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APPENDIX C

COMMUNICATIONS
FEDERAL

Letter from John T. Connor, Secretary of Commerce

Letter from John G. Lorenz, Acting Librarian of Congress_

Page

148

152

Letter from Frank H. Weitzel, Assistant Comptroller General of the United
States---

154

NON-FEDERAL

Letter from Leo Brewer, Head, Inorganic Materials Research Laboratory,
University of California..

155

Letter from R. W. Cairns, Director of Research, Hercules Powder Company, Wilmington, Delaware...

157

Letter from Paul C. Cross, President, Mellon Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...

162

Letter from Donald F. Drummond, Acting Dean, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Michigan...

158

Letter from H. W. Fulbright, Professor of Physics, University of Rochester,
Rochester, N.Y.

159

Letter from H. E. Gove, Director and Professor of Physics, University of
Rochester, Rochester, N.Y..

160

Letter from C. H. Greenewalt, Chairman, E. I. du Pont de Nemours &
Company, Wilmington, Delaware_.

161

Letter from Frank N. Ikard, President, American Petroleum Institute,
New York, New York...

163

Letter from William R. Mann, Dean, The University of Michigan, School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, Michigan..

164

Letter from T. A. Marshall, Jr., Executive Secretary, American Society for
Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

165

Letter from John P. McCullough, Central Research Mobil Oil Corporation, Princeton, New Jersey.

166

Letter from A. G. Norman, Vice President for Research, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

167

Letter from W. Albert Noyes, Jr., Ashbel Smith Professor of Chemistry,
University of Texas, Austin, Texas.

171

Letter from Kenneth S. Pitzer, President, Rice University, Houston,
Texas----

168

Letter from Paul H. Robbins, P.E., Executive Director, National Society of Professional Engineers, Washington, D.C...

169

Letter from Frederick D. Rossini, Dean of the College of Science, University
of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana...
Letter from Philip Sadtler, President, Sadtler Research Laboratories,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Letter from W. R. Sarno, Director, Utilization Bureau, American Gas
Association, New York, New York..

Letter from Douglas C. Strain, Director, Measurement Standards Instru-
mentation Division, Instrument Society of America, Portland, Oregon.-
Letter from R. F. Taschek, Physics Division Leader, Los Alamos Scientific
Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico....

Letter from Gordon J. Van Wylen, The University of Michigan, College of
Engineering, Ann Arbor, Michigan....

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177

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FEDERAL

THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE,
Washington, D.C., June 2, 1966.

Hon. JOHN W. MCCORMACK,

Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Washington, D.C.

DEAR MR. SPEAKER: There are enclosed herewith four copies of a draft bill to provide for the collection, compilation, critical evaluation, publication, and sale of standard reference data, and four copies each of a statement of purpose and need in support thereof, and a section-by-section analysis.

The Bureau of the Budget advises that enactment of this legislation would be consistent with the Administration's objectives.

Sincerely yours,

JOHN T. CONNOR, Secretary of Commerce.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND NEED THE STANDARD REFERENCE DATA ACT

BACKGROUND

The Federal Council for Science and Technology announced in 1963 a policy that there should be established a National Standard Reference Data System to provide on a national basis critically evaluated data in the physical sciences. The Department of Commerce, through the National Bureau of Standards, established a program to assist in furthering this policy. The basic objective of that action was to make critically evaluated qualitative data on the properties of substances readily available to Federal technical agencies and this country's scientists and engineers.

The proposed legislation is needed in order to provide the legal framework for a program to produce compilations of critically evaluated data on the properties of substances and their interactions, gathered from research reports throughout the world, evaluated by experts, and disseminated to the technical community. Through this legislation the voluntary and cooperative activities of all those concerned with the reference data program could be fitted into a coherent and comprehensive pattern so as to assure maximum benefit to the entire governmental and non-governmental community. The bill would also authorize the use of a symbol or mark in connection with the term "Standard Reference Data" so that the products of this interagency program can be identified and relied upon by the scientific, engineering and industrial communities.

