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Part I. OverviewSection 1. OverviewINTRODUCTIONAt the present time, there is no coherent data management and communications strategy for effectivelyintegrating the wide variety of complex marine environmental measurements and observationsacross disciplines, institutions, and temporal and spatial scales. As a result, U.S. society is deniedimportant benefits that might otherwise be derived from these data, such as improved climateforecasts and more effective protection of coastal marine ecosystems. Data are obtained by diversemeans—nets are dragged; traps are set; instruments are lowered from ships, set adrift, or mooredon cables and platforms; satellites scan the oceans from space; and laboratories are constructed onthe seafloor. Measurements are made for a wide variety of purposes by individuals and sensors supportedby many different kinds of institutions, including private industry, Federal, state, and localgovernment, and non-governmental organizations. These data come in many different forms, froma single variable measured at a single point (e.g., a species name) to multivariate, four-dimensionalcollections of data that may be millions of gigabytes in size. These considerations, among others,led Congress to direct the U.S. marine data communities to come together to plan, design, and implementa sustained Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS).Central to the success of IOOS, and other regional, national, and international ocean and coastalobserving systems, is the presence of a Data Management and Communications (DMAC) Subsystemcapable of delivering real-time and delayed-mode observations to modeling centers; modelgeneratedforecasts to users; distributed biological measurements to scientists, educators, and planners;and all forms of data to and from secure archive facilities. The needs of end users must be apart of the implementation and operation of the subsystem, both as sources of specifications forsubsystem design, and as agents of change to keep the delivery of products from IOOS relevant tonational interests. At a minimum, the DMAC Subsystem will make data and products readily accessible,allow users to readily locate data and information products, and advise users on the specificationsand limitations of data by providing essential metadata (descriptive information about thedata) along with the data.The information technology required to meet most of the needs of DMAC, while challenging, canbe developed from existing capabilities through relatively straightforward software engineering.The greatest challenge facing DMAC is one of coordination and cooperation among IOOS partnersand user communities. DMAC can succeed only if the participants actively use the data andmetadata standards, communications protocols, software, and policies that will knit IOOS into anintegrated whole. The creation of a successful IOOS DMAC will require a sustained effort, a commitmentacross the U.S. marine community, and continual coordination with our internationalcounterparts.15