The Global Change Research Information Office (GCRIO)

Carroll Hood
CIESIN/GCRIO
1747 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Suite 200
Washington, DC  20006

202-775-6607
FAX:  202-775-6622
chood@gcrio.org

GCRIO Program Description

History

In 1990, Congress passed and the President signed Public Law 101-606, the
Global Change Research Act of 1990.  The purpose of the legislation was:

. . . to require the establishment of a United States Global Change
Research Program aimed at understanding and responding to global change,
including the cumulative effects of human activities and natural
processes on the environment, to promote discussions towards
international protocols in global change research, and for other purposes.

Under Title II (International Cooperation in Global Change Research) of
the Act, Section 204 requires that a Global Change Research Information
Office (GCRIO) be established.  The stated purpose of the GCRIO is:

 . . . to disseminate to foreign governments, businesses, and
institutions, as well as citizens of foreign countries, scientific
research information available in the United States which would be useful
in preventing, mitigating, or adapting to the effects of global change.

In June 1991, the Working Group on Global Change (WGGC) of the Committee
on Earth and Environmental Sciences (CEES) [now the Subcommittee on
Global Change Research (SGCR) of the Committee on the Environment and
Natural Resources (CENR)] covened a Task Group representing several
Federal agencies to analyze the requirements of the Law and to establish
GCRIO.  In November 1991, the Task Group produced a report of its
recommendations including direction to expand the target audience of
GCRIO to include US citizens and organizations.  In May 1992, the SGCR
designated that GCRIO be implemented within the Consortium for
International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) under the
direction of a GCRIO Oversight Panel established within the SGCR.  The
initial GCRIO Implementation Plan was submitted to the SGCR in November
1992.  A formal Statement of Work for GCRIO was approved by the GCRIO
Oversight Panel in early 1993 and GCRIO began formal operation in May
1993.

Currently, the GCRIO staff includes over five full-time equivalents
including the Director, located in Washington, DC, and the GCRIO User
Services and professional support staff located in Saginaw, MI.  The
Saginaw location facilitates synergism with other CIESIN resources that
support other CIESIN Projects.

GCRIO Products and Services

GCRIO offers the following products and services to its users:

o    GCRIO collects information about key documents on global change
research and adaptation/mitigation strategies and technologies that are
generated by the US Government or by specific Federal agencies.
Abstracts of these documents are written and placed into an on-line
searchable data base.  Links to other relevant bibliographic systems are
maintained, and every effort is made to avoid duplication of effort.
GCRIO can respond to requests for copies of these documents either
directly or indirectly by forwarding the request or the user to the
proper Government/Agency contact.  Selected documents are available
on-line in their entirety.

o    GCRIO provides high-level User Services for the interagency
Global Change Data and Information System (GCDIS).  The function is
designed to complement the existing User Support functions already in
place at the various Federal Agencies.   Requests for data and
information from GCDIS are processed by GCRIO User Services staff and
forwarded to the appropriate Agency contact, as appropriate.

o    GCRIO performs outreach services to both national (Federal,
state, and local) and international target audiences (researchers,
educators, students) in an effort to showcase relevant activities and
results of the US Global Change Research Program  and to help advertise
the availability of data and information resources of the participating
Federal agencies.

o   The GCRIO Home Page (http://www.gcrio.org) provides access to
selected  bibliographic data bases; web sites at the participation
agencies; relevant environmental data, catalog, and library systems; and
a special section that deals with environmental education and research
funding opportunities.  Brochures describing GCRIO's products and
services are available in English, French, Russian, Spanish, Arabic, and
Chinese.