Compilations carried out other than by the National Bureau of Standards may become a part of the Standard Reference Data System through the voluntary efforts of the agencies and if they meet the standards prescribed by the Secretary of Commerce through the National Bureau of Standards. Through this voluntary cooperative arrangement and the activities of the National Bureau of Standards, it will be possible to provide to the technical community critically evaluated data which will lead to substantial savings in time, effort and money.

NEED FOR STANDARD REFERENCE DATA

The significance of the Standard Reference Data operation can best be understood by a look at the process by which measurements of the properties of substances are made available to scientists and engineers. Property measurements are produced as a result of the research done by millions of scientists and engineers all over the world. The data are published in various scientific journals, reports, handbooks, and so forth. Therefore, while these data are available to anyone who is prepared to search the literature to find them, it is quite often difficult to locate a specific number or value in the millions of pages of scientific

literature. Of equal importance is the fact that once the number or value is
located, it is difficult to determine just how reliable such information is. A
complicating factor is that often more than one researcher works in the same
field, each developing his own number or value for the same property. Only a
specialist in the field can tell which is most likely to be correct. Accordingly,
the Standard Reference Data System has as its purpose three main functions:
1. Extract the necessary data from the literature;

2. Determine the data's accuracy and reliability through a process of critical evaluation; and

3. Make the evaluated data readily available to users.

The data are called "reference" because scientists and engineers repeatedly refer to the data in their work. They are called "standard" because differing values are critically evaluated by the most competent scientists in the field who then select and certify a single value or range of values as the best or "standard" one. The data may then be used with maximum confidence, for rather than having to make independent measurements of physical and chemical characteristics of materials, scientists and engineers would be able to refer to the Standard Reference Data and depend upon the reliability of the measurements which have already been made and critically evaluated.

TECHNICAL SCOPE OF THE STANDARD REFERENCE DATA SYSTEM

The products of the system are compilations of critically evaluated data on the properties of substances, critical reviews of the state of knowledge of the measurable properties of substances, and computations of useful functions derived from properties of substances.

The technical scope of the system embraces only physical and chemical properties and their interactions. Only substances of well-defined composition and structure are considered appropriate, and only intrinsic properties of the substances or systems under consideration are to be included.

These limitations can be described by use of a few examples. The free energy of formation of sodium chloride is a well-defined property of a pure substance of known structure and composition; therefore, numerical data for this property are appropriate. Critically evaluated data of this type are in the compilation entitled "Selected Values of Chemical Thermodynamic Properties" (NBS Circular 500) which is considered to be "Standard Reference Data." The atomic energy levels of the silicon atom similarly are well defined properties of a well defined substance and such data are appropriate. Critically evaluated data of this type are in the series entitled "Selected Values of Atomic Spectra" (NSRDS-NBS-3); this compilation is also considered to be "Standard Reference Data." On the other hand, the thermal conductivity of fire brick is a well defined property of a substance of poorly defined composition and structure. Therefore, such data are not within the scope of the Standard Reference Data System. Similarly, the hardness of tool steel is a poorly defined property of a substance of poorly defined composition and structure. Again such data are not within the scope of the program.

Operational data on components, devices, and other manufactured or assembled systems are well outside the scope of activity for the program, as are maps, navigation charts, weather data, and similar information.

