depends how he expects to use the output. Let us assume
that his inquiry was properly formulated, a good search strategy was
428
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developed, the information base contained some highly relevant material
which was palled, and the search output was well edited. The user then
is provided with a set of highly relevant abstracts which speak to his
problem area. This does not solve his problem, unless all he wants is
a bibliography to adorn his bookshelf. I have been surprised by the
number of people who do, in fact, seem to be satisfied in this way.
But the assimilation and application of information requires work,
time, and the appropriate training and experience to understand and fit
the information in whatever discipline or subject area the problem is
concerned with. We have found the most satisfied users of ESAC services
to be people, particularly in large industrial organizations or state
agencies, who know before they submit an inquiry what the output will
look like, and what they will have to do in order to mine useful
information "out of the information supplied.
A third block to the use of such information services is the
general lack of interpretative services. This is a genuine problem
area for two reasons. First, almost any environmental problem area
turns out to be so complex—because the potential inputs to its
analysis and resolution are likely to come from a wide range of
disciplines--that no one person is likely to have strong training and
experience in all the fields of knowledge related to all the facets
of the problem. This is a problem which is, of course, common to
almost all multidisciplinary fields. The result is that no one person,
or even any :small group of researchers, is likely to be capable of
evaluating the substantative value and content of all the bits of
429
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information provided by a comprehensive information search on all the
facets of any particular problem—and much less capable of discerning
all the particular relationships between the bits of information. At
ESAC and ARAC we have tried, as I indicated, to take a first cut at
this problem by providing editorial services, but no information center
has the staff or funding to do thorough screening and evaluation for
multidisciplinary information. So far as information centers are
concerned, then, this problem is probably best left to researchers
who have requested the information.
The second aspect of this problem seems more serious in its
potential political implications. This becomes evident when we
consider the plight of the general public or of citizens' environmental
groups who seek information about environmental problems. This was
brought home to me some time ago as a result of an information search on
the global dispersion, kinetics, and degradation mechanisms of
chlorinated hydrocarbons (such as DDT) that ESAC had provided for a
research group at M.I.T. Some time later, I received in the mail
a request for a copy of this search from a garden club in Martinsville,
Indiana.
Clearly, the members of the garden club had an interest in—and
felt that they had a need to know—this information. Equally clearly,
the format of the information search was totally unsuitable for their
ready use and comprehension. As an information center, we had no
funding for dealing with citizens' groups as information clients, nor
for providing interpretative services. Of course, the garden club
430
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could have gone instead to an agricultural extension agent or to a
biologist; and I found that they had already done so in the past. The
members of the garden club felt that they now wanted, to the best of
their ability, to look at the objective, documented facts in the
literature on DDT.
I don't think I did a good job in trying to answer that request,
or many others like it. tn spite of the fact that we didn't have the
funding, the personnel, or even the explicit mission to try to deal
with it, that request has nagged at me ever since. I think I hardly
need say that the crucial points that puzzled the garden club members
after hearing conflicting presentations from a biologist and an
agricultural extension agent required an input and evaluation of
socio-economic information, as well as other kinds.
If these;blocks to routinely seeking and applying information of
I
the kinds that can be supplied by information and data centers are as
serious and widespread as I think they are, perhaps most of us are
not so unlike the old Turkish gentleman, after all.
431
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SOCIO-ECONOMIC DATA
MANAGEMENT
Prepared for
1 The National Environmental
Information Symposium
Cincinnati, Ohio
September 2U - 27, 1972
Ivors Gutmanis
National Planning Association
1666 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C.
432
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CONTENTS
reduction
Direct Usage Bibliography
Appraisal of Economic Impact of Pollution Control 1
Comprehensive Environmental Models 3
Uncontrolled Air Pollution Emissions 5
Uncontrolled Water Pollution Emissions 9
Costs of Standard and Advanced Air Pollution Abatement Efficiencies 12
Costs of Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Treatment of Waste Water 13
Changes in Technology, Subprocesses, Materials and End-Products 15
Indirect Usage Bibliography
National Economic Projections 1
Regional and Special Purpose Data Bases . * 15
Macroeconomic Forecasts 20
Long-Run Industry Forecasting Service 22
Short-Run Industry Forecasting Service 2U
433
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Introduction ...-..•,.
In reviewing the publications which address themselves to use itt the area of
socio-economic impact of environmental questions, it is necessary to realize that
much remains to be accomplished. Though much has been published In the field,
there are many data resource needs that remain to be documented in a form that may
be utilized directly for investigation and planning. For this reason I have
divided the publications into "direct" and "indirect" methods of use.
Those publications in the category of direct usage describe, in most cases,
!
the relationships of economic activity to residual production and the resultant
interrelationships of economic activity and the environment. Some of these
sources further project future economic activities and residual productions,
while including the impact of abatement of those residuals upon the economic
mix. These sources have been organized into headings for both general refer-
ence and.specific investigation. However, many of the direct usage documents
only describe current activities of production and abatement and omit much or
the broad range of material necessary for management projection for both long
term and short term application to the environmental needs of today and the
future. It is for this reason that I have compiled the second bibliography for
indirect usage.
The term indirect is used in description of the second body of information
as these publications are directed towards the scope of projected economic activi-
ties and not specifically to the environmental interaction of these activities,
These materials have been organized into national and regional studies for "both
long term and short term forecasting. However, as the information contained in
these publications is often a rather detailed description and projection of the
production-consumption cycle of industry, the technologies of production being
434
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bilized, and the expected changes or modifications of those technologies, much
'ijsight can be gained, though indirectly-, on the environmental impact of these
"bnomic activities. In essence, the -indirect usage bibliography is an outline
"'f the data base from which many of the direct usage publications were drawn.
%ough the materials included in this heading are more difficult to apply to
Casual use, "by their technical nature they lend themselves to precise applica-
ion in planning, projection and investigation.
i« All of the materials cited are expected to be readily available. An attempt
!sl'as been made to list the cost of the documents and the addresses of the data
(Services. The materials offered by the data services are often presented in an
Assortment of packages more suitable to a variety of subscribers and the services
sfiooLd be contacted individually for cost summaries.
* If personal bias and predilections are displayed in the presentation, it is
soped that such are received with patience and forbearance.
435
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2. Direct. .Usage Bibliography'
Apprai sal of Economic Jjroact of Pollution Control
In spite of the current emphasis and preoccupation with environ-
"*
mental affairs, the number of studies which analyze the impact of ex-
penditures related to environmental impact on the U. $. economy are
limited in number.
Perhaps the most comprehensive recent study on this aspect is
Herzog and Ridker' s report for the Commission; on Pojiulation Growth and
the American JFuture. A more detailed presentation of the same material
is contained i»L. Ayres and Gutmaais's inputs-output analysis, which is
I
summarized $$, R. Ayres and GutmBtus' s methodology. .....
Aa additional comprehensive Albeit summary analysis of the cost
* t
of environmental quality is contained in Charles L. Schultze, et-al.,
annual analysis of the U. S. national .priorities and the 1972 ^nd 1973
budget.
A wide-scope and detailed analysis of the relationship between
environmental and political issues iB contained in Dr. Davies1 book,
The Politics of Pollution,, which unfortunately is somewhat dated, par-
ticularly in view of recent legislation such as the 19'71 Clean Water
Act Amendments.
Fortunately Dr. Davies is currently engaged in updating this
significant vork and the new edition will include the detailed political
analysis of the 1972 Clean Water Act Amendments as well as other per-
tinent material*
436
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A comprehensive article prepared by Bower and Hearon on the paper industry
s of particular interest because this study clearly presents with empirical data
tie evidence that controlling a specific pollutant may be accomplished only at
he expense of anothar waste or residual being discharged into the environment.
he report also contains Significant empirical data on various discharges from
his important sector „
The Council on Environmental Quality report on economic "benefits and costs
I
plated to various water pollution abatement is significant in that this is the
nly current government document which indicates the steep increases in marginal
osts as the pollution control is increased say from 85 to 95$ and above. While
»
n,
ufortunately the document does not contain cost data for individual industries,
t does provide an overall view of the large costs associated with high efficien-
ies of pollutant control.
The studies available on international impact of increasing pollution abate-
f"
ent expenditures and "therefore increasing cost of production are very few, here
I
n the U.S. as well as abroad. The exception is the Chase Econometric Associates'
I
tudy which does provide preliminary and tentative information on possible effects
i
i
n international trade due to expenditures associated with pollution control.
437
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1) Ayres s L. , and Gutmanis , I., A Model for Strategic Allocation of
Water Pollution Abatement Funds, prepared for the Brookings Institution
Washington, B.C., by IKL% 1970 .
2) Ayres , L., Gutmanis , IOJ> and Shapanka, A., Environmental Impli-
cations of Technological and Economic Change for the United States
1^7^2000_:___An In-put -Out put Analysis , International Research and Technology
Corporation, IRT 229-R5 prepared for the Resources for the Future, Inc.,
Washington, D.C., June 1971.
3) Ayrey , R. and Gutmanis , I., "Methodology: Technological Change,
Pollution and Treatment Cost Coefficients," in Ronald G. Ridker (ed.),
Resource and Environmental Consequences of Population Growth in the
United Sta/tesT'OoVernment Frinting~73ffTce? Washington ,""0.0 . , 1972 .
k) Bower, B. T. and Hearori, W. M. , Residuals Management in the Pulp
and Paper Industry, Natural Resources Journal., Vol. 11, Wo. k,
5) C.E.Q., ^vj^onmentej^and. Economic Benefits and Costs Related
to Various _JfJaj^ej]rJ^llutj:on^b^temejit_ (mimeographed), no date.,
6) Chase Econometric Associates, Inc., Macroeconomic Study of
Pollution Abatement Cost Impacts on U.S. Economy, prepared for the
Council of Environmental Quality, Department of Commerce and Environmental
Protection Agency, 1972.
7) Da-vies,, I. Clarence III, The Politics of Pollution, Pegasus,
New York, New York, 1970.
8) Haveman, Robert H, and Gutmanis, I., "Environmental Quality,"
in Setting National Priorities , the 1972 Budget, Charles L, Schultze
et_a_l., the Brookings Institution, Washington, D«C», 1971.
9) Herzog, H. Jr.? and Ridker, R., "Methodology: The Model,"
Resource and Environmental Consequences of Population Growth in the
United States ; for the Commission on Population Growth and the American
Future, 1971.
10) Schultze, Charles L, and Gutmanis s I., "The Environment," in
Charles L. Schultze e_t al« » Setting National Priorities ? the 1973 Budget,
the Brookings Institution, Washington, D»C»j 1972.
438
-------
Comprehensive Environmental Models
A number of rather inclusive environmental models have been designed
and applied in the area of environmental management. Almost *01 of
these are very costly and complex -undertakings and will no doubt remain
So due to the large numbers of variables which must be included for
Vhich most of the data requirements are not yet independently available.
Perhaps the most comprehensive model to become available is prepared by
Russell and Spofford, working at the Resources for the Future.
Dr. Cumberland's model, which uses input-output analysis as the
basis for the environmental evaluation, has also been well received and
implemented in several areas.
The work by Goodman and Dobbins in the modeling area also merits
notice, as well as that undertaken by Loucks and Lynn.
In summary however, it can be stated that the comprehensive envir-
onmental modelling still remains very much in the realm of art instead
of science and very few such models have been implemented.with real data.
The major problem area lies in the paucity of data as explained in detail
by Russell and Spofford in their paper.
JUL-V.JUL
A"AA
1) Cumberland, J., "A Regional Interindustry Model for Analysis of
Development Objectives," Regional Science Association Meeting on
November 13, 1965.
2)De,ininp;er. R._A.4 Water Quality Management;. The Planning of Econom-
ically Optimal Pollution Control Systems, Ph.D. Thesis, Ilorthvestern
University, 1965.
3) Goodman, A.S. and Dobbins, W.E-.Mathematical Model for Water
Pollution Control Studies, Journal of the Sanitary Engineering Division
Proceedings ASCE, Vol. 92, Ho. SA£j, 1966, pp. 1-19.
439 ;
-------
U)Liebman, J.C. and Lynn, W.R.j Th_e_Optimal Allocation of Stream
Dissolved Oxygen Resources} Water Resources Research, Vol. 2, Ho. 3,
1966, pp. 1-idO.'
5) Loucks,D.P. and Lvnn,W.,R., Probabilistic Models for Predicting
Stream Quality, Water Resources Research, Vol. 2, Ko, 3> 1966, pp. 693.
£95":
6)Russells C. and Spofford, W., "A Quantitative Frame-vrork for
Residuals Kanagement Decisions," prepared for Resources for the
Future Conference, "Research on Environmental Quality," June 1970.
7)Thomann, R. V.j Mathematical Model for Dissolved Oxygen,
Journal of- the Sanitary Engineering Division, Proceedings ASCE,
Vol. 89, .JIo. SA5, 1963.
440 ' »
-------
Uncontrolled Air Pollution Emissions
A large number of reports are available which describe the air pollution
emissions in extensive detail. Of particular importance are various reports
prepared "by the Environmental Protection Agency and its predecessor agencies
which provide detailed data for each major air pollutant such as Carbon Monoxide,
(Hydrocarbons, Particulates, Sulfur and others. The best single compilation of
b
emission factors is contained in a recently published .study prepared by EPA,
Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors.
Furthermore, tte HEW and EPA reports to the Congress on air quality, Control
Techniques for Carbon Monoxide Emissions from Stationary Sources and Control
Techniques for Particulate Air Pollutants, contain additionally useful information.
Unfortunately the above EPA report does not differentiate as a rule
the emission coefficients with regard to the technologies employed in pro-
duction nor relate the air pollution emissions to quality and type of raw
materials used and/or end products produced. Because air pollution emissions
per unit of output may vary drastically from source to source resulting
from the above mentioned determinants it may be accessary to investigate
air pollution emissions from industrial sources taking intosaccount such
factors as technology employed, raw materials used, end predicts produced
and so forth. While specific literature on this subject is still lacking
some of the reports enumerated above do provide information on thi£ very
important subject. ,
441
-------
1) Air Conservation, American Association for the Advancement of Science,
Washington; AAAS 'Publication No. 80, 1965.
2) Air Pollution, Proceedings of the First European Congress on the Influence,
of Air Pollution on plants and Animals. Waneningen, the Netherlands: Centre for
Agricultural Publishing and Documentation, April .1968 , 1969.
3) Air Pollution -1970, Hearings before the Subcommittee on Air and Water
Pollution of the Committee on Public Works. Ninety-first Congress. 5 Parts.
Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1970.
4) Air Pollution Publications , a selected bibliography with abstracts 1966-196
Public Health Service Publication 979. Washington: U. S.. Government Printing Offic
$U.50. PHS Publication 979 (revised 1964). Covers 1955-1963- PHS Publication 979
(Revised 1969) . Covers 1963-1966.
5) Air Pollution and the Regulated Electric Power and Natural Gas Industries,
Federal Power Commission Staff "Report", September 1968'. "* ' "~ ~ ' '
6) Air Quality Criteria for Carbon Monoxide, U. S. Department of Health,
Education and Welfare", AP-6T7~March 1970~
7) Air Quality Criteria for Hydrocarbons, U. S. Department of Health, Educatl
and Welfare, AP-64", March 1970. — — —
8) Air Duality ^Criteria fpr^ Part iculat e Matter, U. S . Department of Heal
Education and Welfare, ', AP-497°Janua'ry" "l
9) Air Duality _ Criteriai f cr^Hiotochemical Oxidants , U. S. Department of Healt
Educat i on and Welfare", AP-63 , March "1970"."" "~ * ~
10) Atmospheric Emissions from Hydrochloric Acid Manufacturing Processes,
U. S. Department of Health, Education andfWelfare, AP-5^ , September 1969.
11) California Wast e Management Study , A Report to the State of Califprnia
Department of Public Health, Aerojet -General Corp., Contract No. 3^7, Azusa,
California, August 1965.
12) Carbon Monoxide , A Bibliography with Abstracts . Public Health Service
Publication No. 1503. "pF.50. Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office,
13) Clark, John E., Thermal Pollution and Aquatic Life , Scientific American
March 1969, p. 18-27.
Ik} Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors (revised) , U. S. Enviropr
Protection Agency, February 1972.
Control Techniques for Carbon Monoxide Emissions from Stationary; cntfg
U. S, Department of HeaTbh, Education and Welfare, AP-65," March ,"1970. .^~~
16) Control Techniques for Carbon Monoxide , Nitrogen Oxide , and Hydrgcarbon
Emissions from Mobile Soiirces^, U. S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare'
AP-66, MarctPl9707 """"" " e, ,
fO '"
•t •
442
-------
17) Control Techniques for Hydrocarbon and Organic Solvent Missions from
Stationary'Sources, U. S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. AP-68. March 1970.
18) Control Techniques for Nitrogen Oxide Emissions from Stationary Sources,
U. S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, AP-67, March 1970.
19) Control Techniques for Particulate Air Pollutants, U. S. Department of Health,
Education and Welfare, AP-51, January 1969.
20) Control Techniques for Sulfur Oxide Air Pollutants, U. S. Department of Health,
Education and Welfare, AP-52, January, 1969.
21) The Cost of Clean Air, Second Report of the Secretary of Health, Education
jrtid Welfare to the U. S. Congress, 91st Congress, 2nd Session, Document No. 91-65,
torch 1970.
22) The Economics of Clean Air, Report of the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency to the U. S. Congress, 92nd Congress, 1st Session, Document No. 92-6,
ferch 16, 1971.
23) Environmental Contamination by Radioactive Materials, United Nations,
AO, IAEA, and WHO, Vienna: International Atomic Energy Agency, 1969. $30.00
2*0 Esposito, John C., Vanishing Air, Ralph Nader's Study Group Report on Air
'Dilution, New York: Grossman, 1970 J~|b.95.
25) Gaussens, Jacques and Bonnet, Robert, The Applications of Nuclear Energy.
'jechnical, Economic and Social Aspects, Impact, 1967- 17:75-100.
26) Guide to Research in Air Pollution, Projects Active in Calendar Year 1969.
eventh Edition. Public Health Service Publication No. 981, Washington: U. S. Govern-
ent Printing Office, 1969. $1.50
27) Guyol, N, B., The World Electric Power Industry, Berkeley: University
?ress, 1969. $20.00.
28) Haagen-Smit, A. J., The Control of Air Pollution, Scientific American,
Fanuary 196U, p. 2^-31.
v 29) Haagen-Smit, A. J., A Lesson from the Smog Capital of the World, Proceedings
jational Academy of Sciences, 67:887-897.The history of governmental control in
BOS Angeles, 1970.
30) Handbook of Air Pollution, Public Health Service Publication No. 999-AP-UU.
fashington: u. S. Government Printing Office, 1968. $2.25.
31) Holcomb, Robert W., Power Generation; The Next ?0 Years, Science, 167:
59-160, 1970. ~~~~
443
-------
32) Hydrocarbons and Air Pollution: An Annotated Bibliography, 2 Parts.
U. S. Public Health Service, Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1970.
$5.00 for the 2 volumes.
33) National Air Pollution Control Administration (NAPCA) , NAPCA Abstract
Bulletin, U. S. Public Health Service, Distributed by: NAPCA, Research Triangle
Park, Raleigh, North Carolina 27709.
3*0 National Conference on Air Pollution, Proceedings, U, S. Department of
Health, Education and Welfare, December 10-12, "1962, Washington, D. C.
35) National Emission Standards Study, Report of the Secretary of Health,
Education and Welfare to the U. S, Congress, 91st Congress, 2nd Session, Document
No. 91-63, April 27, 1970.
36) Nationwide Inventory of Air Pollutant Emissions, 1968, U, S. Department
of Health, Education and Welfare, AP-73, August 1970.
37) Nitrogen Oxides: An Annotated Bibliography, U. S. Public Health Service,
Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1970, $2,75.
38) Post-1971* Auto Emissions: A Report from California, California Air
Resources Board, Environmental Science and Technology, ~~U : 288 -29^4-, 1970.
39) Progress in the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution, Third Report
of the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare to the U. S. Congress, 91st
Congress, 2nd Session^ Document 91-6U, March, 1970.
Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act of 1967, 2 Parts, U. S. Senati
Hearings before the Committee on Commerce-, Serial No. 90-^9, Washington: U. S.
Government Printing Office, 1968.
