OceanPortal (including regional OceanPortals)

OceanPortal is the commonly used name for 3 websites: the OceanPortal (global (http://www.oceanportal.org) and the regional OceanPortal websites: PortalOceanico (http://www.portaloceanico.org) and African OceanPortal (http://www.africanoceans.org). The common objective of all the OceanPortal websites is to address the ocean/coastal information and data needs to the wide audience, to increase the ability of the OceanPortal partners to communicate their expertise to a non-academic audience and to facilitate improved access to the portal and its information. OceanPortal (global) (http://www.OceanPortal.org) The OceanPortal website provides a central, categorized assemblage of the entire set of Internet websites the IOC has identified as primary sources of ocean data and information, worldwide. The ensemble of utilities at OceanPortal allows easy access to thousands of pages at premier websites checked for quality by IOC staff. Judging from the available metrics it is the most heavily used website among all IOC resources (including the main IOC webpage), and also the most widely cited. These accomplishments bring OP to a very broad audience, promoting all IOC resources in the process. Regional OceanPortal websites (PortalOceanico and African OceanPortal) The goal of these regional oceanportals is to facilitate access to information and data on all aspects of ocean/coastal research and management for the benefit of stakeholders in the respective regions by using collaborative websites and distance learning technologies. More details on the goals of the regional OceanPortal are given in Annex I and Annex II.