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6. The Next Steps Looking beyond this strategy, plans must be made for creating a global change data and information system. Defining the program needs for research data and information is the highest priority. This process has been started (NASA, Earth System Sciences Committee, 1988). However, a thorough examination of U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) objectives matched to the corresponding needs for data and information has yet to be done. This will be a difficult task. Researchers must work with data managers to do die job. The Committee on Geophysical Data is prepared to participate in the process. Definition of needs should come before system design. System design is technically feasible and relatively straightforward. Thus, some such studies have already begun. However, it is probably unwise to do the relatively simple technical design studies before die relatively complex and difficult definition of needs has been tackled. We must not lose sight of the objective: a global change data and information management system must provide die means for gaining an understanding of global change processes. No matter how technically advanced or powerful the data and information system might be, if it does not support the research, it will have failed. The USGCRP is a scientific challenge. Designing a data and information management system to serve it is also a challenge which the scientific community can respond to and support. 49
