As the third center for oceanography of the World Data Center following WDC-A of the United States and WDC-B of Russia, WDC-D for oceanography boasts long-term and stable sources of domestic marine basic data. The State Oceanic Administration now has long-term observations obtained from the fixed coastal ocean stations, offshore and oceanic research vessels, moored and drifting buoys. More and more marine data have been available from the Chinese-foreign marine cooperative surveys, analysis and measurement of laboratory samples, reception by the satellite ground station, aerial telemeter and remote sensing, the GOOS program and global ships of opportunity reports, etc; More marine data are being and will be obtained from the ongoing ¡°863¡± program, one of the state key projects during the Ninth Five-year plan and the seasat No 1 which is scheduled to be launched next year. Through many years¡¯ effort, the WDC-D for oceanography has established formal relationship of marine data exchange with over 130 marine institutions in more than 60 countries in the world and is maintaining a close relationship of data exchange with over 30 major national oceanographic data centers. The established China Oceanic Information Network has joined the international marine data exchange system via Internet. Through these channels, a large amount data have been acquired of through international exchange, which, plus the marine data collected at home for many years, has brought the WDC-D for Oceanography over 100 years¡¯ global marine data with a total data amounting to more than 10 billion bytes. In the meantime, a vast amount of work has been done in the standardized and normalized processing and management of the data, and a series of national and professional standards have been formulated and implemented successively. Moreover, appropriate standards and norms are being formulated as required.
As a result of development and construction during the Eighth and Ninth Five-year plans, the National Marine Data and Information Service has accumulated a vast amount of practical experience in the fields of standardized processing, analysis, quality control, database construction, products making, system and network design and construction of the marine basic information, fostered a contingent of talents proficient in the domestic and foreign information technologies, thus laying a good foundation for the marine basic information work and providing necessary conditions for the construction of the national oceanographic database group.
As a member of the World Data Center, WDC-D for Oceanography should perform the functions of WDC-D for Oceanography and strengthen the international cooperation and exchange in marine data. It should play its due role in the area of global marine data, carry out its routine professional work and promote the sharing of domestic and foreign marine data. It also should actively participate in the global and regional international cooperative projects such as the Global Change Program and the programs of GOOS, CLIVER, WOCE, GTSPP, GODAR and Near-GOOS as well as bilateral and multilateral programs, widen channels of data collection and exchange to obtain more marine data and carry out technical interchange and talents training. Lastly, it should regularly edit and publish the WDC-D for oceanography catalogues and the News-letter (in both English and Chinese editions) so that the users could keep abreast with all dimensions of the contents and ways of WDC-D data service and enjoy high-quality, satisfactory marine and information products service.