Ul) Rep_ort_of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of
Atomic Radiations, "United Nations, General Assembly, Twenty-fou-rth""SessTon -
Supplement No. 13 (A/7613) New York: United Nations , 1970. $U,00
U2) Stern, Arthur C., Editor, Air Pollution, three volumes, second edition,
New York: Academic Press, 1968. $95.00.
Sulfur Oxides and Other Sulfur Compounds , A Bibliography with Abstracts,
Public Health Service Publication No. 1093, Washington: U. S. Government Printing
Office, 1965. $2.25.
Toward a Clean Environment , Survey of the Members of the Manufacturing
Chemists Association, 1957.
444
-------
Uncontrolled Water 'Pollution Emissions
As in the case of air residual emissions, a considerable amount of work
has been undertaken in establishing water pollutant discharges from various
economic activities. Also in the case of air pollutants, most of this work
has been undertaken by EPA or its predecessor agencies. Particularly important
in this area are the draft reports for various industrial waste profiles,
Equally detailed are the Costs of Clean Water Series, Volume 2. A comprehensive
summary of these can be found in the American Chemical Society's report, Cleaning
Our Environment, the Chemical Basis for Action.
The Industrial Pollution Control Handbook provides a detailed statement
on the waterborne pollution emissions from various industrial sources. As
in the case of air pollution emissions, waterborne residuals are effected by
factors such as technologies used in production, raw materials used and so
C
forth. Fortunately ths Industrial Waste Profile Series prepared by EPA for a
number of industries does provide considerable required information to determine
the water pollutants and differentiate these for most sectors of economy.
445
-------
1) Censor of Manufacturer5,1967.
2) Chemicals Origins and Markets, Flow Charts and Tables, Irth Edition, Stanford
Research Institute, 1967! ~ ~~~
3) Cleaning Our Environment, The Chemical Basis for Action, American Chemical
Society, Washington, D.C., 1969.
U) Cost Engineering in the Process Industries, Chilton, McCraw Hill, 1960.
5) The Cost of Clean Water Series Vol. 11, Detailed Analysis, Industrial Profil
Series FWPCA.
6) The Cost of Clean Water and Its Economic Impact, Vol. IV FWPCA Series - 12020
2/70.
7) The Cost of Clean Water Series Vol. 3> Summary Report, Industrial Profile Ser
FWPCA.
8) The Economics of Clean Water, Vol. III. Inorganic Chemicals Industry Profile,
FWPCA, March, 1970, Contract Ho. 14 - 12 - 592.
9) First National Symposium on Food Processing Wastes, Proceedings, April 6-8, 1
Portland, Oregon.
10) Industrial Pollution Control Handbook, ed., H.F. Lund, McGraw-Hill, N.Y., 19'
11) An Industrial Waste Guide to the Cotton Textile Industry, United States Piibli
Health Service Publ. lib, 677, Washington, B.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office (1955
I
12) Industrial Waste Profile Ho. b, Textile Mill Products, The Cost of Clean Wate
Volume 111, Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1957.
13) Industrial Waste Profile Series, Federal Water Pollution Control Administrate
1*0 Draft, Industrial Waste Studies Program; Leather Tanning and Finishing? rwK
15) Draft, Industrial Waste Studies Program; Livestock Feedlots, FWPCA,
16) Draft, Industrial Waste Studies Program; Meat Products, FWPCA.
17) Draft, Industrial Waste Studies Program; Motor Vehicles and Aircraft Plating
Finishing, FWPCA.
18) Draft, Industrial Waste Studies Program; Organic Chemicals and Petrochemical
19) Draft, Industrial Waste Studies Program: Paper and Allied Products, FWPCA,
20) Draft, Industrial Waste Studies Program; Petroleum Refining, FWPCA.
446
-------
21) Draft, Industrial Waste Studies Program; Plastic Materials and Synthetics, FWPCA.
22) Draft, Industrial Waste Studies Program: Steam Generating Plants > FWPCA.
23) Draft, Industrial Waste Studies Program; Textile Mill Products, FWPCA.
2lf) Modern Cost Engineering Technique, Popper, McGraw Hill, 1970.
25) Petrochemical Effulents Treatment Practices, FWPCA 0 WPCR Series - 12020 - 2/70
26) Pollution Sources from Finishing of Synthetic Fibers, Masselli, J.R. and M.G.
irford, New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission, 1956.
27) The Potomac Estuary as a Supplemental Source of Water Supply, Kept. N.E.W.S.
liter Supply Study, North Atlantic Div., Department of the Army Contract No. DACW-52-70-C-
(3-12*11-68 Jan. 71.
28) Projected Wastewater Treatment Costs in the Organic Chemicals Industry, Resource
igineering Association, Inc., Stanford, Conn., January, 1969. Cleaning House No. PB-185-
18.
29) A Simplification of Textile Waste Survey and Treatment, F. Masselli, N.W. and M.G.
irford, Boston, New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission, 1959- '
30) Solving Our Water Problems - Water Renovation and Reuse 2.W., Weinberget, etc.,
inals of the Hew York Academy of Sciences, Vol. 136, Art. 5, P. 131-151*.
31) State of the Art, of Textile Waste Treatments, WPCR Series 12090 ECS-02/71.
32) A State of the Art Review of Metal Finishing Waste Treatment, FWOA-WPCR Series
plO - EXE - 11/68.
33) Textiles, Industrial Waste Water Control, R.H. Souther, Gurham C.P., ed., New York
ademic Press, 1965.
3*0 Toward a Clean Environment, 1967 Survey of the Number of the Manufacturing Chemists
Sociation.
35) Treatment of Waste Waters from the Textile Industry, A.B. Wheatland, Shirley Insti-
;te Pamphlet Ho. 92, p.35, Manchester, England: The Cotton, Silk and Man-Made Fibers Re-
arch Association, 1966.
I 36) Wastewater Reuse, Jerome Gavis, National Water Commission, 800 North Quincy, Arling-
*»i Virginia, Kept. EWE-SES-71-003 PB-201-535.
r 37) The Water Encyclopedia ed. D.K. Todd, Water Information Center, Port Washington, New
-------
Costs of Standard and Advanced Air Pollution Abatement Efficiencies
The seven publications indicated below contain a comprehensive statement of
the air pollution abatement costs. Particularly pertinent are specific volumes
describing control techniques for individual pollutants, such as Carbon Monoxide,
Nitrogen Oxides, and Sulfur Oxides. Herbert F. Lund's Industrial Pollution
Control Handbook provides a summary statement of the costs associated with air
pollution treatment processes.
y V-.y,
Tf A A
1) Herbert F. Lund, Industrial Pollution Control Handbook, McGraw-Hill, 1971.
2) National Air Pollution Control Administration, Control Techniques for Carbon
Monoxide Emissions from Stationary Sources, 1970.
3) National Air Pollution Control Administration, Control Techniques for Hydro-
carbon and Organic Solvent Emissions from Stationary Sources, 1970.
k) National Air Pollution Control Administration, Control Techniques for Hitroga
Oxide Emissions from Stationary Sources, 1970.
5) National Air Pollution Control Administration, Control Techniques for Parties
late Air Pollutants, 1969.
6) National Air Pollution Control Administration, Control Techniques for Sulfur
Oxide Air Pollutants, 1969.
7) Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health, Education ard Welfare, Air
Pollution Engineering Manual, 1967.
448
-------
Costs of Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Treatment of Waste Water
A series of ten studies recently prepared for the CEQ, EPA and the Depart-
ment of Commerce by various consulting organizations contain the best cost data
on specific industries such as steel making, cement manufacturing, and others.
In addition to these 30 volumes, McGauhey's Engineering Management of Water
Duality, published by McGraw-Hill, presents a detailed summary of treatment costs.
Finally; Robert Smith's article in the Journal of Water Pollution Control .
federation provides detailed costs calculations for all municipal waste water
treatment processes,
l) Berg, George G., Water Pollution, prepared for the Scientists' Institute for
lie Information, 1970.
2) Beet Sugar Development Foundation, State -of -Art, Sugarbeet Processing Waste
atment, under Grant #12060 DSI, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1971.
3) Booz Allen Public Administration, Inc., Microeconomic Study of Pollution Cost
tement from Steel Making, prepared for the Council on Environmental Quality, Depart -
t of Commerce and Environmental Protection Agency, 1972.
k) The Boston Consulting Group, Microeconomic Study of Pollution Cost Abatement
a Cement Manufacturers , prepared for the Council of Environmental Quality, Department
Commerce and Environmental Protection Agency, 1972.
5) Charles River Associates, Inc., Microeconomic Study of Pollution Cost Abatement
nNonferrars Metals Smelting and Refining, prepared for the Council of Environmental
lity, Department of Commerce and Environmental Protection Agency, 1973
6) Gulp, R., Water Reclamation at South Tahoe, Water and Wastes Engineering, 1969.
7) Dunlap and Associates, Inc., Mieroeconomic Study of Pollution Cost Abatement from
It and Vegetable Canning and Freezing, prepared for the Council of Environmental Qual-
> Department of Commerce and Environmental Protection Agency, 1972.
8) Eckenf elder, W. Wesley, Jr., Water Quality Engineering for Practicing Engineers,
nes and Noble, 1970.
449
-------
9) Krnst and Ernst, Mlcrcocnncnic _St.udr of Pollution Cost Abatement fron
prepared for the Council of Err/ironneraal Quality, Dcp;xrtmr-nt of Coimerce and Environ^
tal Protection A^er^j • , 1972.
10) C-rava, Sigr_rd, Urban Planning: ^Aspects of Water Pollution Control, Columbia
University Press, 1969. ' *~
11) Kail, Warren A., and Cracvro, John A., Water Resources Systems Engineering.
McGraw-Hill, 1970. ' " ~
12) Jenkins, Samuel II., Advances in Water Pollution Research, Proceedings of ths
Fourth International Conference, Pergamon, 19b9«
It
13) Kearney, A. T: and Company, Inc., Microecononic Study of Pollution_Coit Abrti
ment frcn Iron Foundries , prepared for the Council of Environmental Quality, Departs^!)
of Commerce and Environmental Protection Agency, 1972.
Ik] Klein, Louis, Kiver Pollution, Volume 1, Chemical Analysis ., Volume _2,_J!ausei
and Effects, Volume 3 , Control, Plenum Press, 1959-66. :
15) Kneese, Allen V., Water Pollution; Economic Aspects and Research Needs,
John Hopkins University Press, 1962.
16) Little, A.D. , -Inc., Microecononic Study of Pollution Cost Abatement from
Pulp and Paper Mills , prepared for the Council of Environmental Quality, Department d
Commerce and Envircnnental Protection Agency, 1972.
1' Lund, Herbert F,, Industrial Pollution Control Kandbook, McGraw-Hill, 1971.
18) ^McGauhey, Engineering __?.anage^ent of Water Quality, McGraw-Hill, 1968.
19) National Acadeny of Sciences, Eutrophication: Causes, Consequences ^Correj
National Academy of Science,, 1969. '
20) National Canners Association, Western Research Laboratory, Liquid V.'astesjj
Canning; and Freezing Fruits and Vegetables, 1971
21) National Economic Research Associates, Inc., Mlcroeconomie Study '
Cost Abat en ent f r en S_lcj;t ric Fc'ver Genoration, prepared for the Council of
Quality , TJcpVrtment oi"TJct*jnerce and Environmental Protection Agency, 1972.
22) Smith, Robert, Cost of Ccnventional nr.d Advanced Treatment of Wasjewatg£»
Journal Water Pollution Control Federation, September
23) Sobotka, Stephen and Company, Microbe ononiic Study _of Pollution Cosjt_Abateni;
from Petroleum Rcfinori^n , prepared for the Council of Environmental Quality,
of Commerce and Knvirorchft-ntal Protection Agency, 1972.
2U) Urban Systems, Research and Engineering, Microecononc Study of
Abat cm P nt f r orj_ fT^-Tl : e r^ la nni r^ , pr c pare d for the Council of Environmental Quality)
Department of Conferee and: Envii'oninental Protection Agency, 1972.
450
-------
Changes in Technology, Subprocesses, Materials and End-Products.
Projections of pollution emissions and residuals and the costs of abatement,
which are the basis for policy determination when selecting abatement strategies,
are a complex natter not subject to straight line extension of current volumes.
A detailed knowledge of each industry sector is required even when the sectors
are highly disaggregated. Not only must the current state of the industry sector
be examined but the future major technological changes expected in the industry
must be known. However, major technological change is not the only important
factor to these projections; the industrial cycle promotes constant and important
changes in subprocesses, and products and raw materials which may have as large
and important effect on pollution emission and residual generation as major
technological changes. Therefore the data requirements are quite detailed. This
information has never been offered in a comprehensive summary and the publications
below are offered as a limited selection for exemplification of the wide range of
Information available t
Sf \f \f
~ A A
\
1) "Hew Tomato Peeling Process", American Tomato Yearbook, 1970, p. 1*3.
2) "A Second Generation for Plastic Paper", Business Week, April 15, 1972, p. 108.
3) Chemical Economics Handbook, Stanford Research Institute, 19&7.
ft) "Aluminum Firm Develops Pollution Process", News Flashes, Chemical Engineering,
* 20, 1972, p. 57.
5) "General Motors is Looking Into Polyurethane Paints for Its New Cars", Chementator,
aical Engineering. March 20, 1972.
6) "A Markedly Different Process for Producing High-Density Polyethelene", Chementator,
jical Engineering. May 29, 1972.
7) "Another Process Has Been Developed For Recovering Hydrochloric Acid and Iron
e From Steel Mill Waste Pickling Liquor", Chemical and Engineering News, May 18,
'» P. 32.
°) "Dry Paper Process Has Economic Benefits", Technology Concentrates, Chemical and
££££ing News, August 23, 1971, p. 37. '
9) "High-sulfur Coal May Be Usable in Power Plants", Chemical and Engineering News,
lst 28, 1972, p. 13. B
451
-------
"The Process Control Instrument Industry: Companies, Products, and Trends"
Chemical and Engineering Hews, October 13, 1969, p. 33. '
11) "Slurry Pipelines Meet Challenges", Chemical and Engineering News, August 23
1971, p. 39. ~
12) "The U.S. Paint Industry Faces Up To Challenging New Technology", Chemical
Engineering News, December 22, 19&9* P» 31.
13) "Acid Plants Face Acid Test", Chemical Week, September 1, 1971, p.
"A Big Plant to Prove Out Direct-Reduction Copper Processes", Chemical Week.
December 17, 1969. " ~
15) "A Chemical Extraction Process for Getting Copper from Sulfide Ores", Chemical
Week, July 15, 1970, p. 79. "
16) "Clamping Down on Phenol Waste", Chemical Week, November U, 1970, p. 60.
17) "Cyclic Intermediates", Chemical Week, July 28, 1971, p. 36.
18) "Hydrometallurgy: Copper's Solution for Pollution?" Chemical Week, May 17,
1972, p. 27.
19) "In-Line Blending Unravels Chemical Mixing Maze", Chemical Week, November 2k,
1971, p. 35.
20) "Leaching Process Saves Acid", Chemical Week, February 10, 1971, p. 52.
21), "New Acid Route Gets the Test", Chemical Week, September 22, 1971, p. 6?,
22) "A New Copper Smelting Process Will Become the Industry Standard", Chemical ft
November 24, 1971, p. 33.
23) "New Inks Cure Printers' Air Pollution Problems", Chemical Week, March 8, 19?
p. 1A. ~
2k) "Opportunities in Econology Turn Him On", Chemical Week, March 1, 1972.
25) "Soda Ash Makers Add To Their Diggings", Chemical Week, December 9, 1970, p.
26)' "Tight Seal for Gases", Chemical Week, October 7, 1970,
27) "Negative Air Pressiire Conveying", Food Technology, February 1972, p. 37.
28) Minerals Yearbook, 1969, U.S. Department of the Interior.
^Sy National Coal Board, London, England, "Reduction of Atmospheric Pollution",
Volume 1, Main Report, September 1971.
3°) "Environment Protection Gets First Priority at Cherry Point", The Oil and Gai
Journal, November 15, 1971, p. 162. --- "
31) "Ranchers Progress Report", Ranchers Exploration and Development Corporation
~~ - - - : - *— — - £ --
March 17, 1972.
452
-------
II. Indirect Usage Bibliography
1_. NATIONAL ECONOMIC PROJECTIONS
In discussion of national economic forecasts it is necessary to
distinguish between short run (quarterly and annual) and long run
projections. In both cases it is appropriate to discuss the organi-
zation promulgating the projections simultaneous with the enumeration
of the actual data sources, i.e., published reports, as all forecasts
are regularly updated and revised.
Short Run Projections and Data Banks
National Bureau of Economic Research
26l Madison Avenue
New York, Hew York 10016
Since its institution in 1920, the National Bureau of Economic Research
has worked to develop methods of quantitative economic analysis and to
apply these methods to policy questions of national importance. Numerous
bodies of statistical data developed at NBER have been adopted by the
Federal Government and are now maintained by public agencies. The Gross
National Product and National Income Accounts are now published by the
Department of Commerce; leading, lagging, and coincident cyclical indica-
tors used to help evaluate and forecast business conditions are published
by the Commerce Department in its "Business Conditions Digest," and the
statistical series on consumer credit kept by the Federal Reserve Board.
NBER data bank contains the following economic indications, as well
as other related variables.
453
-------
The Nation's Income, Expenditure, and Saving
Gross National Product or Expenditure
National Income
Sources of Personal Income
Disposition of Personal Income
Farm Income
Corporate Profits
Gross Private Domestic Investment
Expenditures for New Plant and Equipment
Status of the Labor Force
SelectedMeasures of Unemployment and Part-Time Employment
Unemployment Insurance Programs
Nonagricultufal Employment
Weekly Hours of Work—Selected Industries
Average Hour.ly and Weekly Earnings—Selected Industries
Industrial Pi-oduction
Production of Selected Manufactures
New Construction
New Housing Starts and Applications for Financing
Business Sales and Inventories—Total and Trade
Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, and New Orders
Merchandise Exports and Imports
U.S. Exports and Imports of Goods and Services
U.S. Balance of International Payments
Consumer Prices
Wholesale Prices
Money Stock
454
-------
Selected Liquid Assets Held by the Public
Bank Loans, Investments, Debits, and Reserves
Consumer and Real Estate Credit
Bond Yields and Interest Rates
Common Stock Prices, Yield, and Earnings
Federal Budget Receipts, Expenditures, and Net Lending
Federal Budget Receipts by Source and Outlays by Function
Federal Sector, National Income Accounts Basis
Data Resources Incorporated
92 Hayden Avenue
Lexington, Massachusetts 02173
Data Resources Incorporated (DRl) provide three basic data bases
and projections:
1) Inpftt /Output, GNP Demand Model
8-Quarters and 10-Years
79 Industries
2) Federal Reserve Board Production Indices
8-Q,uarters and 10-Years
Ul Indices
3) Industry Income Statements
8-Quarters and 10-Years
25 Income Statements
Input /Output , GNP Demand Model
Current and Constant dollar GUP implications for the following 79
industries are generated through the 1963 Input/Output matrix by the DRI
8-quarter or 10-year models. These GUP implications are useful for develop-
ing estimates of industry and trade association data at a detailed level.
