A cumulative catalog of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) documents published from 1972 through 1994.

An informal orientation to the OTA. Addresses new employees' frequently asked questions; intended as a complimentary document to the official Employee Handbook.

This guide is intended as an informal orientation to some aspects of life at the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), and to answer some of the questions frequently asked about OTA. This guide was created in the hopes of acquainting new employees with the procedures, materials, information, and expertise that lie within OTA.

This pamphlet briefly outlines the function and purpose of the Office of Technology Assessment.

This report is divided into two sections, one of the PRC and one on Japan. Each section describes the structure and management of the respective defense industrial base and then compares it with its U.S. counterpart. The paper then assesses the degree to which lesson from the PRC and Japanese cases can be applied to the U.S. defense technology and industrial base (DTIB).

This paper discusses the experiences of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom—technology assessment with six technologies (or sets of technologies) including evaluation and management efforts and how the technologies diffused— are presented and compared.

This report is a part of a larger study on International Differences in Health Care Technology and Spending. It discusses health care technology as a policy issue, healthcare technology in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States, as well as the lessons from the eight countries.

This collection of Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) Resources information briefs details assessments and documents completed by OTA and categorized into a variety of topics, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, defense technology, and energy research and development.

This report includes statements form OTA Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Director, as well as TAAC Chairman. The report also discusses industry, commerce, and international security division, as well as health, life sciences and the environment division.

The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) is a nonpartisan congressional support agency of the United States congress. OTA is charged with advising the Congress on a wide range of critical issues involving science and technology. This report to Congress is required under Sec. 11 of the Technology Assessment Act of 1972, Public Law 92-484 (see p. 55). It describes the activities of the Office in Fiscal Yaer 1994 within the context of the legislative agenda of the 103rd congress and the events in the United States and the world during 1994.

The paper is divided into two sections, one on the PRC and one on Japan. Each section describes the structure and management of the respective defense industrial base and then compares it with its U.S. counterpart. The paper then assesses the degree to which lessons from the PRC and Japanese cases can be applied to the U.S. defense technology and industrial base (DTIB).

This paper presents an analysis of the cost-effectiveness of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in average-risk adults beginning at age 50. It examines the relative cost effectiveness of competing CRC screening technologies and schedules.

This report analyzes what International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards can and cannot be expected to accomplish, identifies areas where they might be broadened and improved, and presents options for doing so.

This report discusses the major issues in the public school system, providing information, and contributing a broad range of perspectives that helped shape the issues regarding education and technology. The report shows that helping schools to make the connection between teachers and technology may be one of the most important steps to making the most of past, present, and future investments in educational technology and in our children’s future.

This report surveys the potential benefits and drawbacks of expanded cooperation with Russia and other nations of the Former Soviet Union in space activities, and examines the impacts of closer cooperation on U.S. industry and U.S. national security concerns.

This report provides information that can help align agricultural legislation with emerging needs and trends. Current policies do not ameliorate conflicts between agricultural production and environmental quality, between trade and the environment, and between agriculture and competitive trade.

The background paper summarizes the evidence on the effectiveness and costs of prostate cancer screening and treatment in elderly men and explores the implications for Medicare of offering this preventive technology as a Medicare benefit.

This report discusses a seven-country study of hospital financing is an attempt to find lessons for the United States. The individual experiences over the past decade of the United States and six of its international peers—Canada, England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden—in hospital financing and payment systems are reviewed by experts in each country.

This report is the first in a broad assessment of the health and future prospects of the U.S. space transportation technology and industrial base. The report focuses on the Clinton Administration’s National Space Transportation Policy. It examines administration policy in light of the implementation plans prepared by NASA, DOD, and the Transportation and Commerce Departments.

The focus of this paper is the history of Department of Defense (DoD) Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) over the past 50 years, which forms part of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) study of defense modeling and simulation.

A report on information about the Earth obtained from satellite systems assists the National Weather Service (NWS) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in conducting its legislatively mandated programs to provide weather and flood forecasts and warnings for the American public, improve public safety, and provide weather information for commerce and science.

This paper first presents an overview of the nature and extent of the brownfields problem and discusses several key issues relating to their cleanup and redevelopment. Next, it examines three primary state approaches for addressing brownfields, with a particular focus on state voluntary cleanup programs. It then presents more detailed information on the voluntary programs in Minnesota, California, and Ohio.

This background paper reviews the progress of the industry and the law enforcement agencies in implementing the Act since its approval in October 1994.

This report discusses estimates of environmental technology R&D spending, interagency coordination mechanisms, and major federal programs, including programs administered by the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency, and several other agencies.