What is DOEs role in the National Geoscience Data Repository System?
DOE has provided funds for the NGDRS since 1993 to cover the costs of the feasibility study and several pilot projects. DOE support has also been used to partially cover the cost of transferring data from the private to the public sector. Companies are donating the data at no cost to the public sector. Repositories at state geological surveys and universities are handling the costs of long-term preservation. The DOE money ensures that the transfer takes place by providing support for prioritizing, cataloging, and indexing the data. The DOE funding is also heavily leveraged by industry, the states, and academia.