455
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INDUSTRY
Livestock and livestock products
Other agricultural products
Forestry and fishery products
Agricultural, forestry and fishery
Iron and ferroalloy ores mining
Nonferrous metal ores mining
Coal mining
Crude petroleum and natural gas
Stone and clay mining and quarrying
Chemicals and fertilizer mineral mining
New construction
Maintenance and repair construction
Ordinance and accessories
Food and kindred products
Tobacco manufacturers
Broad and narrow fabrics, yarn and thread mills
Miscellaneous textile goods and floor covering
Apparel
Miscellaneous fabricated textile products
Lumber and wood products, except containers
Wooden containers
Household furniture
Other furniture and fixtures
Paper and allied products except containers and boxes
Paperboard containers and boxes
Printing and publishing
456
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INDUSTRY - (CONTINUED)
Chemicals and selected chemical products
Plastics and synthetic materials
Drugs, cleaning and toilet preparations
Paints and allied products
Petroleum refining and related industries
Rubber and miscellaneous plastics products
Leather tanning and industrial leather products
Footwear and other leather products
Glass and glass products
Stone and clay products
Primary iron and steel manufacturing
Primary nonferrous metals manufacturing
Metal containers
Heating, plumbing, and fabricated structural metal products
Screw machine products, bolts, nuts, etc. and metal products
Other fabricated metal products
Engines and turbines
Farm machinery
Construction, mining, oil field machinery equipment
Materials handling machinery and equipment
Metal working machinery and equipment
Special industry machinery and equipment
General industrial machinery and equipment
Machine shop products
Office, computing and accounting machines
Service industry machines
457
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INDUSTRY - (CONTINUED)
Electric transmission and distribution equipment and electrical
industrial apparatus
Household appliances
Electric lighting and wiring equipment
Radio, television and communication equipment
Electronic components and accessories
Miscellaneous electrical machinery, equipment and supplies
Motor vehicles and equipment
Aircraft and parts
Other transportation equipment
Professional, scientific and controlling instruments and supplies
Optical, ophthalmic and photographic equipment and supplies
Miscellaneous manufacturing
Transportation and warehousing
Communications, except radio and television broadcasting
Radio and television broadcasting
Electric, gas, water and sanitary services
Wholesale and retail trade
Finance and insurance
Real estate and rental
Hotels and lodging places; personal and repair services, except
automobile repair
Business services
Automobiie,repair and services
Amusements
Medical, educational services and nonprofit organizations
458
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INDUSTRY - (CONTINUED)
Federal Government enterprises
State and local government enterprises
Gross imports of goods and services
FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD PRODUCTION INDICES
Federal Reserve Board production index estimates are generated in
41 areas, by both the DRI 8-quarter and 10-year models using the
constant dollar GUP demand components weighted by the 1963 Input/Output
coefficients and corrected for changing technological trends, capacity
constraints, and other variables.
DTOUSTRY sic CLASSIFICATION
All industries
Coal H & 12
Oil and gas 13
Stone and earth mats. 1^
Manufacturing
Food and products 20
Tobacco products 21
Textile mill products 22
Knitting mills 225
Rugs and floor coverings 22
Yarns and fabrics 22
Apparel and products 23
Lumber and wood products 24
Wooden containers 244
Furniture and fixtures 25
Household furniture 251
459
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INDUSTRY (Continued) SIC CLASSIFICATION (Continued)
Manufacturirg (Continued)
Fixtures and office furniture 25?
Paper end products 26
Shipping containers 2653
Printing and publishing 27
Chemicals and products 28
Plastics and synthetics 282
Petroleum and products 29
Rubber and misc. plastics 30
Leather end. products 31
Stone clay and glass 32
Stone and clay 32SC
Glass 32G
Glass containers 3221
Primary iron and steel 331
Nonferrous metals 333
Fabricated metal products 3^
Metal Cans
Machinery except electrical 35
Farm machinery and tractors 352
Metal vorking machinery 35^-
Electrical equipment & supplies 36
Motor vehicles and equipment 372
Aircraft and parts 371
Instruments 38
Utilities (including gov. elect.) b$
460
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IHBUSTRY INCOME STATEMENTS
Also using the current dollar GNP demand components weighted by the
1963 Input/Output coefficients, and corrected for changing technological
trends, capacity constraints, and other variables, the DRI Model estimates
sales, production, capacity utilization, profits before tax, taxes, pro-
fits after tax and dividends for the 25 industries listed below. These
estimates are produced for both 8-quarters and 10-years.
BDUSTRY SIC CIASSIFieATION
All industries
Manufacturing
Food and products 20
Tobacco manufacturers 21
Textile mill products 22
Apparel and products 23
Lumber and wood products 2k
Furniture and fixtures 25
Paper and products 26
Chemicals and products 28
Basic Chemicals 281
Drugs 283
Petroleum and products 29
Rubber and misc. plastics 30
Leather and products 31
Stone clay and glass 32
Primary iron and steel 331
Nonferrous metals 333
Fabricated metal products 3^
461
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INDUSTRY (Continued) SIC CLASSIFICATION (Continued)
Machinery except electrical 35
Electrical equipment and supplies 36
Motor vehicles and equipment 371
Aircraft and parts 372
Instruments 38
Class I L-H Railroads
Telephone companies
Electric utilities
Chase Econometric Associates, Inc.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Chase Econometric Associates (Chase) provide the following five
data systems and projections:
United States Data Base.
Regional and Special Purpose Data Bases
Macroeconomic Projectioning
Long-run Industry Forecasts
Short-run Industry Forecasts
UNITED STATES DATA BASE
The Chase Econometrics United States Data Base contains over 8500
economic time series on a monthly, quarterly, and/or annual basis.
The Chase United States Data Base includes virtually all of the
standard economic time series published or made available by the Federal
Government/ At the macroeconomic level these include the complete national
income and product accounts including detailed components of consumption, &
investment, foreign trade, and government expenditures and receipts;
462
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monetary and banking statistics, including interest rates; employment
and earnings data; and construction and housing starts statistics.
Annual series are available for all two digit industries for current dol-
lar gross product originating, constant dollar gross product originating,
implicit price deflator, index of output, employee compensation, net interest,
capital consumption allowances, indirect business taxes, and profits.
Series at the two and three digit industry level in the manufactur-
ing sector are available on a monthly or quarterly basis for total employ-
ment, production workers, hourly wage rate, hours worked per week, index of
industrial production, wholesale prices, shipments, stocks of inventories,
new orders, unfilled orders, index after taxes, dividends, retained earnings,
depreciation, cash flow, inventories, total plant, property and equipment,
stockholders' equity, return on stockholders' equity, investment in plant
and equipment, first and second anticipations, index of capacity utiliza-
tion, depreciation factor, rental cost of capital, output originating, wage bill
for production and overhead workers, supplements for production and overhead
workers, unit labor costs for production and overhead workers, and labor pro-
ductivity indexes for production and overhead workers.
A four digit level manufacturing sector series are available for
value of shipments in current and constant dollars, value added, invest-
ment in plant and equipment, total employment, production workers, manhours
of production workers, price index of shipments, wage rates of production
workers, and wage rates of overhead workers.
The Chase Econometrics United States Data Base also contains many
series not available elsewhere which have been developed for use in their
macro and industry models. These are a two digit level manufacturing
463
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industries series including quarterly gross product originating, capacity
utilization, unit labor costs for production and overhead workers, and labor
productivity for production and overhead workers. The industry capacity
utilization indexes are estimated by the same general method that was developed
for the aggregate index. Estimation of unit labor costs for production and
overhead workers has included the development of new series for overhead wage
rates and supplements in type of worker. Also available is a four digit
industry level series for manufacturing which include, as well as the range
of data available for two digit level series, wholesale price indexes for
each industry. This enables us to calculate constant-dollar shipments, or
volume, for all four digit industries. Again, these series are not presently
available on any other data base facility.
The general series which are available in the Chase Econometrics United
States Data Base are as follows: :
• Industry - Annual !
(a) The following series are available for all ?6 two digit industries£j
Current dollar gross product originating
Constant dollar gross product originating
Implicit price deflator
Index of output
Employee compensation
Net interest
Capital consumption allowances
Indirect business taxes
Profit-type income
(b) The following series are available for almost all of the four dig
industries in the manufacturing sector (1*000 series):
464
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Value of shipments, current dollars
Value of shipments, constant dollars
Value added
Investment in plant and equipment
Total employment
Production workers
Man-hours of production workers
Price index of shipments
Wage rates of production workers
Wage rates of overhead workers
Industry - Quarterly
The following series are available for all two digit manufacturing
industries, plus autos and steel. All Quarterly Financial Report data
are adjusted for both sample period drift and change in SIC classification.
Quarterly Financial Report
Sales
Profits before taxes
Corporate income taxes
Profits after taxes
Dividends
Retained earnings
Depreciation
Cash flow
Inventories
Total property, plant and equipment
Stockholders' equity
Return on stockholders' equity
465
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Survey of Current Business
Investment in plant and equipment
First anticipations
Second anticipations
Calculated by Chase Econometrics
Index of capacity utilization
Depreciation factor
Rental cost of capital
Capital stock
Output originating
Wage "bill, production workers
Wage Mil, overhead workers
Supplements, production workers
Supplements, overhead workers
Unit labor costs, production workers
Unit labor costs, overhead workers
Labor productivity index, production workers
Labor productivity index, overhead workers
• Industry - Monthly
The next series are available for all two digit manufacturing
industries, plus autos and steel. In addition, most of the Employment
and Earnings data are available for two digit nonmanufacturing industries.
466
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Employment and Earnings
Total employment
Production workers
Hourly wage rate
Hours worked per week
Survey of Current Business
Index of industrial production
Wholesale prices
Shipments
Stocks of inventories
New orders
Unfilled orders
Other
Index of stock prices
2. REGIONAL "AM) SPECIAL PURPOSE DATA BASES
The Chase staff has constructed and currently maintains several spe-
cial purpose data bases which feature the same advantages of completeness,
accuracy, and timeliness as the tfaited States Data Base. These specialized
data bases may be specific to a particular firm or trade organization or
apply -to ah entire region of the country, such as the New England Regional
!'
Data Base for which Chase Econometrics and Rapidata share responsibility.
The series which are available in the New England Regional Data. Base
are as follows:
467
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Total ITew England Region
Industrial production by two digit manufacturing industry
Business failures by one digit industry
Retail sales
Financial statistics
Commercial and industrial loans at commercial banks
Real estate loans at commercial banks
'U.S. Treasury security holdings at commercial banks
Holdings of other bonds and stocks at commercial banks
Mortgage loans outstanding at savings and loans
Consumer installment credit
Automobile paper
Other consumer goods credit
Home repair and modernization loans
Personal loans
Sa/ings balance of savings and loans
Individual States
Employment and wages and salaries data are offered for the following
industries; (* indicates wages & salaries onl
* Agriculture
Mining, total
- * Coal mining
* Crude petroleum and natural gas
* Mining and quarrying
* Construction
Manufacturing, total
* Durable manufacturing
* Nondurable manufacturing
468
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Individual States (continued)
Transportation and utilities, total
Railroads
* Highway transportation
* Motor freight
* Other transportation
* Communication and public utilities
Wholesale and retail trade
Finance, insurance, and real estate services, total
* Hotels
* Business and repairs
* Amusement and recreation
* Professional services
Government
* Civilian
* Military
* State and local
* An other
Other personal income categories
Gross personal income
Income taxes
Othey labor income
Proprietors' income - farm
Proprietors' income - nonfarm
Property income
Transfer payments
Contribution for social insurance
469
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Financial Statistics
Demand deposits
Time and savings deposits
Savings and club deposits
Other time deposits
Mutual savings bank
Savings on deposit
Real estate loans
Deposits made by mutual savings banks
Deposits withdrawn by mutual savings banks
Member bank loans
U.S. Treasury securities held
Other securities held
Other Business Statistics
New business incorporations
Number of business failures
Liabilities
Total construction
Residential building construction
Nonresidential building construction
Nonbuilding construction
470
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Individual Region (also states)
Variables included
Total nonagricultural employment
Manufacturing employment
Durable manufacturing employment
Nondurable manufacturing employment
Nonmanufacturing employment
Hours vorked per week
Average hourly earnings
Number of unemployed
Percentage of unemployed
Civilian labor force
Bank debits
Regions (* selected series only)
Boston * Lawrence-Haverhill Portland
Bridgeport * Lowell Providence
* Brockton Manchester Springfield
Burlington New Bedford Stamford
* Fall River New Britain Waterbury
Hartford New Haven. Worcester
Boston Area
Components of the consumer price index
Conventional mortgages at different interest rates (also available for the
area outside Boston).
471
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3. MftCROECONOMIC FORECASTS
The Chase macro model, the largest fully simultaneous model ever used
for actual forecasting, is used to generate forecasts up to ten quarters in
the future for over 200 economics variables. The model contains a non-linear
monetary sector, greater detail for the components of aggregate demand, and
incorporates new developments in the wage and price equations. The relation-
ships between the demand, monetary, price and other sectors incorporate the
complex interactions which are observed in the actual economy. A detailed
written monthly report provides an extensive analysis as well as further dis-
cussion of the forecast results and the assumptions which are used to gene-
rate our standard and alternate forecasts. Each month three additional alter-
nate forecasts are calculated using different assumptions for the policy
variables. The model is also available on tine sharing vrhich enables the
user to enter his own assumptions and generate his own forecasts.
a) Available, then, in this series are all of the standard national
income accounts series plus all other quarterly series used in the esti-
mation of the Chase Econometrics Macroeconomic Model, including:
Gross national product in current and constant dollars
National income by type of income
National income by industry
Personal income components
Personal consumption expenditures in current and constant dollars
Federal government receipts and expenditures
472
-------
State and local government receipts and expenditures
Implicit price deflators for GUP
Imports and exports in current and constant dollars
Trice and volume indexes of world trade
•i
Wage rates and unit labor costs
Capital stocks (as calculated by Chase Econometrics)
Index of capacity utilization (as calculated by Chase Econometrics)
Rental cost of capital (as calculated by Chase Econometrics)
Index of credit rationing (as calculated by Chase Econometrics)
• i ,\
b) Also available are all other series in TOjie Macroeconomic Model
not included In the standard national income accoutitS:
•>
Personal income components
Consumer price indexes
Employment, labor force and population by age-sex classification
Hourly vages and earnings
New and unfilled orders
Construction statistics and housing starts
Compohe'nts of the money supply and other deposits
Interest rates
New passenger car registrations
Stock prices and yields
Detailed personal consumption expenditures in current and constant dollars
Detailsd Federal Government receipts and expenditures
Detailed State and local government receipts and expenditures
Detailed investment in structures in current and constant dollars
473
-------
Detailed investment in producers' durable equipment in current and
constant dollars
Implicit price deflators for personal consumption expenditures
Implicit price deflators for investment in structures
Implicit price deflators for investment in producers' durable equipment
U. LOHG-RUK INDUSTRY FORECASTING SERVICE
Forecasts at the individual industry level are provided on an annual
basis up to ten years in the future. Specific variables forecasted for each
of 50 SIC code industries include sales, prices, profits, cash flow, invest-
ment, employment, wages, and unit labor costs. The forecasts are also provided
for all 80 industries listed in the 1963 input-output table, with additional
disaggregation for the transportation and service sectors.
The Chase Long-Eun Industry Forecasting Service generates industry fore-
casts by combining long-run forecasts from a macroeconomic model, input-output
techniques, and multiple regression analysis at the industry level. Forecasts
available for up to fifteen variables for each of 80 input/output industries
and 50 SIC code industries. The complete service includes the following fea-
tures:
Annual forecasts for up to 10 years into the future for all 80 input/
output industries and 50 SIC code industries. The last section of this bro-
chure includes a table listing the variables forecast for each industry and
provides a sample of the actual output. Forecasts are updated on a quarterly
basis. These quarterly releases contain:
(a) A written summary of the basic trends in the economy and the
principal assumptions about long-range behavior of key policy
and demographic variables
(b) The complete long-range forecasts arranged by industrial classifi-
cation
(c) A ranking of the industries by rate of growth for all major
variables
474
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(d) Graphs showing the historical and projected growth of each
manufacturing SIC code industry at a glance.
The long-range projections are fully consistent with the short-run
forecasts during the period of overlap. It should be stressed that this in-
ternal consistency can be guaranteed only in a completely simultaneous sy-
stem and cannot in general be attained with a recursive solution.
Solutions from, the Chase Econonctri.es macro model are combined with
input-output analysis and additional regression equations at the industry
level to generate forecasts at the tiro and three-digit (SIC code) level for
the following variables:
For all industries in the 80-sector I/O Table
Shipments, current dollars
Shipments, constant dollars (volume)
Price index
For all two-digit manufacturing industries
Corporate profits
Corporate income taxes
Dividends
Depreciation
Corporate cash flow-
Investment
Capacity utilization
Employment, production workers
Employment, overhead workers
Wage rates, production workers
Wage rates, overhead workers
Hours worked per week
Unit labor costs
Labor productivity
-------
Wholesale price r'.ndex
Gross product originating (value added)
For all other two-digit industries (where data are available)
Corporate profits
Corporate income taxes
Dividends
Depreciation
Corporate cash flow
Employment
Wage rates
Unit labor costs
Labor productivity
Price deflator
Gross product originating (value added)
. SHORT^BgtT iroUSTRY FORECASTING SERVICE
The Chase Short-Run Industry Forecasting Service offers in tabular,
graphic, and text form quarterly forecasts of the following variables:
(a) The index of industrial production, sales in current and constant
dollars, investment, profits, taxes, dividends, depreciation, and cash flow
for 20 manufacturing industries.
Food and. kindred products
Textile mill products
Apparel and other textile products
Lumber and wood products
Furniture and fixtures
Paper and allied products
Printing and publishing
Chemic&ls and allied products
476
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Petroleum and coal products
Rubber and plastics products
Stone, clay and glass products
Basic iron and steel
Other primary metals
Fabricated metal products
Machinery, ex. electrical
Electrical equipment and supplies
Other transportation equipment
Motor Tehicles and equipment
Instruments and related products
Misc. manufacturing
(b) Retail Sales for 1^ Major Categories
Passenger car, other auto, dealers
Tire, battery accessory dealers
Furniture, home furnishings stores
Household appliance, TV, radio
Lumber, building materials dealers
Hardware stores
Apparel group
Drug and proprietary stores
•/*
j\ ; #-*#
* c,
i •
National Planning Association
1666 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
477
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National Planning Association (NPA) provides the following two
comprehensive projective services:
1) National Economic Projections
2) Regional Economic Projections
A. National Economic Projections
The projection model used in developing NPA's ongoing series of National
economic and demographic projections (see IV A), is comprised of 16U variables
of which 99 are endogenous. Among the 65 predetermined variables 8 are instru-
ments, i.e., variables that can be affected "by government, 3^ are data variable
and 23 are lagged endogenous variables. There are 99 equations and identities
to explain the same number of endogenous variables. The equations consist of
i& structural equations and 56 definitional and balancing identities.
The model is recursive, meaning that the causal relationships run in
one direction only. More formally, the equations can be ordered in such a
way that the system has a triangular matrix of endogenous variables and the
covariance matrix of residuals is diagonal. With the equations arranged in
this order, each equation may be regarded as representing the causal deter-
mination of one endogenous variable as the remaining endogenous variables
in the equation have been determined in equations which are higher in the
ordering. These variables are, in effect, predetermined with respect to
this equation although they are endogenous to the system of equations as a
whole. The fact that Ordinary Least Squares provides consistent estimates
in the equations of a correctly specified recursive system has been pro-
vided elsevrhere and needs no elaboration here.
478
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In addition to being relatively simple to calculate, OLS uses
up fewer degrees of freedom than the commonly used estimating procedures,
This is an important advantage to be gained from using a recursive
model where data are scarce because even relatively small simultaneous
subsets of equations can exhaust the available degrees of freedom.
This is an important consideration in the model presented here as it
is tested against annual data for post-war years.
As it is, the specification of some of the functions present
some small sample problems. For instance, there are a few functions
employing lagged endogenous variables to accomplish what is effectively
an extrapolation of an endogenous variable. This was done because
behavioral variables with high explanatory power could not be found;
however, it causes bias for sma.11, sample.
479
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Gross National Product and National Income-*-
Gross National Product by Major Component (QBE 1.1), 1929-1980
Gross National Product by Major Component (QBE 1.2), 1929-1980
National Income by Type of Income (QBE 1.10), 1929-1980
Selected Per Capita Income and Product Series (QBE 7.6), 1929-1980
Selected Per Capita Income and Product Series (QBE 7.6), 1929-1980
Percent Distribution of GNP by Major Component, 1929-1980 (Current Do
Percent Distribution of GNP by Major Component, 1929-1980 (Constant
1958 Dollars)
Relation of Gross National Product and National Income (QBE 1.9),
1929-3980
Relation of National Income and Personal Income (OBE 1.9), 1929-1980
Selected Economic Productivity Measures for Gross National Product
and Gross Private Product, 1948-1980
Average Annual Growth Rate for Selected Indicators, 1948-1980
Personal Income and Consumption
Personal Income and Its Disposition (OBE 2.1), 1929-1980
Personal Consumption Expenditures by Type of Product, Selected Years
1948-1980 (Current Prices)
Personal Consumption Expenditures by Type of Product, Selected Years
1948-1980 (1958 Prices)
Distribution of Personal Consumption Expenditures by Major Component
Selected Years, 1948-1980
Average Annual Growth of Personal Consumption Expenditures by Major
Components, Selected Periods, 1948-1980
Distribution of Consumer Units by Income Class: 1968, 1975 and 1980
Distribution of Consumer Unit Income by Income Class: 1968, 1975
and 1980
Government Receipts and Expenditures
Total Government Receipts and Expenditures
Federal Government Receipts and Expenditures (OBE 3.1), 1929-1980
State and Local Government Receipts and Expenditures (OBE 3.3),
1929-1980
Foreign Transactions
Foreign Transactions (OBE 4.1), 1948-1980
OBE references are to the national income and product account tables
prepared regularly by the U.S. Office of Business Economics.
