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MarAd Planning To Launch New Information Service In June 1969 the Maritime Administration of the Department of Commerce sponsored a Conference on Maritime Research and De- velopment at the National Academy of Sci- ences' Summer Study Center, Woods Hole, Mass. The Conference was attended by almost 200 major executives and professionals represent- ing- steamship companies, shipbuilders, re- search firms, labor organizations, ship design- ers, government agencies and universities. One of the high priority efforts recommended by the Conference was the development of a mar- itime-oriented research information service which would be responsive to the needs of all segments of the maritime industry. The Maritime Administration has contract- ed with the National Academy of Sciences to develop an appropriate computer-based infor- mation service to meet the needs of the marine community. The service is being developed to report on United States and foreign management and technical R and D in three principal categories; namely: (a) Proposed research, (b) Ongoing research, and (c) Completed research. It will be compatible with existing transportation data networks such as HRIS (Highway Re- search Information Service) and TRIS I (Transportation Research Information Serv- ice) and through a reformatting process it will include maritime information currently found in the Department of Defense, NASA, AEC, and Federal Clearinghouse systems. By adopting the above procedure, manage- ment, operators, designers, builders, and engi- neers will no longer be required to search numerous sources for information concerning the location of documents relating to manage- ment and technical R and D reports since the MRIS will contain specialized information of interest to the maritime industry. The National Academy of Sciences has formed a Maritime Information Committee by assembling a group of authorities representing the American Institute of Merchant Shipping, the Shipbuilders Council of America, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering firms. National Council on Marine Resources and Engineering Development and experts in non- government and government information serv- ices. This broad representation of the maritime and information communities was selected so that the service developed would be properly balanced with respect to major information requirements of the maritime industry. Current Status 1. A formal newsletter program has been established. 2. In order to be responsive to the immediate needs of the industry the initial scope of the MRIS (Maritime Administration Research In- formation Service) will be initially focused on the following seven subject areas: (a) Cargo operations and referral of cargo and commodi- ty statistical reports; (b) Cost reduction in ship design, building, and operations; (c) pol- lution control measures; (d) Large ship de- sign, braking, and maneuvering; (e) Ice break- ing; (f) Environmental effects on ship design, building, and operations; (g) Computer ap- plications in ship design, building, and opera- tions. A further breakdown of the elements in- cluded in the above subject areas will be re- ported in future newsletters to the industry. 3. A limited amount of information in the seven subject areas is known to exist in non- government and government information sys- tems and work is underway to search these existing collections for pertinent data and enter selected information into the MRIS. Although the information obtained from the existing systems will constitute an initial por- tion of the acquisition data for the MRIS, the ultimate success of the service is dependent upon the willingness of industry and the aca- demic community to cooperate with the Mari- time Administration by providing the MRIS with information concerning research under their cognizance. 4. It is emphasized that the MRIS does not plan to disseminate copies of any reports which are of a proprietary nature. Parties interested in obtaining copies of proprietary reports or data therein must negotiate with the pro- prietary source. On the other hand, the MRIS will assist users in obtaining information con- cerning the existence of research efforts in both the private and public domain. 5. Since the MRIS is designed to acquire information of current value to the maritime industry, reports from primary sources pub- lished prior to January 1, 1969 will not be in- cluded in the initial data bank. It is planned, however, to add certain "milestone" reports to the system at a later date. 6. The MRIS will be operational by July 1, 1970 and a schedule of services and fees will be published in the near future. 7. For further information concerning MRIS write or call Davis G. Mellor, Maritime In- formation Committee, Maritime Transporta- tion Research Board, National Academy of Sciences-NRC, 2101 Constitution Avenue, Washington. D.C. 20418, Phone (202) 961- 1687. Offshore Drilling Vessel Ordered From Levingston Atwood Oceanic, Inc., has placed an order for the construction of a 6,000-dwt offshore, oil-well drilling vessel with Levingston Ship- building Company, Orange, Texas. 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