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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 THE ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION SYSTEM TREE Environmental information systems created for public purposes can be portrayed in terms of a simple analogyâan information tree consisting of four parts: 1. An extensive root system that draws data from many different sources and organizations. 2. A trunk in which all available information is synthesized into a limited set of core products. 3. Multiple branches that distribute and enhance the core products into value-added products, each branch serving a distinct community of users. 4. Leaves, which represent uses of information products of the trunk and branches. Collecting measurements and developing core products are typically the most expensive parts of the information system. It is not possible for private- sector organizations to recoup these costs solely by selling information products at the marginal cost of reproduction. Because of the cost structure of public- purpose environmental information systems and the need for their scientific validity, the public interest is best served by funding the trunk and roots out of taxpayer resources, and providing full and open access to a set of reliable core products. However, the value of distributing information derived from the core products in a convenient form to as broad a group of users as possible (i.e., through the branches) has made some privately-driven value-added markets successful. Recommendation. The practice of public funding for data collection and synthesis should continue, thereby focusing contributions of the private sector primarily on value-added distribution and specific observational systems. If private-sector organizations are able to provide a stable supply of high- quality data that fulfills public purposes without compromising the commercial market, then data collection in public-purpose information systems can in principle be privatized or managed through public-private partnerships. Similarly, the marketplace may provide an appropriate mechanism for deciding what value-added products are developed,