480
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Savings and Investment
*
Sources and Uses of Gross Saving (QBE 5.1), 1948-1980
-Purchases of Producers' Durable Equipment by Type (QBE 5.4), 1948-1980
Purchases of Private NonresidenCial Structures by Type (QBE 5.2),
1948-1980
Distribution of Purchases of Producers' Durable Equipment by Type,
1948-1980
Distribution of Purchases of Private Nonresidential Structures ty Type,
1948-1980
Purchases of Producers' Durable Equipment by Type (QBE 5.5), 1948-1980
Purchases of Private Nonresidential Structures by Type (OBE 5.3),
1948-1980
Distribution of Purchases of Producers' Durable Equipment by Type,
1948-1980
Distribution of Purchases of Private Nonresidential Structures by Type,
1948-1980
Private Residential Construction, 1948-1980
Population and Labor Force
Population, Labor Force, Employment, and Man-hours, 1929-1980
Total Population by Age and Sex, 1950-1980
Distribution of Total Population by Age and Sex, 1950-1980
Total Labor Force Participation Rates by Age and Sex, 1950-1980
Total Labor Force by Age and Sex, 1950-1980
Distribution of Total Labor Force by Age and Sex, 1950-1980
Total;White Population by Age and Sex, 1950-1980
White Labor Force Participation Rates by Age and Sex, 1955-1980
Total White Labor Force by Age and Sex, 1955-1980
Total Nonwhite Population by Age and Sex, 1950-1980
Konvhite Labor Force Participation Rates by Age and Sex, 1955-1980
Total Nonwhite Labor Force by Age and Sex, 1955-1980
Supplementary Tables
Gross National Product: Receipts and Expenditures by Major Economic
Groups (OBE 7.1)
Federal Reserve Board Index of Industrial Production, 1919-1980
Implicit Deflators
Implicit Price Deflators for Gross National Product (OBE 8.1), 1948-1980
Implicit Price Deflators-Personal Consumption Expenditures by Type of
Product, Selected Years, 1948-1980
Implicit Price Deflators for Producers' Durable Equipment by Type
(OBE 8.8), 1948-1980
Implicit Price Deflators for Private Structures by Type (OBE 8.7),
1948-1980
481
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B. Regional Economic Projections
NPA's Regional Economic Projections Series (REPS) has been an ongoing
research activity since 1962, providing an annual series of projections of
population, industry employment and personal income for eight multi-state
regions, 50 states and 230 metropolitan areas. Based upon NPA's work on
national economic and demographic trend projections, the REPS series pre-
pares projections of consumer saving and spending consistent with each :
region's level of personal income and indicated pattern of consumer expendi-
ture behavior.
Considerable emphasis in the Regional Projections Series is placed on
forecasting likely changes in the pattern of interstate migration and on
anticipating the regional distribution of industrial activity. In this respect,
Regional series projections are particularly useful for state and local govern-
ment agencies and planning organizations engaged in environmental planning.
Projections series reports are distributed on a subscription basis to
private business firms, government departments and agencies, and non-profit
organizations. The. series also provides separate state and metropolitan area
reports on a regular basis containing revised and updated projections of the
principal economic and demographic indicators of growth and change.
REPS is a tx«>-stage step-down of national projections provided by NPA's 3
National Economic Projections Series (NEPS), first to states, and then to
SMSAs. It embodies a single causal chain from employment to population and incoiat
permitting a recursive formulation which makes solution rather easy.
The fundamental employment model distinguishes basic industries projected
by a form of shift-share, and non-basic industries projecced as functions of
local demand.
The model is run twice, once, to derive state totals from national totals,
and secondly to derive SMSA figures from state figures. It thus possesses
extremely tight aggregation controls, combined with a considerable flexibility
in projection at the SMSA level. For states, the analytical'region is the whole
U.S., while for SMSAs the analytical region is a suitably defined collection of
states. In recent REPS projections, the analytical area.has been different for
different industries.
A selected list of economic variables available for each region from the
NPA's model follows;
482
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Historical and Projected Trends for Regions, States, and Metropolitan Areas
National Economic and Demographic Framework
Regional arid State Growth Indicators
Population
Employment
Personal Income
Per Capita Personal Income
Metropolitan Area Dimension
Saving and Consumption Patterns
Regional Markets
Personal Taxes and Nontax Payments
Personal Saving
Consumption Expenditure Patterns
Food and Tobacco
Clothing and Accessories
Personal Care
Housing
Household Operation
Medical Care Expenses
Personal Business
Transportation Expenditures
Recreation, Including Foreign Travel
Private Education and Religious and Welfare Activities
Metropolitan Area Markets
Consumption Expenditure Patterns
483
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SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
SECONDARY INFORMATION SOURCES
By
James G. Kollegger
President
Environment Information Center, Inc
National Environmental Information Symposium
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cincinnati, Ohio
September 26, 1972
484
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Environment Information Center Inc
124E 39th Street
New York. New York 10016
OUTLINE:
1. What is socio-economic information
a. a conceptual model
b. examples of socio-economic cause-effect
2. Horizontal information coverage
a. the concept of single-source access
(1) system concept
(2) system description
b. other multi-field coverage
c. general coverage sources
3. Vertical information coverage
a. population
b. technology development
c. political dynamics
d. societal behavior and values
e. economics
4. Appendices
a. select roster of secondary information sources
b. ACCESS Classification System
485
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Environment Information Center Inc
124E 39th Street
New York. New York 10016
"Man exercises considerable control over his destiny. Thus,
the role of political, economic and other institutions must be
considered as interdependent and powerful influences over the
future conditions of the world."
from "Environmental Quality, The Third Annual Report
of the Council on Environmental Quality", 1972, p. 70 Sup. Doc.
1. WHAT IS SOCIO-ECONOMIC INFORMATION?
This question was repeatedly raised during the preparatory
sessions for this conference. And since we are about to
become involved in systems of socio-economic information, it
is important to understand why this area is of crucial importance.
This is essential to my discussion and particularly to under-
standing the problems one will encounter in dealing with this
area of information.
We are fast recognizing that environmental problems must be
solved on two planes: the short term (implementing laws, standards
and control technology) which is being discussed in the con-
current sessions; and the long term (controlling political,
social and economic factors). In other words, a catalytic
converter will lessen nitrous oxide pollution from cars, but it
doesn't solve the problem of resource consumption, urban sprawl
and junkyards. After "The Limits to Growth", "The Bluprint for
Survival", and the Stockholm Conference, we know that pollution is
only the tip of the iceberg. Ultimately, all environmental
problems stem from five areas:
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1. Population (growth rates and migration patterns)
2. Technology development (including housing, transportation,
food production and particularly their energy implications)
3. Political dynamics (fiscal, monetary policies, and in particular,
governmental standards and incentives).
4. Societal behavior and value patterns (the reasons we live,
play and work the way we do -- environmental behavior)
5. Economics (the quantitative relationships between the proceeding
factors)
The following crude model will help conceptualize the relationship
among these factors:
(See Figure 1)
If we plug in some examples, it will help illustrate why an
environmental researcher ultimately ends up at the socio-economic
aspects of the problem:
Example #1: Damming of Wild and Scenic Rivers
Effects: Very few western rivers remain in their natural, wild
state. Most have been dammed to provide irrigation and drinking
water and to generate hydroelectric power. Causes: political
pressures emanating from the Southwest, where excessive migrations
in search of cheap land and open space required water for drinking,
farming and industry that was just not there. Meanwhile, however, water-
rich land in the South is placed in the land bank and farmers are
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Fig.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC-ENVIRONMENTAL INTERRELATIONSHIPS
A CONCEPTUAL MODEL
POPULATION
GROWTH
MIGRATION
It
TECJHNOLOC
TRANSPORTATION
HOUSING & CONSTRUCT
POOD
ENERGY
POLITICAL
DYNAMICS
ENVIRONMENTAL
JIEHAVIOJi
t
IMPACT AREAS
AIR: air pollution
weather modification
LAND: urban-suburban sprawl
solid waste/strip mining
WATER: water pollution/drought
PLANTS: endangered species
ANIMALS: endangered species
MINERALS: resource depletion
MAN: noise/health
AftR
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subsidized to keep land fallow. The root causes: political and
economic ones, not just technology.
Example #2 Urban-Suburban Sprawl
t
Effect: Open space is fast disappearing under low density housing
developments, shopping centers, parking lots and highways.
Causes: the post-war G.I. Bill and the National Defense Highway
Act which, encouraged single-family home ownership (no downpayment)
%
and a highly personalized transportation mode (the automobile).
If we project certain political and economic events occurring
today, we can probably project future impact.
Example #3: Federal Auto Emission Standards
Stricter emission standards have resurrected the Wankel engine,
i low efficiency, low compression engine that will require lower
jctane (lead free) fuels, but more of them. What effect will
L.his have on resource consumption?
Example #4: Zero Discharge
ff this comes to pass, as it seems likely for certain industries,
industrial plants will be freed from waterside locations since
ill waters can be recycled. There will then be a mass relocation
to market areas -- cities and suburbs --in order to cut transportation
-osts. What effect will this have on the transportation industry?
)n land use? Jobs? If you are an information specialist charged
fith ferreting out such matters, where do you start?
;- .HORIZONTAL INFORMATION COVERAGE
2a. Getting a Handle on the problem -- the concept of single
source access.
rhe ra.pid emergence of environment as a multi-disciplined profession,
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the resulting information explosion and the infusion of "outsiders"
into a hitherto privileged professional sanctuary also created
the need fd>r new concepts in information handling. In 1970,
when environment was not yet a recognized profession (indeed,
when many felt it was a passing public fad) Environment Information
Center was created with the express purpose of developing an
information system that would closely parallel all aspects of
environmental problems -- cause and effect. We regarded
"environment" as a total, interrelated concept, and bui-lt a system
that permitted cross referencing between, for instance, population
trends and air pollution* It was conceived as a single-source
access system which:
a. covered all information categories important to environ-
mental problem solving
b. covered all types of media used to convey environmentally
significant information: magazines, books, reports, films,
conference papers, special publications, speeches.
c. used all practicable media to disseminate and access
information from this data bank, including:
(1) abstract journals and services t i i
(2[) annual cumulative subject, industry and author indexes
(3) document retrieval services c
(4) microfiche document subscription and retrieval services
(5) computer tape services
(6) special searches and studies \
(7) on-linei. retrieval systems j
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(8) selective dissemination:of information.
Both a controlled vocabulary and a conceptual cataloging system
were developed for 21 environmental problem areas. This category
system permits researchers to enter 21 major cause-effect areas:
Air Pollution
Chemical and Biological Contamination
Energy
Environmental Education
Environmental Design
Food and Drugs
General
International
Land Use and Misuse
Noise Pollution
Non-Renewable Resources
Oceans and Estuaries
Population Planning and Control
Radiological Contamination
Recreation
Renewable Resources
Solid Waste
Transportation
Water Pollution
Weather Modification and Geophysical Change
Wildlife
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A more detailed description is contained in Appendix B.
Inputs: This system, called Environment Information ACCESS,
covers 2,000 international periodicals, government reports
and documents, select speeches, research reports, newspaper
articles, conference papers and proceedings; books, legislation,
Federal Register entries, patents, films. r
Throughput: All items are acquired in full document form, abstracted
by EIC staff, indexed by subject, industry, author, geography
and organization, and often cross-referenced.
Output-: The data bank is tapped through a bi-weekly abstract
journal (ACCESS), an annual cumulative index (The Environment
Index), hard copy document retrieval (access retrieval), microfiche
document retrieval on demand or on a subscription basis per
category (Envirofiche); computer tape services (The Environmental
Science Citation Index); computer searches (ACCESS Search); and
other publications (such as the critical guide, The Environment
Film Review).
Our exhibit here displays most of these publications and provides
i
detailed literature on all aspects of our operations. I'll be
glad to answer any questions you may have.
2b. Other Horizontal Environmental Coverage:
• f
ACCESS is unique as a horizontal information system which
covers both socio-economic and environmental impact areas.
Some publications do cover more than one area of environmental
impact,- but these are restricted to the technical aspects of <'
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and water pollution. The best example is Pollution7 Abstracts,
issued six times per year, which covers seven contamination
areas: Pollution Abstracts provides cumulated indexes, and
document retrieval, air, fresh water, marine, land, noise,
sewage, and general. A publication called Environmental
Periodicals covers similar areas, by providing the contents
pages of journals. It too offers document retrieval.
2c. General Horizontal Information Sources:
These range in sophistication from simple citation listings,
such as the Wilson Reader's Guide which covers a relatively
small sample of total journal literature, to ISI's Current
Contents, which covers 3,500. The Science Citation Index,
for instance, is a system which permits one to locate articles
based on the type of references they quote; offers profiling,
SDI<, and tearsheet retrieval.
3, SECONDARY INFORMATION SOURCES: VERTICAL COVERAGE
Since we are concerned largely with socio-economic sources, I
will leave such vertical technical coverage systems as APTIC,
SWIRS, etc. to our counterpart session. This also shortens my
speech since few secondary information sources deal with socio-
economic matters in a vertical sense. Someone researching
population, for instance, is not nearly as well served as some
one researching water pollution. Aside from environmental
coverage offered by ACCESS, such areas as housing, transportation,
population, etc. are not extensively served by their own abstract,
index, retrieval and search services.
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For purposes of this discussion, the word "vertical" refers to
the five major areas in the model I discussed, earlier:
a. Population
b- Technology Development (including transport, housing, food)
c. Political Dynamics
d. Societal Behavior and Values (including recreation)
e. Economics: the quantitative relationships among all these.
Since a 1-ist of sources is attached to my paper (Appendix A) ,
I will not waste time by reading these. Emphasis here, is on
bibliographic systems rather than hard data -- since the
bibliographic ultimately leads to hard data; but a select scat-
tering of important hard data sources -- such as the Census --
is also included. Let me briefly summarize the five areas:
1. Population
Most hard data comes from the Bureau of the Census, or the
United Nations (UNESCO). Not only does the Census measure the
crucial inputs of population growth and migration, it also
provides data applicable to housing, employment, business sta-
tistics, education and recreation. Much of it will probably go
7-
into the new SUMSTAT (Summary Statistics) program now being
l'
conceptualized. Until then, however, the best way to unearth
Census;tdata is through the quarterly Bureau of the Census Catalog
which also announces tape services. Or through the monthly
Catalog of Government Publications. Bibliographic information onj
population control is best obtained through ACCESS (abstracts) "
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or the Population Index (citations only).
2. Technology
According to Barry Commoner, this is where it's at, but it is very
hard to get at (tin
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Bureau of Outdoor Recreation (Recreation Register), coverage is
restricted to primary publications such as Sage publications
journal Environment and Behavior and RC's Design and Environment.
The journal literature is best followed through ACCESS, or Current
Contents.
5. Economics.
A wealth of raw data is available from federal agencies and commercial
services. Every conceivable quantitative aspect seems to be cata-
loged: power consumption, distribution patterns, resource depletion,
employment. Useful secondary sources include Predicasts, which
cross references statistics with bibliographic sources. Example: tons
of coal consumed in the U.S. is contrasted with baseline data;
source of data, is given; and data can be retrieved by subject or
Standard Industrial Classifications .
Two excellent sources that should not be overlooked are: CEQ, whose
Annual Report is an encyclopedia of socio-techno-economic facts;
and the Council on Economic Priorities, a non-profit public interest
group which issues well-documented studies on the social/environmental
impacts of economic behavior. Names, addresses, products and prices
of these services are attached to this paper. If anyone cannot
obtain a copy here, please write me at EIC, 124 E. 39th St., NYC 10016
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We opened this discussion with a question: why socio-
economic information? I'd like to close with an answer --
a quote taken from the CEQ Annual Report:
"Man is not a captive of uncontrollable forces. He
can exercise a significant degree of control over his
future if he has some idea of the problems which lie ahead.
Hopefully this presentation has contributed to a better
understanding of how this can be done.
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APPENDIX A:
Select Roster of Secondary Information Sources
I. Population Dynamics
A. Primary Source Data
Bureau of Census (U.S.)
Publications Distribution Section
Washington, D.C. 20233
Current Population Reports ($14.00)
(includes 8 series of reports, e.g., "Population
Characteristics," "Population Estimates and Projec-
tions" monthly"Estimates of the Total Population of
the U.S." monthly, "Farm Population,"etc)
Statistical Office of the United Nations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs
United Nations
New York, New York 10017
Population and Vital Statistics Report (quarterly update
on population and vital statistics for every country
of the world; $4.00)
B. Secondary/Bibliographic Sources
Office of Population Research
Princeton University
5 Ivy Lane
Princeton, N.J. 08540
Population Index (Q, $15.00)
Environment Information Center, Inc.
124 East 39th Street
New York, New York 10016
Environment Information ACCESS (SM, $150-. 00)
Category 13
Health Services and Mental Health Administration
Department of Health, Education, and. Welfare
5600 Fishers Lane, Room 12A-33
Rockville, Maryland 20852
Family Planning Digest (BM)
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APPENDIX A (Cont'd)
Population Council
245 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10017
Current Publications in Population/Family Planning (M)
Reproduction Research Information Service Ltd.
141 Newmarket Road
Cambridge, England
Bibliography of Reproduction (M)
II Technology Development:
TRANSPORTATION
A. Primary Source Data
Bureau of Census (U.S.)
Chief of the Transportation Division
Washington D.C. 20233
1967 Census of Transportation
Commodity Transportation Survey, 1967:
Shipments from Production Area to Destination
Area (contains 484,000 records, available on
four reels <$>f computer tape, either IBM/360,
7- or 9-track, or Univac 1107, 9-track)
Commodity Transportation Survey, 1967:
Shipments from State of Origin to State of
Destination (contains 705,000 records,
available on 5 reels of tape, either IBM/360
7- or 9-track, or Univac 1107, 9-track)
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B. Secondary/Bibliographic Sources
'4'.
Environment Information Center, Inc.
124 East 39th Street
New York, New York 10016
Environment Information ACCESS (SM, $150.00)
Category 18 Transportation
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
Two Pennsylvania Plaza
New York, New York 10001
SAE Publications/Readers Service
(papers and technical information developed by SAE,
cited in SAE Journal of Automotive Engineering, M1)'
Northwestern University Transportation Center
1818 Hinman Avenue
Evanston, Illinois 60204
Current Literature in Traffic and Transportation (M, $6.00)
Highway Research Board
National Academy of Sciences
2101 Constitution Avenue
Washington, B.C. 20418
Highway Research Abstracts (M, $5.00)
Highway Research Information Service Abstracts (Q, $20.00)
(abstracts of actual research in progress)
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
Washington D.C. "20590
United Engineering Library
395 E. 47th Street
New York, New York 10017
Engineering Index (M
Compendex
Institute for Scientific Information
325 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Current Contents: Engineering & Technology (W, $10Q)
H.W. Wilson
950 University Avenue
Bronx, New York 10452
Applied Science & Technology Index (M, price varies)
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HOUSING
A. Primary Source Data
Bureau of Census
Publication Distribution Section
Washington D.C. 20233
General Housing Characteristics (1970 statistics;
58 reports, $61.35)
Current Housing Reports: Housing Vacancies (Q § A, $1.50)
McGraw-Hill Information Systems
F.W. Dodge Co.
1221 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York
Dodge Reports (see below)
B. Secondary/Bibliographic Sources
Environment Information Center, Inc.
