Dave Martin Question #7

Answers to Dave Martin's seventh question:

• Do we agree with this rather bleak assessment?
  

• If so, how do our programs address these issues?
  

• What specific, identified additional efforts should be undertaken?

• Should Ocean.US host a community workshop to address specific issues within the above and, if so, who should come?

• What is missing in the present NOPP investments in VOD-HUB, OBIS, etc.?

• How do we get beyond continuing rounds of hand-wringing and develop solutions to these issues?

• What is the proper role of science in developing solutions versus a more immediate "imposition" of standards/protocols/conventions, etc. achieved by obtaining rapid community consensus of what they should be?

  I would not recommend imposing standards. The only standards that really work are the ones that grow out of community use. I don't think that the clout exists for them to be adopted. The solution that I favor is to design the systems so that they are sufficiently flexible to make use of a wide range of standards and then to gently nudge the system in a given direction.