standardization of environmental data and information - International ...

government experts, reviewed work already carried out in the international
seabed Area to assess environmental conditions, with details on the
parameters measured and the methods used. Several of the papers
suggested standards that contractors might adopt to improve the
comparability of data.
The leader of the Working Group was Professor Craig R. Smith,
Professor in the Department of Oceanography at the University of Hawaii,
Honolulu, United States.
Following three days of discussions, the participants broke into
three working groups to formulate recommendations concerning baseline
and impact environmental studies. These working groups were:
?? Chemical/Geological Working Group
?? Benthic Biological/Environmental Working Group
?? Water-Column Working Group
The charge to each working group was to complete the following tasks:
1) Identify key parameters to be measured and to be listed in an ISA
database;
2) Identify currently accepted standards and protocols for measuring
these key parameters;
3) Identify key community-wide issues that would benefit from a
common approach;
4) Outline a cooperative research programme or programmes to
address the key community-wide issues;
5) Indicate ways in which the ISA can facilitate cooperative work,
maintenance of high data standards and responses to major
environmental questions.
The recommendations of the working groups on the sectoral issues
in points 1 and 2 are appended to this report (chapters 23-25 below). Their
recommendations on the broader points 3-5 are consolidated in the
remaining part of this report. The group that made each recommendation is
INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 507