124 East 39th Street
New York, New York 10016
Environment Information ACCESS (SH, $150.00)
Category 05 Environmental Design
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Washington D.C. 20410
Housing and Urban Development Trends (M)
Housing and Renewal Services
1319 F Street N.W.
Washington D.C. 20004
Housing and Renewal Index (SM, $60,00)
National Association of Home Builders of the U.S. (NAHB)
1625 L Street N.W.
Washington D.C. 20036
Library Bulletin (M, free to members)
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ENERGY
•**•
A. Primary Source Data
Federal Power Commission
Office of Public Information
Washington B.C. 20426
FPC News (W, free)
Federal Power Statistics
B. Secondary/Bibliographic Sources
Environment Information Center, Inc.
124 East 39th Street
New York, New York 10016
Environment Information ACCESS (SM, $150.00)
Category 03 Energy
Institute for Scientific Information
325 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Current Contents (W, $100 per service)
Science Citation Index
OATS (tearsheet service)
ACSA (profile searches)
Resource Use
A. Primary Source Data
Bureau of Census
Washington D.C. 20233
1967 Census of Mineral Industries (14 reports, $8.10)
Area Statistics (49 reports, $16.80)
B. Secondary/Bibliographic Sources
Environment Information Center, Inc.
124 East 39th Street
New York, New York 10016
Environment Information ACCESS (SM, $150.00)
Categories 11 Non-Renewable Resources
" 15 Terrestrial Resources
" 16 Water Resources
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American Petroleum Institute
555 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Abstracts of Air and Water Conservation Literature and Patents
(W, $275-550)
Abstracts of Petroleum Substitutes Literature and Patents
(M, $150-275)
Abstracts of Refining Literature (W, $1100-13,000)
Abstracts of Refining Patents (W, $2000-10,000)
Abstracts of Transportation and Storage Literature and Patents
(M, $275-550)
Institute for Scientific Information
325 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Current Contents:
Engineering § Technology (W, $100)
Physical § Chemical Science (W, $100)
Life Sciences (w, $100)
H.W. Wilson Co.
950 University Avenue
Bronx, New York 10452
Biological and Agricultural Index (M, price varies)
FOOD
A. Primary Source,Data
Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. (FAO)
Documentation Centre
Via delle Terme di Caracalla
Rome, Italy
FAO Documentation Current Index (M, free)
' »' •
B_. Secondary/bibliographic Data
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124 East 39th Street
New York, New York 10016
Environment Information ACCESS (SM, $150.00)
Category of Food § Drugs
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Institute for Scientific Information
325 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Current Contents:
Agricultural, Food $ Vet. Sciences (W, $100)
General Product Information
Thomas Publishing Co.
461 8th Ave.
New York, New York
Thomas Register (catalog service)
United States Patent Office
Washington D.C. 20231
Official Gazette (W, $78.oo)
III. Political Dynamics
Bibliographic Sources:
Environment Information Center,
124 East 39th St.
New York, N.Y. 10016
Environment Information ACCESS(SM, $150)
Categories 1-21; 07 General, 08 International
Bureau of National Affairs (BNA)
1231 25th St.
Washington, D.C. 20037
Environment Reporter (M, $100)
New York Times Company
229 West 43rd St.
New York, N.Y. 10.036
New York Times Index (SM, $78; microfilm $525-$3,035)
New York Times Data Bank (an on-line retrieval system
now under development)
Commerce Clearinghouse, Inc. (CCH)
4025 W. Peterson Ave..
Chicago, 111. '
various legal documentation services
Congressional Information Service
500 Montgomery Bldg-
Washington, D.C. 20014
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CIS Index (M, price varies $95-. $395)
Annual Index $190
H.W. Wilson Co.
950 University Ave..
Bronx, New York 10452
Index to Legal Periodicals (M, price varies)
IV. Societal Behavior (Environmental Behavior)
A. Primary Source Data
Bureau of Labor Statistics
U.S. Dept. of Labor
14th St. and Constitution Ave.
Washington, D.C. 20210
Monthly Labor Review ($9.00)
League of Federal Recreation Assn. Inc.
927 15th St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20005
Recreation Register (M)
Bureau of Outdoor Recreation
U.S. Department of the Interior
Washington, D.C. 20240
Selected Outdoor Recreation Statistics (March 1971, 145p. $1.25)
B. Secondary/Biblibgraphic Sources
Sociological Abstracts
73 8th Ave.
Brooklyn,N.Y. 11215
Sociological Abstracts (8/yr $100; cum index every 10 yrs.)
(Divided into 28 areas of sociology; provides hard copy
retrieval of articles and conference papers)
H.W. Wilson Co.
9SO University Ave.
Bronx, N.Y. 10452
Social Sciences and Humanities Index (M, price varies)
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V. Economics
A. Primary Source Data
Dun § Bradstreet
99 Church St.
New York, N.Y. 10007
DMI -Dun Market Identifiers
lists 3 million businesses, providing: sales volume, number
of employees, net worth, when started. Cost: $40 -$155 per M
McGraw-Hill Information Systems
New York, N.Y.
F.W. Dodge Div.
Dodge Reports
compilation of all new construction projects in a given
area on a daily basis; lists location, contractor data,
bidding information; price varies.
Standard § Poors
345 Hudson St.
New York, N.Y.
Compustat
machine readable tape service providing historical financial
information on large companies 20 years back. Price varies,
but complete package is $25,000.
ISL Tapes (Investment Statistics)
daily stock transactions, corporate pricing, bond pricing,
$750 -$9,000.
Chase Econometrics, Inc.
555 City Line Ave.
Bala-Cynwyd, Pa. 19004
various reports, economic data bases, macroeconomic models,
industry models, economic consulting.
Interactive Data Corp.
486 Totten Pond Road
Waltham, Mass. 02154
on-line terminals: national income and product accounts,
GNP § Components by Industry, new management and equipment
expenditures, retail and wholesale trade and inventory.
B. . Secondary/Bibliographic Sources:
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Predicasts, Inc.
10550 Park Lane
University Circle
Cleveland, Ohio 44106
Funk and Scott Index of Corporations and Industries (W, $132)
covers analysis, opinions, forecasts, and newsworthy items
appearing in trade and financial press, analytical reports
of investment services, bank newsletters; covers articles
by industry, product, and subject; also by S.I.C. cddes.
Predicasts (Q, $172)
economic and forecast statistics, consists of summary forecasts
with historical data from 1957-68; composite forecasts for
1969,1970,1975, and 1980, on general economics, products,
transportation, construction, capital index spending, key
world forecasts, and capacity forecasts; also general economic
abstracts on population, labor force, and employment, national
income, and expenditure, production and business capacity,
construction, and source of forecasts.
Environment Information Center, Inc.
124 East 39th St.
New York, N.Y. 10016
Environment Information ACCESS (SM, $150)
Compendium Publishers Int'i Corp.
2175 Lemoine Ave.
Ft. Lee, N.J. 07024
SEARCH: 19 divisions (M, $25-$60)
chemical, production data
Council on Environmental Quality
722 Jackson Place, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006
Annual Report (Environmental Quality) third report, 1972
Council on Economic Priorities
456 Greenwhich St.
New York, N.Y. 10013
Economic Priorities Report (BM,$20)
also, in-depth studies on electric power and utility
and paper industries
H.W. Wilson Co.
950 University Ave.
Bronx, N.Y. 10452
Business Periodicals Index (M, price varies)
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APPENDIX. B: ACCESS CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
1 Air Pollution
Includes air pollution aspects of aircraft and auto
emissions, emissions from extracting, refining and
manufacturing industries, incineration, electric power
generation, industrial and residential heating, airborne
gases, particulates, thermal air pollution.
2 Chemical and Biological Contamination
Includes contamination aspects of chemicals and
biological agents: chemical and biological warfare,
plant and animal diseases, pests; agricultural chemicals:
pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides,
fertilizers; metal poisoning: mercury, lead, zinc;
detergents: phosphates, nitraies.
3 Energy
Includes energy aspects of nuclear and conventional
electric power generation, fission, fusion, hydroelectric,
pumped storage, chemical, unconventional: solar,
geothermal, waves and tides.
4 Environmental Education
Includes both philosophical and operational aspects;
curriculum planning and development; environmental
study areas; as a subject, and academic discipline;
including adult and community educational programs.
5 Environmental Design & Urban Ecology
Includes building and landscape architecture and
esthetic aspects of non-building architecture; visual
pollution: signs, billboards, transmission lines.
6 Food and Drugs
Includes impact of environmental problems on food:
agriculture, commercial fisheries, dairy farming,
ranching; food processing and canning; harvest
expansion and miracle crops, nutritional requirements;
food poisoning and contaminatiorr
7 General
Includes general policy, planning and programs by
Federal, state and local governments, industrial trade
associations, corporations, pollution control industries,
environmental organizations, legal and political aspects;
environmental education; problem-solving, systems
analysis and computer applications. For specific
pollution abatement programs, see individual categories.
8 International
Includes international and non-U.S. environmental issues;
pollution and conservation problems, international
cooperation, United Nations and other world agency
programs.
9 Land Use and Misuse
Includes use and abuse of land and wetlands: land
reclamation, power and pipeline transmission,
subdivisions, construction, stripmining; planning: scenic
and historic preservation, open space, urban and
regional planning; recreational and real estate uses of
land, including camping and wilderness.
10 Noise Pollution
Includes sources and effects of noise from aircraft,
vehicles, railroad and rapid transit, construction,
explosives, electronics; physiological and psychological
effects.
11 Non-Renewable Resources
Includes resource aspects of minerals and fossil fuels
(coal, petroleum, natural gas).
12 Oceans and Estuaries
Includes use and abuse of ocean environment;
international agreements on seabed use, technology
and programs for exploitation: ocean mining, farming,
off-shore activities; oceanography.
13 Population Planning and Control
Includes physical, psychological and socio-economic
aspects of population growth, incentives and regulations,
birth control techniques: fertility adjustment,
contraception, abortion, sterilization; death control.
14 Radiological Contamination
Includes sources and effects ot atomic and electro-
magnetic radiation: mine accidents, mine tailings,
seepage, waste disposal, fallout, lab accidents, reactor
accidents; x-rays, extra-terrestial and microwave
radiation, physiological and psychological effects.
15 Renewable Resources-Terrestrial
Includes renewal aspects of plants and soil (for animals
and animal habitat, see category 21); forest management,
tree farms, reforestation, new strains, logging; soil
conservation; botany; (for land use and abuse,
see category 9).
16 Renewable Resources-Water
Includes renewal aspects of water (for pollution aspects
see category 19); water tables, watersheds, water
resources, irrigation, flood control, man-made lakes,
channelization, water purification, desalination, water
supply; limnology; (for ocean and marine resources,
see category 12).
17 Solid Waste
Includes refuse collection and disposal: litter and
municipal refuse; sanitary landfill and waste structures,
compaction and pulverization, incineration, water
burial; waste reduction: package redesign, recycling
and re-use (cryogenic reduction, plasma torch,
destructive distillation).
18 Transportation
Includes transportation aspects of motor vehicles and
highways, aircraft and airports, railroads, ships, mass
transit; pipeline transportation; new systems and
concepts; safety.
19 Water Pollution
Includes water pollution aspects of industrial, municipal,
and agricultural effluents, thermal, oil, chemical, fertilizer
and phosphate eutrophication, animal wastes; municipal
sewage and detergents, dyes, treatment systems and
processes; limnology, hydrospheric sciences.
20 Weather Modification and Geophysical Change
Includes geophysical impact of use and misuse of
environmental resources; unintentional and deliberate
weather modification, climate control; effects of carbon
dioxide and particle accumulation, vapor trails, reflective
effects of oil slicks, thermal pockets( cities); monitoring
and sensing techniques, meteorology and atmospheric
sciences.
21 Wildlife
Includes fish and wildlife, game preserves, wildlife
management, bird sanctuaries, endangered and
vanishing species, animal habitat, ichthyology and zoology.
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NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION SYMPOSIUM
SOCIOECONOMIC SESSION: DOCUMENT AND REFERRAL SERVICES
Robert W. Howe
The Ohio State University
INTRODUCTION
In previous sessions of this conference there have been
presentations regarding the nature of selected information centers
and data banks in the socioeconomic field and also information
relative to publications by associations, information centers,
government agencies and private firms.
In this session we are primarily concerned with the range
of services desired by users regarding information, services
available, and some considerations of needs and development
priorities.
In preparing for this conference a number of people from
various user groups have been contacted to determine their
information needs, relevant literature has been reviewed, and
the experience of the speakers has also been included.
There are a variety of information needs depending heavily
upon the user and the reason for his desire for information.
Users in the socioeconomic field include governmental personnel
at the Federal, state, and local areas. Within these areas are
a variety of users with specific needs. Users of soeioeconomic
data also include a variety of people in the industrial community,
the academic community, the public laymen and others.
DESIRED FORM OF INFORMATION
The format of information desired varies. Information
requests include: .
(1) Single copies of reports, speeches, etc.
(2) Abstracts or summaries of reports
(3) Bibliographies
(4) State-of-the-art reviews
(5) Critical reviews related to specific
problems ^including recommendations
regarding the ;prqb lem
(6) Comparative reviews
(7) Raw data - current and retrospective
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The type of information varies extensively based on the
user. Hence, people providing information) services need to
carefully evaluate the users whom they arej, trying to serve and
to develop information accessible in formcits that users will
accept and use. '
USER CONSTRAINTS
User constraints also vary, but those usually included by
users as priorities include the following:
(1) Usefulness of information
a. Currency
b. Extensiveness of data base
c. Conciseness
(2) Response time
(3) Cost, particularly for individuals
(4) Personal accessibility to data source
a. Opportunity to review
b. Opportunity to interact
c. Opportunity to select
The type, of information to be made available must carefully
consider both the desired form of the information and the primary
user constraints for selected user groups. Some users desire
and can afford critical reviews and interpretive studies.
Groups of users may also form consortia or alliances and share
the cost of interpreted data. Other users can not afford such
services or may want primary data. Building information systems
that consider these differences is essential to the use of the
products of the system and also to the continued user support
of the system.
TYPES OF SERVICES AVAILABLE TO USERS
Services available to the user have increased dramatically
in the past decade with the development of a variety of publications,
information systems and centers, and improved technology including
computer hardware and software, and microfiche and microfilm.
What are the types of current referral and document services
available? What are some of the basic problems facing users of
socioeconomic data?
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We have reviewed information available regarding organizations,
information centers, document services in these fields, and a
handout has been prepared for you regarding a number of these.
(See appendix.) A number of users contacted prior to this symposium
were not aware of several of these. Two publications are cited
which have been found to be extremely useful as guides to sources
of information. (See appendix.) While there are basic sources
that many major university libraries will also have, these two
are excellent for establishing contacts.
A review of organizations, agencies and centers listed in
these documents and others we reviewed indicate a broad data
base and a variety of services are available to users. We have
summarized data regarding a number of organizations, agencies
and centers to provide an indication of some of the resources
and also limitations regarding the current socioeconomic data
base.
A number of data bases exist that are not machine searchable.
These data bases include print materials, non-print materials,
lists of people, raw data and other such information. Access to
this information is often difficult, must be obtained by interaction
with an organization at some distance, or is restricted to the use
of the local staff or people in the local area. If these data are
not restricted due to security, personal, or proprietary rights
these data bases can eventually be prepared for machine search
capability.
A number of data bases are machine searchable and can be
accessed by computer. These include NTIS, ERIC, MEDLARS, and
others. A review of the literature and of center developments
indicate many centers are placing their data bases on tape at a
rapid rate. While such action provides access to the data base
for each center, many of these tapes can not be searched by a
variety of computers and limits the use of tapes by other centers.
Several software packages have been developed that enable
the user to search a variety of data bases. These include systems
used by Lockheed, Informatics, Inc., Systems Development Corporation,
Battelle, and others. As more data bases are placed on these
systems, the ability of a user to interact with the data base
to identify the document or information he desires will increase.
A further development is the growing number of government
and commercial organizations that are operational and that are
being organized to serve as links between data bases and the
user. These organizations are often able to use the data base
and provide information analysis products targeted to user groups
or specific users.
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A large, number of businesses, government agencies and
individuals are using such services. These include primarily
Federal, state, and local governmental units; industrial firms;
and educational institutions and agencies. The availability of
such services at a reasonable cost depends to a great extent on
the existence of a searchable information base. The completeness
of such service also depends on the comprehensiveness of the data
base regarding the information desired.
Products developed by such centers include microfiche and
hardcopy services, handbooks, data subscription services,
individual compilations, and specialized reports or packages.
These products may include both print and non-print materials.
Examples of products produced by several centers are cited in
the appendix.
A LOOK TO THE FUTURE
A look to the future indicates the need for action in
several specific areas.
(1) Data and interpretative analyses desired by
many users in the socioeconomic area
should be obtained and be made readily
available. There are a number of areas
in which information is desired and
not available.
(2) The currency of available data needs
to be improved. In many cases data
available are not current. Efforts
should be made to get data (raw data,
research studies, and interpretive
reports) into systems at a more rapid
rate.
(3) Much information is located in dispersed
centers and not available to the user by
a single search. An effort needs to be
fade to provide data systems containing
extensive information bases to enable
the user or the intermediate unit to
have better access to a greater quantity
of the available information by a single
computer search. Such a data system
should include raw data, research reports,
sources (people and data bases) of
information on a given concept, journal
articles, interpretive reports, and other
forms of information
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(4) Success in searching any indexed data
base depends upon the selection of
descriptors (index words) used and on
uniformity of use. An effort should be
made to establish common descriptors to
be used by information systems related
to the socioeconomic area.
(5) An extensive directory to information
centers and data bases regarding
socioeconomic data should be developed.
This directory should provide an
extensive subject index regarding
information and services available.
(6) A comprehensive information base can
provide guidance to types of information
in demand and alsb the available report
and data base. If a comprehensive
searchable socioeconomic information
base were available, it could be used
to identify information gaps. It
could also be used to identify where
research and data were available and
avoid unnecessary duplication of
effort.
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APPENDIX
A SELECTED LISTING OF INFORMATION
CENTERS AND SERVICES AVAILABLE IN THE
SOCIOECONOMIC AREA
Compiled By
Robert W. Howe
And
Herbert Cantor
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A SELECTED LISTING OF INFORMATION
CENTERS AND SERVICES AVAILABLE IN THE
SOCIOECONOMIC AREA
A large number of public and private organizations and agencies
have been created during the past decade that focus on various facets
of the socioeconomic aspects of the environment. Publications listing
such centers and services have been released and continue to be updated as
organizations and agencies are created, expanded, "odlfied, or deleted.
Two relatively comprehensive publications found to be extremely
useful by users queried for our presentation are the following:
1. Encyclopedia of Information Systems and Services,
1971
Edited by Anthony T. Kruzas and available from:
Academic Media
32 Lincoln Avenue
Orange, New Jersey 07050
Price $67.50
This publication provides descriptions of over 800 organizations
in the United States and Canada. Information includes computer
systems; information cente7-s, data bases and services; library and
information networks; data banks; documentation centers; literature
storage and retrieval -;,::renis; micrographic services; research
centers; clearinghouses a ad referral centers; and others.
Subject, institution, and personnel indexes provided are also
useful.
Like any publication of this type, some of the information
provided is dated.
2. Directory of Consumer Protection and Environmental
Agencies
Compiled by the California Center for Public Affairs
and available from:
Academic. Media
32 Lincoln Avenue
Orange, New Jersey 07050
Price $39.50
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This directory is national in scope and includes descriptive
information of national, regional, state and selected government
and private organizations concerned with the quality of the natural
and physical environment. Particular emphasis is given to those
involved in formulating or influencing policy, regulation, control
management, education, and information.
In the process of reviewing available information sources and
services, we have selected and described a number of organizations
and services that are established and that cover a. range of types of
services and aspects of socioeconomic data.
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INFORMATION CENTERS AND SERVICES
1. Housing and Urban Development Library
Department of Housing and Urban
Development
7th and D Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20410
(202) 755-6376
Mrs. Elsa S. Freeman directs a staff of approximately 40
persons, more than half of whom are professionals. The Library
provides the usual library services: references, inter-library
loan, information searches. A program information center
distributes HUD publications. The Library recei\ ~ Its information
on American and foreign housing and community developments from
federal, state and local agencies, commercial sources and printed
and nonpublished materials. Holdings include approximately 455,000
volumes. The Library's facilities are available to the public for
in-house use. There is no charge for most services. Bibliographies
are sold by the Government Printing Office and the National
Technical Information Service.
