Editing National Geophysical Data Center

{{Short description|Former data center of the U.S. NOAA}}
{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name     = National Geophysical Data Center
| seal            = Noaa-emblem-rgb-2022 (1).jpg
| formed          = {{start date|1965}}
| preceding1      = Central Radio Propagation Laboratory
| dissolved       = 2015
| superseding1    = [[National Centers for Environmental Information]]
| status          = merged
| headquarters    = [[Boulder, Colorado]]
| latd            = 
| longd           = 
| employees       = 50
| parent_department   = [[National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service]]
| website         = www.ngdc.noaa.gov
}}

The United States '''National Geophysical Data Center''' ('''NGDC''') provided scientific stewardship, products and services for [[geophysical]] [[data]] describing the [[solid earth]], [[ocean|marine]], and solar-terrestrial [[natural environment|environment]], as well as earth observations from [[outer space|space]]. It was established in 1965 as part of the new [[Environmental Science Services Administration]] until that organization became the [[National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration]] (NOAA) in 1970. In 2015, NGDC was merged with the [[National Climatic Data Center]] (NCDC) and the [[National Oceanographic Data Center]] (NODC) into the [[National Centers for Environmental Information]] (NCEI).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/about |title=About the National Centers for Environmental Information &#124; National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) |publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information |access-date=2016-03-10}}</ref>

==Location and controlling bodies==
Since 1972 the NGDC was located in [[Boulder, Colorado]] as a part of the [[US Department of Commerce]] (USDOC), [[National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration]] (NOAA), [[National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service]] (NESDIS).<ref>Lee, William H.K.; Kanamori, Hiroo; Jennings, Paul (2003) [https://books.google.com/books?id=qWmwnHIW5HUC&pg=PA1457 ''International Handbook of Earthquake & Engineering Seismology''] Elsevier Science {{ISBN|0124406580}} p1457</ref>

==Data holdings==
NGDC's data holdings contained more than 300 [[Digital data|digital]] and [[analog signal|analog]] [[database]]s, with over 37 terabytes of unique digital records plus paper, film, slides and microfilm in 2003.<ref>[[National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine|National Research Council]] (2003) [https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10773/review-of-noaas-national-geophysical-data-center  ''Review of NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center''] National Academies Press {{ISBN|0-309-50661-1}}</ref> As technology advanced, so did the search for more efficient ways of preserving these data. This data is now maintained by the NCEI.

==Data contributors==
NGDC worked closely with contributors of scientific data to prepare documented, reliable data sets. They welcomed cooperative projects with other government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and universities, and encourage data exchange.

==Data users==
NGDC's data users included:

* private industry
* universities and other educational facilities
* research organizations
* federal, state, and local governments
* foreign governments, industry, and academia
* publishers and other mass media
* the general public

==Data management==
The Data Center developed data management programs that reflect the changing world of [[geophysics]]. These programs are now part of the [[National Centers for Environmental Information]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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[[Category:National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service|National Geophysical Data Center]]