The need for protocols to monitor response technologies during oil spills has been recognized since the early 1980s. Technological advances in dispersant applications and in situ burning (referred to as applied response technologies) have resulted in their increased acceptance in most regions in the U.S. Many regions have set up pre-approval zones for dispersant and in-situ burn operations, and established pre-approval conditions, including the requirement for monitoring protocols. This reaffirms the need for having national protocols to standardize monitoring, especially when the Federal Government assumes full responsibility for the response under the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (Title 40 CFR Part 300). Protocols are also needed to serve as guidelines for assisting or overseeing industry's monitoring efforts during spills. In November 1997, a workgroup consisting of Federal oil spill scientists and responders from the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, convened in Mobile, Alabama to draft guidelines for generating this protocol. The workgroup built upon currently available programs and procedures, mainly the Special Response Operations Monitoring Program (SROMP), developed in 1994, and lessons learned during spill responses and drills. The result of this collaboration is the Special Monitoring of Applied Response Technologies (SMART) program. SMART establishes a monitoring system for rapid collection and reporting of real-time, scientifically based information, in order to assist the Unified Command with decision-making during in situ burning or dispersant operations.