2. National Planning Association
1606 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009
(202) 265-7685
Michael E. Carbine is the Information Director for the
Association which has a staff of 100 persons, 60-70 percent of
whom are professionals, T':;o Association publishes Looking Ahead
ten times a year, various pamphlets, policy statements and special
reports on an irr-."iviij • V?:?is, Projection Highlights eight times
per year and the iJaflcuaj. arid Regional Economic Projections Series
annually. The Association performs technical research work and
the results are disseminated to its members and subscribers through
its various publication. Special research projects will be
undertaken on a contract basis. The scope of the Association's
concern includes domestic and international economic planning
and cooperation and policy issue. Information bases are
agriculture,, business, labor and the professions. Holdings
number about 80,000 volumes. Typical users of NPA materials are
market researchers, contractors, and government agencies.
NPA is expanding its work in environmental planning and
research under Mr. Ivars Gutmanis who will be a speaker at the
EPA symposium.
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3. Smithsonian Science Information
Exchange
1730 - M Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 381-5511
The Smithsonian Science Information Exchange, InC; is headed
by Dr. David F. Hersey, President. The Exchange collects 85,000
to 100,000 single page records of ongoing research projects each
year. Coptributed projects may be funded by public or private
sources. (Each record describes who supports the project, who
does it, where and when the research is performed and usually
includes a technical summary of the project. Basic and applied
research lit* life, physical, social, behavioral and engineering
sciences is covered.
Information is available in areas as specific or general
as the requester desires. Subject searches, administrative
information searches, investigator searches, accession number
searches, standard tabulations of current projects and historical
searches will be performed for varying fee schedules. Write
for the latest price list.
Requests for services are accepted by phone or mail.
Information!is usually in the mail within 10 days.
4. National Technical Information Service
United States Departiivint of Commerce
5285 Port Royal P.oad
Springfield, Yif:•;„..-••. . 22151
(703) 321-8888
William T. Knox is the Director of the National Technical
Information Service which employs over 300 persons including ,,
administrative officers, reference and information specialists,
researchers and publishing and photocopying personnel. Reports
and tape files of data from federal agencies and their contractors
are catalogued, abstracted and indexed. A semi-monthly abstract
journal as well as numerous special subject bulletins are published
to apprise users of the documents available. Publications and
reports are sold to the public in paperform or microfiche.
Special catalogs, journal and bibliographies are also produced.
Information' searches are performed on request. The subject
matter covered by NTIS documents includes research, engineering,
study and analysis and technical reports. The Service handles
in excess of 50,000 documents each year. The entire collection
exceeds 680,000 titles, 100,000 of which are currently in stock.
Anyone may use NTIS. Price lists are available on request.
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5. Division of Information Services
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Department of Labor
441 - G Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20212
(202) 961-2913
Chief of the Division of Information Services is Kathryn D. Uoyle,
A staff of two economists, seven non-professional information
specialists and eight clerical personnel collect labor statistics
including information on the labor force, employi"--!;. ?.nd unemployment,
collective bargaining, wage scales, wholesale and consumer prices,
injury statistics and economic projection. Information is received
from workers, businessmen, other government agencies, all of whom
contribute voluntarily, the Census Bureau and surveys conducted by
BLS field staff. The division maintains an extensive collection
of bulletins, reports and periodicals. Information is disseminated
in special bulletins and the Monthly Labor Review. Specific
information requests may be. phoned in or written. A walk-in
information office is located in Room 1539 of the General Accounting
Building at 441 - G Street, K.U., Washington, D.C. and at various
field offices. There are. no restrictions on who may use the
Division's services, most of which are provided free of charge.
6. The Urb?r [ istitute Library
2100 - M Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037
(202) 223-1950
A staff of fou. information and library professionals,
including the Director, Judy Fair, and five clerical and
non-professional personnel collect and organize information
dealing with urban matters. They provide consulting, copying,
interlibrary loan, manual literature searches, reference and
referral services, selected dissemination of information services,
state-of-the-art compilations and micro-reproduction services.
Urban Institute is published 50-60 times a year and is composed
primarily of x^orking papers, reports and monographs. The library's
10,000 holdings include 7,000 reports and 3,000 books. Information
is gathered 'from Urban Affairs Abstracts, the National League
of Cities, universities, governmental agencies and voluntary
contribution as well as usual library resources.
The staff members will answer specific inquiries from the
District of Columbia area, but their services are generally
restricted to Urban Institute researchers. Services are not
available to the general public. They are not equipped to handle
outside inquiries now.
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7. National Clearinghouse for Drug
Abuse Information
Department of Health, Education
and Welfare
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, Maryland 20852
(202) 443-4443
Seven information specialists, five information handlers,
six clerical personnel and six data processing personnel collect
and disseminate published information and NIMH brochures.
Specific questions are answered by information specialists who
send out reprints of published articles, lists, l^dc-'p-s and
abstracts of pertinent published articles. The staff makes no
attempt to evaluate the materials used. Any questions having
to do with drug abuse is within the scope of Clearinghouse's
competence. Their holdings consist of 10,000 articles and
documents and books and 2,000 programs derived from various
sources. The literature is abstracted under a private contract.
There are no restrictions on use of the service. Single publications
are provided free as long as they are in stock; multiple copies
must be purchased from the Government Printing Office or from
the original source at charge. Typical users are educators,
students and the general public. Call or write for general or "
specific information.
Mrs. Jean McNillan is the Acting Director of the Clearinghouse.
8. Information Services Office
(Southeast Michigan Council of Governments)
American Institute of Planners
8th Floor, Eo">k :-•'.i1ding
1249 Washingtj..i iscaievard
Detroit, Michigan 48226
(313) 961-4266
Jim Thomas is the Information Services Officer. A staff of
two professionals and ten clerical personnel handle information
inquiries within the scope of planning: legislation, metropolitan
development, advocate planning, national urban policy, urban
affairs, education, transportation, state planning, federal
programs, pollution, AIP chapters, land use, public facilities
and natural 'resources. Their body of knowledge includes
scientific reports, privately published materials generated in
the Southeast Michigan area, the entire resources of the former
Transportation and Land Use Study and the Regional Planning
Commission, as well as documents from the State of Michigan and
local area governments.
Publications include the AIP Journal and the AIP Newsletter.
There are various subscription costs,, In some cases, member costs
are discounted. Reproduction of documents are provided ,at photocopy
cost. Inquiries may be phoned or written.
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9. New County, USA Center
National Association of Counties
1001 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 628-4701
Rodney L. Kendig is the Director of New County, USA Center
which comprises the NACO Living Library. A staff of four
professionals and two non-professionals utilize the approximately
300 documents of the Living Library and daily contacts with
county officials and other public interest groups, i^search
and citizen organizations and academia, as well as the
Center's extensive files on county improvement and modernization
programs who handles inquiries from county officials, planners,
students and citizen1 groups about ongoing and completed
county improvement programs. The Center provides research
documents, technical assistance to counties, on-site consultation
services to its subscribing counties.
Key studies on county environmental achievements can be
obtained from the Living Library at duplication cost.
10. National League of Cities/U.S. Conference of Mayors
Library Reference and Inquiry Service
1612 K Street, N.W.
Washington, B.C. 20036
(202) 293-7375
A staff of fifte"- , including six professionals is headed by
William Smith and opera:*;s a reference and inquiry service
along with the regular services provided by the NLC/USCOM Library.
Staff members will answer questions on any aspect of municipal
affairs. City and State legislation, government and administration,
citizen participation, community development, education,
environmental quality, health, housing, intergovernmental
relations, manpower, public safety, revenue and finance,
transportation and international municipal cooperation are
recognized categories of knowledge in which the service
maintains current information about ongoing and completed
projects and studies.
The Library contains over 30,000 books and reports,
800 periodicals and various municipal codes and city reports,
Census data, State Leagues of Cities reports and biographies
of selected mayors. The holdings are gathered from typical
library sources as well as from the Federal Government, local
governments and public interest groups.
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The Library publishes an Index to Municipal League
Publications monthly and abstracts the articles from its
800 periodicals weekly in Urban Affairs Abstracts. The inquiry
responses are documented and references are provided for further
or more indepth information.
The Library and Reference Service is designed to meet
the needs of city government researchers and officials, but
the staff members will answer inquiries from federal government
agencies, school districts, civic groups and some private
individual requests as their time and work load permit.
Typical users are staff of the National League or Cxcies/U.S. Conference
of Mayors, state leagues of cities, city officials, civic
groups, federal agencies and state governments.
Requests may be phoned or written.
11. Management Information Service
International City Management Association
1140 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Washington, B.C. 20036
(202) 293-2200
The Management Information Service, headed by Walter Webbc.
accumulates fil"S from city documents, operations, personnel
and budget manuals and utilizes ICMA library facilities as well
as contacts with member cities and other professional
management organizations io answer inquiries on any management
oriented problem from Lt? subscribers and contract purchasers.
Its holdings of r'fy jr 'uarits approximates 10,000 reports.
While there are three lull-time professionals handling such
inquiries, the full resources and expertise of the International
City Management Association are at their disposal.
Users are restricted to subscribers to MIS and private
research organizations and universities which have purchased
services under contract. Subscription fees are based on the
size of a city's population.
Requests for information may be phoned in or written
and an acknowledgment estimating the length of time required
for a full response will be sent within 48 hours.
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12. Urban technology Clearinghouse
Public Technology, Incorporated
1140 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.
Washington, B.C. 20036
(202) 833-9484
C. Nelson Hay is in charge of the design of a clearinghouse
operation to apply technological advancements and improvements
to the needs of state and local governments. The clearinghouse
will define and describe the problems to be addressed and will
interface with industrial, governmental, and institutional
resources for solutions.
Plans for the program to become operational are tentatively
set for Spring, 19.73.
13. American Institutes for Research (AIR)
Center for Research in Social Systems (CRESS)
10605 Concord Street
Kensington, Maryland 20795
(301) 933-3115
Mr. Preston S. Abbott is the director of this center which
has a staff c-'i" approximately 25 information and library
professional; 35 clerical and non-professional. Areas covered
include social and behavioral sciences such as area studies,
urban problems, and interdisciplinary research. Monographs,
journal articles and government technical reports are abstracted
by professional ^tafr ?nd indexed according to CRESS-developed
Thesaurus of Social Science Index Terms. Bibliographic and
analysis services are available on a fee basis according to
specifically framed request; other services available by
appointment only.
14. American Medical Association (AMA)
Archive-Library
535 North Dearborn Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
(312) 527-1500
TWX 910-221-1300
Dr. Susan Crawford is the director of the Archive-Library.
The Archive-Library is concerned with medicine, including the
history of medicine, organized medicine, and sociological and
economic aspects of medicine. Data are obtained on a continuous
52-3
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basis from published literature and internally generated
documents. Holdings are extensive and include books, articles,
and non-print materials.
Services include the following: data collection and
analysis; depository; interlibrary loan; manual literature
searching; reference and referral services; research; SDI services;
state-of-the-art compilation. Medical Socioeconomic Research
Resources is also available on a subscription basis.
15. Ecology Forum, Inc.
Environment Information Center (EIC)
124 East 39th Street
New York, New York 10016
(212) 685-0845
Mr. James G. Kollegger is President of EIC, Inc. The
Environment Information Center (EIC) is a computer-assisted
central data bank which gathers, indexes, abstracts, analyzes,
and disseminates information on environmental matters.
EIC monitors abstracts and cross-references information appearing
in a large number of scientific, trade, and general periodicals.
EIC makes this information available to subscribers in publication
form (Environment Information ACCES_S) or through computer
searches and bitliography assemblies requested by mail or
telephone order. Environmental issues covered include air, noise,
land pollution; wildlife's geophysical change; energy; recreation;
transportation; population control; ecological imbalance.
Environment Information ACCESS includes descriptions of books,
periodicals, conferences, legislation; special focus on one
subject in each it.i. • ••; , .1 ailable by yearly subscription.
Various other reports are issued on an irregular basis. Many
items appearing in ACCESS are available in microfiche or hard copy
form on a single item or a subscription basis.
Assistance can be given in locating special items,
assembling data or bibliographies, and obtaining literature
surveys and summaries.
16. Joint Council on Economic Education (JCEE)
1212 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10036
(212) 582-5150
Dr. M. "L, Frankel is President of JCEE. JCEE serves as a
clearinghouse for ideas, people, programs, and material that
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can effect economic understanding. It provides newsletters
to various audiences and is available to help with any economic
education program or suggest new efforts. Publications include
Journal oj[ Economic Education and several newsletters.
Publications are intended for several levels: elementary,
junior high, senior high, college, and general bibliographies
as well as films. Workshops are also sponsored.
17. National Council on Crime and Delinquency
Information Center on Crime and Delinquency (ICCD)
345 Park Avenue
New York. New York 10022
(212) 254-7110
Mr. Eugene Doleschal is Acting Director of ICCD. Information
Center on Crime and Delinquency (ICCD) maintains the world's
largest library on crime and delinquency. The Center compiles
bibliographic references and abstracts with emphasis on research
and on innovative and promising programs and proposals. In
addition to abstracting and information processing, the staff
evaluates, synthesizes, and disseminates information on given
topics. Scope of coverage is concerned with prevention,
control, and treatment of crime and juvenile delinquency.
Over 100 journals, 2,000 books, pamphlets, government documents,
and fugitive literature are reviewed annually. A quarterly
publication, C: y-ie and Delinquency Literature, is available
by yearly subscription. Literature searches and state-of-the art
compilations are done by the staff.
18. New York Tim^:; CO.:,T ,y
Information Bank
229 West 43rd Street
New York, New York 10036
(212) 556-1234
Dr. John Rothman is the Director, Library and Information
Services. The New York Times Information Bank serves as a
centralized computer facility for the input, storage, and
retrieval of information from The New York Times and other
publications. Covered are political, economic, and social
affairs from The New York Times and selected material from over
70 other publications. Holdings include the existing clipping
library of The New York Times from the last fifty years in
selected subjects; the total file comprises some 20 million
clippings files under some 80,000 subject classifications and
about 1,250,000 names. The New York Times Index is produced
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from the information bank. Demand bibliographies from data
base can be requested. Source material are stored on microfiche
produced by Microfilming Corporation of America, a subsidiary
of The New York Times. Microfiche are available on request, &
Computer searches, reference service and SDI service are also
available.
19. U.S. Bureau of the Census
Public Information Office
Room 2089, Building 3
Washington, B.C. 20233
(301) 763-7273
Mr. William Lerner is Chief of Data User Services Division.
The Public Information Office coordinates and provides technical
data and services to divisions of the U.S. Bureau of the
Census and other agencies. It supports the Census Bureau
as a general purpose statistical agency and collects, tabulates,
and publishes a wide variety of data about the people and the
economy of the United States. Weekly, monthly, quarterly,
semiannual, and annual publications are available. Microfiche
of most reports issued since January 1, 1968 is available in
4 by 6 inch format; 16mm microfilm of selected items is also
available. Several categories of items are available on
magnetic tape. Coding guides and geographic base files are
available for most metropolitan areas.
20. University Microfilms
Direct Accesc f:o :-rrrence Information (DATRIX)
300 North Zeeb "Road
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106
(313) 761-4700
Mr. Richard T. Wood is Group Product Manager. Direct
Access to Reference Information (DATRIX) is a computerized
information retrieval system employed to manipulate the file
of dissertation references at University Microfilms. This
file consists of approximately 185,000 references from some 250
volumes of Dissertation Abstracts, dating from 1938. All
doctoral dissertations listed in Dissertation Abstracts from
1938 to date including 77 major subject and 119 minor subject areas
are included. The program has recently been broadened to
include some foreign universities in addition to the participating
universities in the United States and Canada. Copies of the
complete dissertations listed in the DATRIX base are available on
35mm microfilm roll or as xerographic hard copv.
5 2£
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Services are available on a fee basis; keyword lists are available
for guidance in preparing an order.
21. University of North Carolina
Institute for Research in Social Science
Social Science Data Center
Manning Hall, Room 10
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514
(919) 933-1174 Extension 28
Mr. Richard Rockwell is Director of Social Science Data Library.
The center maintains survey data in political science, anthropology,
social welfare, sociology, and urban affairs. Specific
collections included are the Harris Public Opinion Polls,
Yale Human Relations Area Files, International Survey Library
Association, Inter-University Consortium for Political Research,
IRSS, Roper Public Opinion Research Center, Southeastern Regional
Survey, and U.S. Census Data. Publications include various
monographs, indexes, catalogs, and bibliographies. Services
are available to users inside the organization and, for a fee,
outside the Institute for Research in Social Science.
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REPORTS FROM INFORMAL FORUM SESSIONS
527a
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Air Information Systems & Services
Peter Halpin
Applied Technology Division
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
Our Informal Forum Session on Air Information Systems and Services
did not produce any specific recommendations as such, nor was any
material handed out, however many areas of concern were discussed.
Specifically related to APTIC (in order of discussion, not neces-
sarily in order of importance) were:
1. How can an outsider find out about existing EPA
systems such as APTIC? (from directories and
libraries including LC and its National Referral
Center)
2. Turnaround time (currently 1 or 2 days within APTIC).
3. On-line capability (APTIC will soon have it for
Regional Offices and some interested State control
agencies, and will extend it to others as demand
and resources warrant).
4. Overlap with NTIS (limited to federally-generated air
pollution reports which are a small segment of NTIS,
of APTIC, and of other collections. It is expected
that the specialized information centers index and
abstract in a way that is more specific to their
users' needs).
5. Microform vs. photocopy preference (those who want to
get their copies faster and/or store them in a compact
way prefer microfiche, others prefer photocopies).
6. Market information (although APTIC selects mostly
scientific and technical information, some have found
it very useful for marketing information).
More generally, the following items were of recurring concern for
this audience:
1. price which user can afford
2. overlap in coverage with other services provided by
the same organization
3. availability on tape
4. coverage of Federal, State, and local regulations
5. coverage of Federal Register items
6. coverage of foreign material
7. coverage of State publications, hearings, etc.
528
-------
8. how to get copies of items covered, or conversely
how to live within the copyright law
9. cost of copies from services which provide them
10. coverage of on-going project information, interim
reports, etc.
11. preference for publication of scope of work rather
than synopses of air contracts in Commerce Business
Daily in the future
12. possibility of EPA final and interim reports' dis-
tribution being restricted
13. confidentiality of requests to information centers
14. thesaurus development abreast of the subject complex
15. local government problems not always understood by
Federal government (example was Bureau of Mines)
16. desirability of feedback to information centers
Twenty-seven (27) participants signed the attendance roster. I
invited several outside systems and services to send representa-
tives to describe them. Those who did Were: POLLUTION ABSTRACTS,
ENVIRONMENT INFORMATION ACCESS, INSTITUTE FOR SCIENTIFIC INFORMA-
TION, BIOSIS and the AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE. Others which
were described were "Air Quality Control Digest", "Air Pollution
Titles", and "Excerpta Medica".
A representative of a private organization shared the table with
the session leader. A representative of a State air pollution
control agency was invited; the session commenced promptly at
the appointed hour and proceeded without benefit of his potential
contribution(s).
Peter Halpin
APTIC
529
-------
Pesticides: Information Systems and Services
Claudia Lewis
Publications and Information Sfict.irm
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
Approximately 25-30 individuals participated in the informal dis-
cussions on pesticides, representing users from several different
Federal agencies, a local governmental agency, universities, two pri-
vate Information Services, and one citizen-action group.
A brief presentation was made describing the general functions and
responsibilities of the Publications and Information Section, Division
of Pesticide Community Studies; how these functions evolved, and the
users served. A history showing the various Federal organizations under
which these activities have been carried out for the past 22 years was
also given to provide participants with a better understanding of the
total system.
A detailed description was then given of the pesticides literature
collection, how it is maintained, the services that are available using
this data base and other library resources, and plans for the further
development of this data base. Copies of overhead projectuals and hand-
outs used during the session are attached.
The presentations appeared to be well received with several partici-
pants commenting that it was very informative; approximately 10 indivi-
duals left specific information requests. One participant suggested that
ve publish some articles in the major scientific publications about this
system.
