Glen H. Wheless (5/29/98)

I have read and thoroughly enjoyed the draft report on the recent meeting held in Monterey, CA. My comments on the draft are below. The draft reads very well and covers the aspects of the field quite comprehensively. Historical solutions as well as emerging problems were presented coherently. I found the six sections by the experts to be very well written. Overall I think this is a very good report. However, I was struck by the lack of discussion on the use of the emerging knowledge collaboratory known as the World Wide Web, save for Jack Barth's comments. The community as a whole should more fully embrace this means of dissemination. I think that the following is also true. The cause-and-effect of the workshop - the cause being a lack of increases in available money coupled with too many oceanographers while the effect (hopefully) is more money to core PO program -- seems to stem from several areas. My personal feeling is that one of the most important of these is HOW WE TELL THE PUBLIC WHAT WE DO. The public also includes the money people (Congress), for truly those who control the purse strings are some of the most unknowing (when it comes to PO) of all. Several times in the past year, I have had a chance to demonstrate a computer-based application that uses numerical simulation, visualization, virtual reality and high performance networking to visually show the results from numercial simulations in the ocean in an immersive, 3D virtual environment. Each one of these demo's has been in a situation where 1) there are no other oceanographers and 2) there are many of the public. In every case, there is GREAT interest not only in the whiz-bang VR stuff, but also in the underlying science being presented. I have found this interest to be throughout the public. My conclusion is that the public WANTS to know, is very INTERESTED in knowing but that we DO NOT DO A GOOD JOB of meeting their interests. Perhaps the Year of the Ocean activities will help. Perhaps NSF PO should invest time, effort and dollars into developing a better public outreach capability. Other than these self-indulging comments, I have nothing else to add to a very fine report.

Glen Wheless

Glen H. Wheless
Research Associate Professor
Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography
768 52nd St.
Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA 23529
phone: 757-683-5556
fax: 757-683-5550
Internet: wheless@ccpo.odu.edu
http://www.ccpo.odu.edu/~wheless