Date of Award
1981
Degree Type
Major Paper
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Marine Affairs
Abstract
The Science and Technology Policies Information Exchange System (SPINES) was developed by UNESCO during the last decade. Intended to be a global system, its basic value to marine policy planners lay in its potential to align ocean policy information in context with other science policies and to align the ocean policies of one nation with those of the rest of the world. SPINES progressed from a feasibility study, to a five-year pilot project, 1977-1982. Important investigations were made of science policy research in 19 countries and 4 continents. A unique thesaurus was published in 1976 collecting, for the first time, an interdisciplinary vocabulary for policy-making, management and development in science/technology. The pilot project established working prototypes of the operational system, scheduled for full implementation in the late 1980's. Though its potential as a source for vital marine policy information was good, several factors contributed to a lack of interest in SPINES on the part of ocean scientists.
Recommended Citation
Beardsley, Mary Jane, "UNESCO'S Spines Information System: A Resource in Marine Policy Documentation" (1981). Marine Affairs Theses and Major Papers. Paper 14.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/ma_etds/14