A discussion of the coverage of the literature in the Health Aspects
of, Pesticides Abstract Bulletin led to a suggestion for giving consideration
to expanding the coverage to enclose articles dealing vith efficacy of
pesticides and.also other methods of pe°t Control.
530
-------
An EPA representative pointed out the importance of coordinating
these pesticide information activities with those of the Pesticides
Registration Division to permit users, in most instances, to obtain in-
formation from one contact point.
These were the only comments relating specifically to information
activities of the Division of Pesticide Community Studies.
The discussion then turned to the subject of unpublished information
present in the pesticide registration and petition files. The concensus
was that this information should be made more readily available to inter-
ested users through encouragement of industry to publish their results
more rapidly and widely and/or making the information available to the
public under the "Freedom of Information" act. There was considerable
discussion concerning the nature of "proprietary" information in pesticide
registration and petition files, and whether it was possible to protect
the rights of industry and at the same time meet the needs of the user.
531
-------
Functional Chart
Publications and Information Section
Division of Pesticide Community Studies
Office of Pesticide Programs
Environmental Protection Agency
Chamblee, Georgia
Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Pesticide Programs
| Division of Pesticide Community Studies
Publications and Information Section
Chamblee, Georgia
PESTICIDES MONITORING JOURNAL
C In-House )
Ui
u>
NJ
Manuscript Editing and
Processing for Clearance
Maintenance of System for Ordering,
Distributing and Storing Primary
In-House EPA Pesticide Research
Publications
Answering Public Inquiries
HEALTH ASPECTS OF PESTICIDES
Abstract Bulletin
(Contract)
Quality Control
Current Awareness
Service
Preparation of Miscellaneous
Leaflets and Publications
LIBRARY SERVICES:
1. Maintenance of Pesticide
Reference File
2. Literature Searches
3. Bibliographies
4. Inter-Library Loan
Preparation of Visual Aids
Procurement of Printing I
-------
History of Parent Organizations of
Publications and Information Section
Division of Pesticide Community Studies
Office of Pesticide Programs
Environmental Protection Agency
Chamblee, Georgia
PHEW, CDC, Atlanta, Ga.
Technology Branch
Pesticides Toxicology
Activities (from 1950)
PHEW, Washington, D. C.
Office of Pesticides
(Established 1964)
D H E W, CDC, Atlanta, Ga.
Office of Pesticides
( 1966 - 1968 )
D H E W, FDA, Chamblee, Ga.
( 1969 - 1970 )
EPA, Chamblee, Ga.
( From Dec. 1970 )
-------
20
Inception of
HEALTH ASPECTS OF PESTICIDE!
Abstract Bulletin
Ul
OJ
en
T3
fi
tfl
CO
3
o
ft
H
10 H
President's Science Advisory
Committee Report which began
a review by the Federal
Government on "Use of
Pesticides and Their
Impact on Man and the
Environment"
19"50
I
1960
6'8 69 | 71 72(Aug'us't) ' ' ' "
ti'
1970
Publications & Info. Sec. Div. of Pest. Community Studies, OPP EPA, Chamblee, Georgia
-------
OJ
0.
21.8
: I/3-3 endrin
'•1/2
1967
Cable,Y et ql.
Acute endrin poisoning
* ^ BL ^|^r
Substance
-___
Po/son^/nsecTicide ~Chlor.hydro. gr.
>s
Physiolog
Metabolim
/3~3 endrin
gr.
Distribution
& Storage
Atypical index card. The portion below the broken
line is not a part of the card but has been added
to explain the subject classification
-------
Ln
OJ
HEALTH
ASPECTS
Abstract
OF PESTICIDES
Bulletin
DBS L ^
PUBLICATIONS AND INFORMATION
Section
CONTRACTOR
Literature Scanning
(Quality Control)
World Literature -
I
Approx. 1150 primary Journals
and 15 secondary publications
Literature Scanning &
Selection
Review and Approval for
Pertinency & Completeness
-L
Preparation and Distribution of
"Current Awareness" Service to
(inclo announcement of acquisition
of new books & misc. publications
to EPA members
r
Copies of Journal
"articles supplied on
request
Full-text copies of all
articles received for input
into total system
Literature Technical support to
Searches EPA research & training
V programs
\ BIBLIOGRAPHIES
%
Supply abstracts or
full-text copies of
articles
Preparation of Semi-Monthly
Citation Listings
Abstracting and
Indexing
Publication in H A P A B
e
t
Distribution to other EPA
members, other Federal agencies,
State and local governmental
agencies, universities, hospitals
private research institutions,
industry, and others
Publications & Info. Sect., Div. of Pesto Community Studies, OPP, EPA, Chamblee, Ga.
-------
Procedures for Handling Typical Requests for Information
Telephone requests for
specific-items of
information
1. Identification of
compound
2. Uses of compound
3. Current restrictions
Avg. Response Time:
Immediate
Information available in
textbooks, compendiums,
working files and data
books
Questions answered by
phone immediately or
within a few hours
I
C.
Written public inquiries
concerning various areas
related to pesticide usage,
from other Federal agencies,
State and local governmental
agencies, universities,
hospitals, environmental
groups, students, general
public, etc.
Avg. Response Time:
10 days
Form letters for typical
requests
Selection of In-house reprints
and brochures, excerpts from
pesticide manuals, reference
to extramural publications,
etc.
Referral to other parts of
EPA or other agencies
Publications & Info. Sect., Div. of Pest. Community Studies, OPP, EPA, Chamblee, Ga.
Technical Requests
(principally EPA
personnel) via phone
or letter that require
a search and prepara-
tion of bibliography
or supply of hard copy.
Avg. Response Time:
1 day to 4 weeks
D.
Full Bibliographies
on individual compounds
for EPA Internal
Review
Avg,, Response Time.
3 weeks or as
scheduled
Discussion with requestor
to refine needs
Selection of articles from
classified cards and/or
HAPAB
V
Preparation of Bibliography
and/or Supply of Hard
Copy and/or Oral
Response
Selection of article
from classified
cards and HAPAB
Preparation of
Bibliography (may
range from 20-400
citations)
-------
Ui
bO
oo
SUBJECT:
Sample request for technical information
Placental Transfer of Organophosphorus Pesticides
Discussion with requestor to refine needs
Preliminary selection of citations from classified
cards and HAPAB Index
I
Review and selection of pertinent abstracts
Review of full articles (hard copy or microfiche)
and their bibliographies
Preparation of bibliography and supply of hard
copy or microfiche
-------
Solid Waste: Information Systems and Services
John A. Connolly
Technical Information Officer
Solid Waste Information Retrieval Services Branch
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
The first item discussed was the Information Retrieval Services
Branch, specifically the Solid Waste Information Retrieval System
(SWIRS), and its relationship to Technical Information Staff (TIS)
as well as its future plans for dissemination of information to non-
EPA users.
Mr. Clyde Dial, Director of the Systems Management Division of
OSWMP, described the National Solid Waste Data Network, and the
availability and degrees of analysis of the information in the data
bank.
The 30 attendees were receptive and inquisitive about the types
of services they could look forward to from EPA's solid waste management
information systems.
539
-------
Radiation Information Systems and Services
J, R. Buchanan
The session ori Radiation Systems and Services was attended by a
small group of very interested participants. DISCUSSIODS continued
past the 2 hours alloted.
Background
Radiation information is inevitably concerned with the transport
and disposition of radioactivity in the environment. Radiation problems
are compounded by the large number of radioactive species that are as-
sociated with the fission process, as well as the vast range of relative
hazards associated with each, their relative mobility in the inorganic
environment, and their behavior in various ecological systems (food
chains). In view of the fact that the Atomic Energy Act of 1951* charged
the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission both with the development of nuclear
energy and the protection of the health and safety of the public, it is
not surprising that the AEG plays a predominant role in those information
programs oriented toward radiation effects. The AEG sponsors 75$ of the
programs supported by the federal government that are directly concerned
with radiation. However, radioactivity can pollute any environment and
is also a factor in mission-oriented programs, which in turn must be
responsible for environmental effects. Hence, in addition to the AEG,
it is not surprising that there are many other information programs,
'both discipline- and mission-oriented, which are concerned to some degree
with radiation effects. Of these other information programs outside the
AEC, the most noteworthy are those of the Public Health Service and, in
particular, the Bureau of Radiological Health. This Bureau supports at
least three field laboratories, has ongoing radiation surveillance
programs, and publishes frequent state-of-the-art reports on various
radiological health problems.
Specific Sources of Information
Federally supported centers concerned with radiation were identified
by extracting information on such programs from the SEQUIPS report. This
was made available to the attendees in a table which was distributed at
540
-------
the meeting. The table (attached) divides the information programs into
three categories and further subdivides the first two on the basis of
the level of effort in each program devoted to radiation phenomenology.
The first category lists those information programs which are primarily
concerned with radiation; the second category lists those information
activities which are primarily concerned with other environmental
phenomena but which are concerned to some degree with radiation; and the
third category lists the major governmental document storage and retrieval
systems (not already listed in the first two, but which include radiation
literature). More detailed information on all of these programs is
contained in the SEQUIPS report in a table which identifies the subject
coverage of existing environmental information systems and in another
table which identifies the capabilities of existing environmental informa-
tion systems. There were questions on the capabilities of several of the
centers from the attendees. Discussions followed based on the experience
of various users.
Questions Posed by Moderator
Several questions were posed to the attendees by the moderator.
Based on discussion there and subsequent to the informal session, some
tentative answers are evident. They are as follows:
(l) Where should existing information systems concentrate their resources,
i.e., on what kind of services?
(Answer) The storage of information and the ability to answer ques-
tions are basic to an information center. Other services, such as
SDI, newsletters, special topical bibliographies, journals, and
state-of-the-art reports round out the complete center. Whether or
not any of these services are provided depends on the financial re-
sources of the center and the needs of it's particular clinentele.
Reports in the nature of the state-of-the-art monograph make the
greatest overall contribution to technology. However, when there
is a reduction in effort, it usually reflects most heavily on the
center's production of reports. This was felt,to loe undesirable
and it was recommended that each center maintain some level of
effort on reports if at all possible.
541
-------
(2) Are more radiation centers needed? If so, in what subject areas?
(Answer) It was felt that the total subject matter is generally
well covered by the existing information services. It was also
suggested that the National Library of Medicine should be added to
the attached list of activities furnishing radiation information.
(3) Are the centers exercising adequate quality control over their out-
put? What could be done to improve quality?
(Answer) Generally they do. Areas in which there could be some
improvement are (A) tighter control over what goes into the storage
file, i.e., screening out more of the information of only marginal
value; (B) consistent indexing among various specialists in the same
subject area; and (C) feedback from peers and users on the usefulness
and overall quality of various center products,
(H) Are the centers and their services adequately known to potential
users? Conversely do the centers overstate their services, i.e.,
do they provide less that one would expect from the'ir brochures and
other advertising?
(Answer) Every center should devote some small effort to publicizing
its services in order to reach potential new users. It was also
felt that the centers should be careful in their brochures and other
forms of publicity not to overstate the extent of the services
provided. Some users felt that a few of the centers in the various
information resource directories should not be listed. It was con-
cluded that tighter control over the organizations included should
be maintained by the compilers of such directories.
Conclusions
To a degree.- information systems and services on radiation, as well
as other aspects of nuclear energy, are more advanced than other areas
of technology concerned with pollution. No problems specific to the
processing of radiation information were identified. In fact, the dis-
cussions of possible problems dealt entirely with those of a general
nature.
542
-------
Informn.tj.on and Data Programs Concerned with
Environmental Pollution by Radiation*
Information Programs Oriented to Problems of Radiation Effects
on the Environment
A. Major Programs (based on level of effort on radiation effects
on the environment)
1. Bureau of Radiological Health (52)
Office of Information I
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
12720 Twinbrook Parkway
Rockville, Maryland 20852
2. Nuclear Safety Information Center (5l)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
P. 0. Box Y
Oak Ridge, Tennesstee 37830
3. Technical Information Center (l6)
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
P. 0. Box 62
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
B. Minor Programs (smaller, more specialized programs than "A")
1. Ecological Information Analysis Center (l8)
Battelle Memorial Institute
Columbus Laboratories
505 King Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 1*3201
2. Ecological Sciences Information Center (6)
, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
P. 0. Box X
On.k Rid'gp1, Tennessee 37830
3. Environmental Mutagen Information Center (25)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Ps 0. Box Y
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
U. Information Center for Internal Exposure (37)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
P. 0. Box X
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
Extracted from "A Study of Environmental Quality Information
Programs in the Federal Government," Report of the SEQUIP Committee to
the Office of Science and Technology, Executive Office of the President,
May 1971 (to be published).
543
-------
5« Nevada Applied Ecology Information Center
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
P. 0. Box lUlOO
Las Vegas, Nevada 8911 k
II. Information Programs Supporting Mission Agencies
A» Direct Interest in Pollution by Radiation
1. Air Resources Laboratories
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
8060 13th Street
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
2. Removed at request of U.S. Air Force
3« Environmental Information System
National Science Foundation Environmental Program
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
.P. 0. Box X
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
U. SAROAD (Storage and Retrieval of Air Quality Data) (67)
Air Pollution Control Office
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
5725 Dragon Way
Cincinnati, Ohio 1*5227
5. Scientific Information and Documentation Division (63)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Rockville, Maryland 20852
6. Water Resources Scientific Information Center
U.S. Department of the Interior
Washington, D. C. 2020U
B. Less Direct Interest in Pollution by Radiation
1. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries
U.S. Department of the Interior
Washington, D. C. 2020U
2. Center for Short-Lived Phenomena (9) '
Smithsonian Institute
60 Garden Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
3. Division of Technical Reports (l7)
Bureau of Mines
U.S. Department of Interior
Washington, D. C. 202>»0
544
-------
U. Knvironmental Hygiene Agency (2U)
U..S, Army
Arsenal, Maryland 21010
5« Federal Water Quality Technical Information and
Management Planning System (32)
Crystall Mall, Building 2, Room 1108
Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington, Virginia
6. Maritime Environmental Protection Program C*0)
Commandant (OLE) U.S. Coast Guard
'fOO 7th Street, S.W.
Washington, D. C. 20591
7. National Climatic Center (UU)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Federal Building
Asheville, North Carolina 28801
8. National Institute of Environmental Health Science (38)
Information Storage and Retrieval Section
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
P. 0. Box 12233
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 17709
9. National Oceanographic Data Center (l$7)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Rockville, Maryland 20852
10. Sanitary Science Division (60)
U.S. Army Mobility Equipment Research and
Development Center
Fort Belvoir, Virginia 22060
11. Wii I. Vermont Avenue, N.W. :
Suite 900
Washington, D. C. 20005 '
III. Broad Document Storage and Retrieval Systems
1. Defense Documentation Center (lH) ,v , ; _,
Cameron Station ' '' '
Alexandria, Virginia 223lU -
2. National Referral Center (6l)
Library of Congress
2nd and Independence Avenue
Washington, D. C. 2050U
3. National Technical Information Service (W)
U.S. Department of Commerce
5285 Poj-t Royal Road
Springfield, Virginia 22151
545
-------
fVlfnr-f? Information Exchange (62)
Smithsonian Institute
mo M Street, N.W.
Wanhington, D. C. 20036
Rcienca and technology Division (6l)
Library of Congress
2nd and Independence Avenue
Washingtont D. C. 2050*4
546
-------
Environmental Subject Category Listing
Phil Arberg
A number of librarians and information scientists involved
in the handling of environmental report literature had expressed
concern over the NTIS category structure for environmental reports.
A meeting was called on June 15, 1972, to begin discussion of
a revised category structure which could be recommended to NTIS.
Attendees at the meeting consisted of the following:
Phil Arberg
Office of Research
and Monitoring
EPA
Mr. David Bach
Office of Noise
Aba tenent
EPA
Mr. Alain R. Carr
Environment Information
Center > Inc.
Mr. Robert Ceder
Office of Pesticides
EPA
Mr. Logan Cowgill
U.S. Department of
Interior
Mr. Robert Freeman
National Oceanic & Atmospheric
Administration
Mr. Morton Friedman
National Environmental Research
Center, EPA
Mr. James Wheatley
Smithsonian Science Information
Exchange
Mr. Neal Whitney
Management and Organization
Division, EPA
Mr. Allen F. Joseph
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Mr. Georga Kudravitz
National Technical
Information Service
Mrs. Claudia Lewis
Division of Pesticide
Community, EPA
Mr. Roy S tamm
National Technical
Information Service
Mr. Bruno M. Vasta
National Library of Medicine
Mr. Paul Fuschini
Solid Waste Information
Retrieval System, EPA
Miss Ruby Gill
Solid Waste Information
Retrieval System, EPA
Mr. Neil Haley
Management Information
Systems Division, EPA
Mr. Peter Halpin
Air Pollution Technical
Information Center, EPA
Mr. Harry J. Hamilton
Oak Ridge National Laborato
547
-------
Mr. Howard Howell
Management Information
Systems Division, EPA
A draft category structure was assembled out of the
discussions at the June 15th meeting. This was circulated
to the attendees for review and comments. Changes were
incorporated into a draft which was then presented at the
Informal Forum Session for discussion. The proposed category
structure, approved at the forum session, is attached.
NOTE: NTIS accepted the recommendations, except for the
removal of ecology as a separate term in 57H. The new
category 68 is reflected in the weekly Environmental Pollution
and Control for March 5, 1973.
548
-------
RECOMMENDED CATEGORY 68 STRUCTURE
68. Environmental Pollution and Control
a. Air Pollution and Control
b. Noise Pollution and Control
c. Solid Wastes Pollution and Control
d. Water Pollution and Control
e. Pesticides Pollution and Control
f. Radiation Pollution and Control
g. Environmental Health and Safety
h. Environmental Impact Statements
OVERALL RECOMMENDATIONS
1. All EPA reports must be categorized within the appropriate
subcategory of 68.
2. Remove ecology as a separate term (57H).
3. The laws in category 56 should be categorized to the
appropriate subcategory in category 68.
4, The public administration and political science in category
56 that deals with pollution should be cross referenced to
category 68.
5. Cross reference economics, business and commerce to the
appropriate subcategory of 68, when they deal with
environmental pollution.
PESTICIDES, In addition to a subcategory 68e, the following
cross references are recommended.
57 - Biological and Medical Sciences
Cross reference Pest Controls, and Toxicology to category 68.
52 - Agriculture and Food
Cross reference Agricultural Chemistry, Agricultural Products
Processing, Fisheries aid Agriculture, Natural Resources and
Wildlife Management.
78 - Ocean Sciences and Engineering
Cross reference from biological oceanography and chemical
oceanography.
AIR. No separate recommendations other than in general.
SOLID WASTES. No separate recommendations.
549
-------
NOISE. Primarily concerned that following cross references
occur: (53B)
a <
Cross reference land use and zoning to 68b.
b. Cross reference public health, hygiene and industrial
medicine - stress psychology to 68b and 68g.
c. Cross reference industrial engineering to 68b.
d. Cross reference acoustics to 68b.
e. Cross reference psychology and'psychometrics to 68g.
f. Cross reference building (89) to 68b.
RADIATION. Primarily concerned with having following cross references
references:
a. Cross reference radiation shielding, protection and sa,fety
to 68f and 68g.
b. Cross reference radioactive wastes, fission product and
radioactive fallout to 68f and g.
c. Cross reference reactor engineering and nuclear power
plants (only in relation to site location).
d. Cross reference 57V Radiobiology to 68g.
WATER. Primarily concerned with assurances of cross references
as follows :
a. Cross reference Civil, structural and marine engineering to
applicable 68 subcategory.
b. Cross reference industrial and mechanical engineering (60)
to applicable 68 subcategory.
c. Cross reference, ocean sciences and engineering (78) to
applicable subcategory.
d. Cross reference transportation to applicable 68 subcategory.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY. To be established as its own
subcategory 68g.
Though not specifically limited to environment, these
categories represent an area where specific assurance of cross
references is necessary.
LAND USE.
Cross reference 53B to appropriate category of 68.
550
-------
METHODS, INSTRUMENTATION, AND EQUIPMENT
Cross reference all methods, instrumentation and equipment
that measure or monitor environmental pollutants.
SAFETY ENGINEERING AND PROTECTION
Cross reference to 68g.
EARTH SCIENCES
Mineral Industries (when dealing with strip mining, mine
drainage, etc) should be cross referenced to category 68.
