Table Of ContentPreserving Scientific Data
On Our Physical Universe
A New Strategy for Archiving the Nation's
Scientific Information Resources
Steering Committee for the Study on the Long-term Retention of
Selected Scientific and Technical Records of the Federal Government
Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications
National Research Council
NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C. 1995
Preserving Scientific Data On Our Physical
Universe : A New Strategy for Archiving
title:
the Nation's Scientific Information
Resources
author:
publisher: National Academies Press
isbn10 | asin: 030905186X
print isbn13: 9780309051866
ebook isbn13: 9780585022888
language: English
Communication in science--Government
policy--United States, Science--United
subject States--Data processing, Technology--
United States--Data processing, Information
storage and retrieval systems--Science.
publication date: 1995
lcc: Q224.3.U6N37 1995eb
ddc: 353.00819
Communication in science--Government
policy--United States, Science--United
subject: States--Data processing, Technology--
United States--Data processing, Information
storage and retrieval systems--Science.
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved
by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose
members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of
Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of
Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report
were chosen for their special competences and with regard for
appropriate balance.
This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors
according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee
consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the
National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-
perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific
and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and
technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority
of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has
a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on
scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce Alberts is president of the
National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under
the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel
organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its
administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the
National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the
federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also
sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs,
encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior
achievements of engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is president of the
National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National
Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of
appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters
pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the
responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its
congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and,
upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research,
and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of
Medicine.
The National Research Council was established by the National
Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of
science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering
knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in
accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the
Council has become the principal operating agency of both the
National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of
Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and
the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is
administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine.
Dr. Bruce Alberts and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice
chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.
Support for this project was provided by the National Archives and
Records Administration (under Contract No. NAMA-S-92-0019), the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (under Contract
No. 50-DGNE-3-00105), and the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (under Contract No. S-54040-Z). The views expressed
in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the
views of the sponsoring agencies or subagencies.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 94-68991 International
Standard Book Number 0-309-05186-X
Additional copies of this report are available from:
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Copyright 1995 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights
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Printed in the United States of America
Page iii
Steering Committee For The Study On
The Long-Term Retention Of Selected Scientific
And Technical Records Of The Federal Government
JEFF DOZIER, University of California, Santa Barbara, Chair
SHELTON ALEXANDER, Pennsylvania State University
MARJORIE COURAIN, Consultant (deceased, January 14, 1994)
JOHN A. DUTTON, Pennsylvania State University
WILLIAM EMERY, University of Colorado
BRUCE GRITTON, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
ROY JENNE, National Center for Atmospheric Research
WILLIAM KURTH, University of Iowa
DAVID LIDE, Consultant, Gaithersburg, Maryland
B.K. RICHARD, TRW
JOAN WARNOW-BLEWETT, American Institute of Physics
National Research Council Staff
Paul F. Uhlir, Associate Executive Director, Commission on Physical
Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications
Mark David Handel, Program Officer, Board on Atmospheric
Sciences and Climate
Alice Killian, Research Associate, Commission on Geosciences,
Environment, and Resources
James E. Mallory, Staff Officer, Computer Science and
Telecommunications Board
Scott T. Weidman, Senior Program Officer, Board on Chemical
Sciences and Technology
Julie M. Esanu, Research Assistant, Commission on Physical
Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications
David J. Baskin, Project Assistant, Commission on Physical Sciences,
Mathematics, and Applications
Page iv
Commission On Physical Sciences, Mathematics, And
Applications
RICHARD N. ZARE, Stanford University, Chair
RICHARD S. NICHOLSON, American Association for the
Advancement of Science, Vice Chair
STEPHEN L. ADLER, Institute for Advanced Study
SYLVIA T. CEYER, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
SUSAN L. GRAHAM, University of California at Berkeley
ROBERT J. HERMANN, United Technologies Corporation
RHONDA J. HUGHES, Bryn Mawr College
SHIRLEY A. JACKSON, Department of Physics
KENNETH I. KELLERMANN, National Radio Astronomy
Observatory
HANS MARK, University of Texas at Austin
THOMAS A. PRINCE, California Institute of Technology
JEROME SACKS, National Institute of Statistical Sciences
L.E. SCRIVEN, University of Minnesota
A. RICHARD SEEBASS III, University of Colorado
LEON T. SILVER, California Institute of Technology
CHARLES P. SLICHTER, University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign
ALVIN W. TRIVELPIECE, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
SHMUEL WINOGRAD, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
CHARLES A. ZRAKET, MITRE Corporation (retired)
NORMAN METZGER, Executive Director
PAUL F. UHLIR, Associate Executive Director
Page v
Preface
In January 1992 the National Archives and Records Administration
(NARA) sponsored a three-day planning meeting at the National
Research Council (NRC) to review the issues related to the long-term
retention of the federal government's scientific and technical data in the
physical sciences. The planning meeting was organized by the NRC's
Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications and
provided the basis for this study, which was initiated in the fall of 1992
at the request of NARA. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) subsequently provided additional support.
The study's steering committee, in consultation with the sponsors,
developed the following charge to guide the writing of this report:
Describe the status and plans for the government's archiving of
observational and experimental data in the physical sciences. Identify
the principal scientific, technical, information management, and
institutional issues regarding the permanent archiving of such data.
Assess the commonalities and differences among the case studies
provided by the panels organized under this study (see below) in order
to determine the extent to which common long-term retention policies
and appraisal guidelines can be applied to disciplines that collect
observational and experimental data in the physical sciences.
Establish a set of goals, principles, and priorities, as well as generic
retention criteria and appraisal guidelines that NARA can incorporate
into its mission, program, and budget planning.
Suggest mechanisms and processes for NARA and NOAA to use in
implementing a program of data appraisal, retention, and preservation,
and later in evaluating the effectiveness of the program.
Provide a summary of findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
