"The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is responsible for collecting, managing, and disseminating many kinds of data that result from man's inquiry into his environment. The National Geophysical Data center (NGDC) is one of the data management centers of NOAA. Other centers are the National Oceanographic Data Center in Washington, D.C., and the National Climatic Center in Asheville, N.C."--Introduction.