551
-------
Dolores Gregory
EPA Office of International Activities
International Exchanges
1. Experiments in .International Exchanges
The proposed UN referral service, designed to create world-wide
linkages among existing information services, documents centers and
libraries, would be strengthened if participating countries share
ideas and experiences during the development stages of their own
information systems. Bilateral documents exchanges, initiated
between EPA and central environmental agencies in other countries,
can provide valuable experimentations in collection, processing
and dissemination of foreign documents.
Pilot scale arrangements for information sharing permit continual
evaluation of needs and uses as well as improved operational procedures
such as transmittal and translations of documents. The bilateral
efforts should be designed to fit within an over-all system to be
implemented by the UN.
2. New Communication Networks
Communication among scientists and engineers on the international
level is aided by a multitude of information services derived from the
world literature (abstracts, bibliographies, etc.). Similar
communication networks must be developed for rapid exchange of ideas
and experiences among policy levels (both legislative and executive)
and among managers of environmental programs ranging from community
services (solid waste disposal,sewage treatment, etc.) to industrial
wastes treatment facilities or processes. Communication techniques
which might be tested include an international news service (patterned
after the news wire services) to alert people in one country to events
in other areas, technology applications clearing houses (similar to
that run by the Public Technology Inc.), regional centers for cataloging
"best practices" technology adopted by various countries for control of
pollution.
3. ^'Centers of Strength"
Informal agreements among countries to share the use of information
services could permit different countries to concentrate on different
areas leading to a series of "centers of strength" for information
(e.g. environmental law, industrial wastes treatment, water resources
management, community wastewater treatment, etc.).
552
-------
This session is to be informal with no prepared talks or program,
in the hope that each person will contribute thoughts on how the inter-
national flow of environmental information can be improved. Each person
will speak as an individual, not representatives of an organization or
country. Ideas which come out of our talks can be fed back to national
and international organizations as considered appropriate.
Based on our experience at EPA where requests for information
abound, we would like to share with you some thoughts on types of infor-
mation needed and suggest one or two possible approaches for meeting
the urgent demands for information.
Gaps in Communication System
The published literature, supplemented by national information
services and documents centers, cover scientific and technical develop-
ments in environmentally-related fields-ranging from basic ecological
studies to technology for control of pollution.
There is not, however, a similar world-wide communications network
for such information as:
Governmental actions to control pollution (laws,
standards, regulations)
Organization of governmental efforts to improve
environment (structure and functions of national
and local agencies)
Innovations in management of community services
(solid wastes, sewage) and land use planning
Innovations in industrial wastes control
Advanced methodologies applied to manpower planning
Information systems that would enable countries to share ideas and
experiences rapidly could contribute greatly to better planning of
environmental programs on the governmental and community levels and more
effective use of manpower and financial resources in pollution control
efforts.
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Communications Systems
The range of users -- citizens groups, legislators, design
engineers, program managers, city officials, etc. -- has stimulated
numerous "packaging and marketing" efforts on the national level.
Innovation in international exchanges might occur through, for
example an international environmental news service.
Patterned after a news wire service with correspondents feeding
items into a central editorial office and articles sent back through
a network of teletypers, a system for quick reporting of country
actions (new appointments, creation of new agencies, highlights of
new legislation or regulations, or other news-worthy events) might
be developed under UN auspices. All countries could feed information
into the system through a network of correspondents designated by
national environmental organizations. Edited articles could then be
redistributed for use by the recipient countries/organizations/groups
in whatever format they found useful — e.g. their own newsletters,
a series of bulletins to alert different groups about activities of
direct interest to them.
Also several countries might pool efforts in an informal basis
to design and test other communication mechanisms. EPA, for example,
needs information on regulations in other countries for use in its
own standard setting exercises.
Use of this information by EPA staff will be approached from
several directions — English language summaries, monthly lists of
foreign documents received, computerized search system, subject area
highlights, and so on. User feedback will encourage continual improve-
ments in the information gathering and processing system. This
experience in improving communication can be shared with agencies in
other countries which have standard-setting functions. Similarly,
communication experiments in other areas — pollution control
technology, manpower planning, public education, environmental manage-
ment (urban services, land use, power plant siting) might be designed
by other countries.
Collaboration could lead to (1) better sharing of ideas and
experiences (2) a network of "centers of strength" in different
areas of environmental information (3) agreements on information
processing methods and formats-to facilitate exchanges of documents.
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Jean Circiello
i U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The points listed below represent the consensus at a Monday night
meeting of 50 librarians, which included people from industry, univer-
sities, schools, citizen action groups, municipal state and federal
government and public and depository libraries.
A. We concur with the idea of providing a decentralized
system to coordinate environmental information sources.
The responsibilities of this system should include:
1. Identifying the various gaps in the current
environmental information fabric, and encouraging
relevant agencies to fill in these areas.
2. Preparation of a Directory of Environmental
Information Sources, Collections and Systems, with
provision for updating. Directory should be responsive
to needs of all environmental information users from
Citizen Action groups to computer programming as they
are represented at NEIS, and should be more compre-
hensive than SEQUIP.
B. Environmental Information Referral centers should be
designated regionally, as a primary contact point for users.
This should be accomplished by strengthening some existing
centers and supplying them with sufficient and competent
staff. Centers should be informed about the needs of all
environmental information users and be sympathetic to them.
Once these centers have been designated, their existence
must be publicized both to the environmental information
user community and to the standard information centers, i.e.
Public and academic libraries (Thru National Commission
on Libraries.)
Federal Information Centers.
C. Those documents which are created through the government
and are distributed on sale should be handled by the existing
agencies (GPO and NTIS) and, where necessary, these should
be strengthened. New agencies should not be established.
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D. When the government creates information or data in a
computerized form, special efforts must be made to assure
that the expense of gaining access to these systems
(terminals, machine time, etc.) does not exclude certain
groups or individuals from getting this information. This
expense would violate the spirit, if not the letter, of •
the Public Information Act.
E. Additional environmental information symposiums should
be scheduled with modifications:
1. Environmental information users (researchers, etc.)
should be encouraged to participate in addition to those
here this time.
2. More time should be scheduled for the informal sessions.
We wish to congratulate those who sponsored and planned this
meeting. Holding the symposium has done more than anything else
to pinpoint and publicize the environmental information problems.
We hope this paper answers a part of the challenge extended to
us as environmental information users by this symposium.
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NEED FOR A NATIONAL ECONOMIC WATER MODEL
Dr. Russell G. Thompson
:, University o:
Houston, Texas
V
Professor, University of •'•Houston
1. Introduction
Presently, the University of Houston's College of Business
Administration and the Cullen College of Engineering are working
on a National Science Foundation grant for a two year period
funded to approximately $530,000. The grant, "Industrial Economic
Models of Water Use and Waste Treatment," is a part of1-the RANN
(Research Applied to National Needs) program sponsored by NSF.
Dr. Russell G. Thompson, Professor of Quantitative Management
Science, at the University of Houston and past Director of the
Forecast Division of the National Water Commission, is the
Principal Investigator for the University of Houston effort. Iowa
State University is concurrently working on National Environmental
Models and Policy for Agriculture, Land Use and Water Quality
under the direction of Dr. Earl 0. Heady. A comprehensive
picture of national water use should emerge since the Houston
effort will stress industrial water use and the Iowa effort will
focus on agricultural water use.
The immediate goal of the Houston effort is to develop a
basis for measuring the economic demands for water by the leading
water-using industries—chemicals, pulp and paper, primary metals,
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petroleum refining, and electric power generation—so that the
effects of variations in policy on the consumptive and disposal
uses of water by industry may be evaluated.
In its first stage, the project will provide improved aids
for developing broad national and regional policies. Initial
emphasis will be directed to evaluating the implications of
varying selected national and regional policies. The production
functions will be developed accordingly for the most important
classes of industrial activity affecting water use. Only the
most important substitution possibilities in production and
treatment will be modeled initially. This work will be validated
with industry assistance; further refinement of the micro models
will then be completed.
The long-range goal of the project is to develop a relatively
complete national economic model incorporating (1) public resource
use, including air, water, and land, and (2) waste generation
directly into the economic accounting system. This model would
include the demands for the various services rendered by air,
water, and land; particularly their use for waste disposal and
it would also include the detriments to other users arising from
waste discharges. Further, the model would include the costs of
supplying public resources for different uses. The model would
thus provide a basis for determining the least-cost allocation of
resources among conflicting or incompatible demands for different
558
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environmental quality standards. The need for a systematic
allocation system for water resource use is apparent. By
placing the resource allocation problem in a comprehensive
economic framework, it would be possible to develop a set of
prices so that resources cou^ld be allocated by prices.
2. The Importance of Demand
In past studies which forecast water use, the "demands" for
water were developed as "requirements"; in other words, the
effect of the price of water and other prices on the future use
of water was not evaluated. Consequently, policy-making
decisions based on these studies must be suspect. Any national
water model must incorporate the economic dimensions of water
pricing if any bona fide forecasting is to take place.
It is possible to measure the consumptive and disposal
demand functions for water for the major water using sectors of
the economy. The application of these demand functions is most
important because they allow alternative projections of water use
to be analyzed by the systematic varying of the factors that
influence demand. These demand functions also provide a framework
for evaluating whether specific investments are economically
feasible and further whether the benefits will justify the costs.
3. Proposal
The Nation clearly needs an economic model of water use in
order to evaluate systematically economic efficiency and
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environmental quality. The weaknesses of the present approach
of the Water Resources Council has been pointed out by a number
of leading professionals.
Young and Thompson, in a recent paper, have shown how an
operational economic model may be developed.— This model,
which may be applied to the Nation or a region, such as the
Delaware Basin, includes water use, the generation of waterborne
wastes, and the feedback effects of these wastes on water quality
and economic production. Because this model includes the
economic tradeoffs that exist between different technologies
and different production regions, it provides an accurate
determination of the value of water in different uses. It is
precisely this determination of values and costs that is the
important though often neglected factor in water res.ource planning
today.
Linear programming methods have been used to determine the
combination of production activities which will minimize the
total cost of resource inputs used to produce a specified amount
g
of final product. For a given bill of final demands, the
programming solutions give the combination of production
activities that satisfies specified demands at least cost, subject
V Paper presented at XIX International Meeting, The Institute
of Management Sciences, (TIMS), April 7, 1972, Houston, Texas.
560
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to regional resource constraints. This type of programming
model not only shows how to operate production to meet demands
i
most economically, but also gives the total quantities of each
input used as a function of the prices of all inputs and gives
the marginal cost of meeting one more unit of demand.
In the case of water use, changes in resource quality
cause substantial changes in the production efficiency of
processes using these resources as inputs. Therefore, it is
important to express the input-output coefficients as functions
of input quality parameters. However, the possibly negative
effect on economic production caused by these feedback effects
is not the only way in which environmental quality affects
society. Society has developed a demand for environmental
quality itself. This demand, whatever considerations it may be
based on concerning aesthetics or ecology, may be viewed as a
final demand and entered as a requirement in an optimization
model in the same way that final demands for goods enter as
requirements. Then, as part of the model solution, the marginal
costs of meeting these demands may be calculated. Thus the
program model must take into account the feedback effect
mentioned above and society's demand for environmental quality.
Young and Thompson showed how this could be done by a
linearly constrained quadratic program. The Young-Thompson
model may be briefly described as follows: The objective is to
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satisfy the demands for goods and for environmental quality at
minimum costs, subject to regional resource availabilities,
where the feedback of low water quality on production costs is
taken into account. A solution to the model gives the levels
of the different production activities, the quantities of inputs
used (including water), the quantities and locations of waste
discharges, and the actual level of the quality parameters.
Most importantly, it will determine the marginal costs of
meeting a given demand for environmental quality and the
marginal values of each resource in each supply region.
Young and Thompson illustrated how the model could be used
to evaluate the effects of increasing ambient water temperature
on the generation of electricity. The results showed the
amount of electricity produced in each region, the costs of
generation, the equilibrium temperature of the lakes, and the
marginal cost of imposing the uniform temperature standard.
The Young-Thompson model provides a way to evaluate water
development projects on a consistent basis; in particular, it
would give the marginal values of water in different regions
and the marginal costs of meeting different water quality
objectives.
The NSF Projects being directed by Drs. Thompson and Heady,
cited above, will provide the data for a national application of
the Young-Thompson model. A more limited application in the
case of heat discharges (to the water) could be made in the near
future for a region such as the Delaware.
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Public Perceptions and Attitudes Relating to Environmental
Pollution
Dr. C. Michael York
School of Psychology
Georgia Institute of Technology
This forujfi generated widespread interest and participation
as evidenced by the attendance of more than 70 persons — federal
executives, local and regional planning agency personnel, university
professors, educational specialists, engineering consultants,
and members of environmental and citizen groups across the United
States.
A major recommendation was the immediate need for bringing
together in one package an annotated bibliography of this topical
area. This special-interest group agreed to share both formal and
informal information relating to "environmental perception'-' under
the direction of Dr. York, the Forum Chairman. Numerous participants
expressed the frustration of not having summary data and statements
which would be useful in the planning process and in resource manage-
ment. A mailing list was established to enable the initiation of a
periodic newsletter. And, funding will be sought to accomplish
the bibliographies — interim versions early in 1973--for a wide range
of consumers in the public and private sector.
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STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND NATURE
OF THE SCIENCE INFORMATION ASSOCIATION
The Science Information Association (SIA) has been created as a
>n-profit corporation to provide an organizational vehicle whereby
jrporations, universities, associations, Government organizations and
idividuals may be provided direct access through remote terminals to a
mdom access computer stored information bank consisting of a group
: major data bases in digital form.
Organizations and individuals are invited to become members of
;A by agreeing to contribute a fixed minimum amount per month for a
.nimum number of months to obtain telephone line access through computer
srminals to the large information banks that will be stored in a
jmputer system operated by the Battelle Memorial Institute Columbus
iboratories (BCL) , a not-for-profit corporation. Local dial-up
jlephone access to the BCL BASIS-70 system is available in over thirty-
.ve major United States cities through the facilities of the Tymshare
)rporation at significantly lower costs than normal long-distance
;lephone rates. The initial program provides bibliographic reference
iformation from the computer to the Association members on the National
schnical Information Services (NTIS) , the Chemical Abstracts Conden-
ates (CAC) of the Chemical Abstracts Services, and the Engineering
idex (El) data bases.
Thus, by sharing the start-up, update and storage costs, each member
2ceives the benefits of the service at a fraction of the cost as
smpared to what it would cost if each were to set-up its own service.
t is planned that, as the program proceeds, additional data bases in
le fields of environment, engineering, physics, law, biology, etc., will
2 added to the information bank for low additional incremental costs
D the members .
The Association also provides its members with optional additional
ervices including: a number of selective dissemination information
ervices (SDI) ; mailed computer printouts for large bibliographies, etc.;
ssociated microfiche storage, selection and viewing equipment; hard-
10PY printing equipment; on-line computer terminals; associated systems
inalysis services; and augumented training programs.
General information concerning the data bases, cost schedules and
vailability of service are on the other side of this sheet. Additional
nformation can be obtained by contacting Messrs. Cottrell or Landau at
he addresses and telephone numbers printed below.
The NTIS data base consists of bibliographic material from 1969 to
he present containing about 120,000 records, increasing at about 40,000
ecords per year. It is now available for experimental retrieval and
raining purposes at no cost and will be operationally available in
Cottrell Robert Landau
*- 16th Street. N.W. 3514 Flyers Mill Road
Winoton, D.C. 20009 c f. / Kensington. Md. 20795
1202)387-1848 ->o^ (301)949-0220
-------
November, 1972. It describes material in reports prepared for or by
the United States Government in all fields of science and technology.
Searchable and displayable fields include: accession number; subject
and COSATI categories; title words; author (personal or corporate);
project, contract and grant numbers; keywords (identifiers and descriptors
The CAC data base consists of bibliographic material from approxi-
mately 1.2 million records from 1969 to the present and will be avail-
able for training purposes in November, 1972, and operationally avail-
able in December, 1972. The CAC contains bibliographic materials
relating to publications in all fields of chemistry and contains fields
similer to those of NTIS.
The Engineering Index consists of the bibliographic material from
approximately 200,000 records from 1969 to the present and contains
material pertaining to all engineering fields from over 3,500 sources
of engineering literature in over 12,000 main and sub-headings. It
will be available for training purposes in December, 1972, and opera-
tionally available in January, 1973, and contains fields similar to
those of NTIS.
Following are the cost schedules available:
1. Initial (and annual) membership fee: Individuals, $35; Corporations,
$100-$500, depending on size; Government Agencies, Universities,
Associations, Non-Profit Groups, etc.,$100.
2. Connect Time Rates:
NTIS or El;
Option A = $1.75/minute for first 10 hours per month; $.50 per
minute thereafter; minimum contract, $1050/month (10 hours) for
six or more months.
Option B = $2.00/minute for first 10 hours per month; $.75 per
minute thereafter; minimum contract, $360 per month (3 Hours)
for 6 or more months.
CAC
Option A = $2.00/minute for first 10 hours per month; $.50/minute
thereafter; minimum contract, $1200/month (10 hours) for 6 or
more months.
Option B = $2.50/minute for first 10 hours per month; $1.00/minute
thereafter; minimum contract, $450/month (3 hours) for 6 or
more months.
Note: The above rates assume that each member will provide his own
10-30 characters/second terminal and pay the telephone line costs.
SIA can, upon request, supply a variety of terminals (sale, rent or
lease) and arrange for a billing system for the telephone line costs or
the use of the Tymshare facilities. Based on the above rates, the
connect time costs for1 the typical search (lasting around 10 minutes)
would range from $5.00 to $25.00 each.
A subscriber of either Option A or B for any data base has the right
of access to the other data bases at Option B first 10-hour rates. The
data bases in the system are available at all times from 9:00 A.M. to 12
midnight Eastern time on week days and from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Easter
time on Saturdays. The system is extremely user-oriented, using Boolean
logic for browsing and narrowing the search iteratively to only those
document references that are relevant. Each member user is provided a
six hour training course at no cost.
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Integrity in Reporting
Robert W. Mason
Forum Leader
The forum was called together because the forum leader was concerned with
the increasingly poor quality of reports in the scientific literature. Several
examples of such reports over the past 10 years were presented. Most of these
reports were honest but contained inappropriate or inadequate uses of otherwise
good data. One example, however, was one of misquoting and misinterpretation
of previous reports coupled with arithmetic error which led to false conclusions,
The forum concensus was that some important ^Instances of carelessness and
error in scientific papers does exist. In most cases this carelessness would
be corrected by reviewers in the prepublication stage performing a thorough,
constructive job.
There is no governing body to monitor scientific publications and no
mechanism for penalizing either journals or authors for carelessness, error
or even dishonesty.
It is the publishing journals responsibility to both the author and the
reader to select adequate reviewers for each paper submitted to it and to not
publish until the majority of unfavorable comments are resolved.
It is recommended that the reviewers in every case should be from several
disciplines to ensure broad perspectives and adequate reviews.
All reviewers names, disciplines and each final opinion as favorable or
unfavorable should be appended to each article. This will place responsibility
on the reviewer as well as provide a mechanism for correspondence, particularly
Pn points of contention.
566
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'Because much foreign information is pertinent to a subject, it is
N
recommended that appropriate foreign reviewers be included.
There will be a need for competent review of existing -literature as it
passes from the discipline in which it was originally published to another
discipline in which it will be used. An example is the increasing use of
scientific literature by the law profession in environmental law.
In the future, scientists more and more are going to be producing data
for people who are unfamiliar with the subject. Therefor scientists have now
a great responsibility as individuals and as a body to pre'cis the meaning of
the information they publish.
The Environmental Protection Agency can do much to ensure quality in pub-
lication by selecting at- random articles which it abstracts for a thorough
«
review by a board of competent persons in a variety of disciplines. Whenever
carelessness or inadequacy or dishonesty is found x^hich should have been
detected in a reasonably sound prepublication review, this should be called
to the attention of the publisher, the author and made a matter of public
notice.
Because of the vastness of the scientific literature its importance and
the ineffectiveness of self-discipline consumer protection legislation in the
area of reporting is needed. As one speaker pointed out freedom is a grant
of res p ons ib i1 i ty and freedom of the press is always abused by careless,
irresponsible reporting.
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