PARTICIPATION IN THE STANDARD REFERENCE DATA SYSTEM

A. National Bureau of Standards

In assuming leadership for planning and operating a coordinated program of reference data compilations to meet the needs of the scientific and technological community, the responsibilities of the National Bureau of Standards would include the establishment of an interagency mechanism with representation from agencies participating in the Standard Reference Data System in order to obtain guidance in the establishment of policies and priorities; determining, in cooperation with others, the needs for Standard Reference Data and compilations: and maintaining a central registry of reference data compilation activities throughout the United States. Other responsibilities would include consulting with appropriate specialists to establish standards and criteria for the various products of the program; managing the data compilation projects funded directly by the National Bureau of Standards and such other projects financially supported by other agencies as may by mutual agreement be placed under the management of

the National Bureau of Standards; monitoring and advising on the performance of the various components of the program in meeting objectives; and developing and operating mechanisms for coordination of data compilation activities throughout the United States. In addition, it would involve the maintenance of a central file of reference data compilations containing the output of data compilation projects and the development and operation of dissemination services designed to ensure that the products of the program are readily available to users. B. Other Federal agencies

Participation of other Federal agencies in the Standard Reference Data System would be entirely voluntary. It would include participation in the interagency mechanism, which would be established to provide guidance on Standard Reference Data System policies and priorities, and in the planning of a coordinated reference data program; sponsoring reference data activities which are necessary for the effective discharge of their responsibilities and which have a technical scope of interest primarily within the mission of their own agency; cooperating with the National Bureau of Standards in the operation of those reference data activities which support the missions of several agencies and the scientific and technological communities at large; and participation in activities with the National Bureau of Standards which would be designed to determine national needs for compilations of critically evaluated data and to establish technical scope, nature of output, and standards of quality for all data activities within the Standard Reference Data System. Finally, such participation would include ensuring that products of data activities under the sponsorship of such agencies are made adequately available to technical users, either by direct distribution or through the mechanisms of the National Bureau of Standards; and to the extent practical and consistent with immediate mission objectives, endeavoring to meet standards of quality and format established for products of their data activities through the initiative of the National Bureau of Standards.

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF BILL

Section 1 declares it to be a Congressional policy to make critically evaluated reference data readily available to scientists and engineers.

Section 2 defines various terms that appear in the bill, including that of "Standard Reference Data."

Section 3 of the bill would authorize the Secretary of Commerce to arrange for the collection, compilation, critical evaluation, publication and dissemination of Standard Reference Data. In exercising this authority, the Secretary would be required to utilize the reference data services and facilities of other agencies at the Federal, State and local government levels, with their consent, so as to avoid duplication of the same services and facilities. The section also explicitly states that nothing in the Act is intended to repeal or in any way affect existing authority or responsibility of any Federal Government agency.

Section 4 of the bill would authorize the Secretary, in consultation with other interested Federal agencies, to prescribe and publish in the Federal Register such standards, criteria and procedures for the preparation and publication of Standard Reference Data as may be necessary to carry out the purpose of the Act.

Section 5 of the proposed legislation would authorize the Secretary to publish and sell Standard Reference Data, produced entirely at Government expense, at prices which would reflect the cost of collection, compilation, evaluation, publication and dissemination of such data, including administrative expenses and would be subject to the Organic Act of the National Bureau of Standards. This would be permitted without regard to any other law under which Government printing is accomplished and sales permitted. This section is consistent with Congressional and executive policy in that it seeks to recover from the special users of the Standard Reference Data the cost of producing the data which is of special benefit to these users.

Section 6 calls upon the Secretary to adopt a symbol or mark which he could use or authorize others to use in connection with the term "Standard Reference Data." The symbol or mark would be published in the Federal Register.

Section 7 of the bill lists specific acts which are prohibited. These acts pertain to use of the Standard Reference Data symbol or mark adopted by the Secretary, without first receiving his written authorization to do so, or that of his designee.

Section 8 declares that whoever commits any of the prohibited acts listed under section 7 shall be subject to a civil penalty of up to $100. The Secretary would be authorized to compromise the civil penalty.

Section 9 would grant jurisdiction to the United States district courts to enjoin violations of the Act. Upon request of the Secretary of Commerce, the Attorney General may seek injunctions to prevent such violations.

Section 10 of the bill would authorize the appropriation of such amounts as may be needed for the purpose of the Act.

Section 11 sets out the short title of the bill as the Standard Reference Data

Act.

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