WHO

Marine Information Service (MARIS)

The Marine Information Service MARIS is an industrial company (engineering office) whose main business interests are marine information services & data brokerage, consultancy, development and implementation of Marine Data & Information management systems and services, project development and management, development and management of Internet websites and Electronic publishing.

MARIS originates from a governmental initiative in the Netherlands to improve the overview and access to data & information of the marine environment and marine related activities, such as the offshore, dredging and maritime industries. Over the years MARIS has been privatized and is now fully self supporting.

MARIS continues to have strong links with government and performs many projects and tasks for governmental services. One of these tasks is that MARIS functions as advisor and website manager for the National Committee for Oceanographic Data (NODC).

MARIS is also a member of the network of National Oceanographic Data Centres in Europe, and coordinates a Concerted Action within the framework of the EC DGXII MAST Programme to create and operate a virtual network by internet and a portal site to give a central gateway to marine and oceanographic data & information in Europe. This EURONODIM project is executed together with the National Oceanographic Data centres of 14 countries and the EC-Joint Research Centre (see www.sea-search.net).

A key issue for MARIS is that it supports organisations that bridge the existing gap between internal (public) data & information resources on one side and the user market on the other side. MARIS supports the development and implementation of the marketing strategy as well as engineers effective information tools and systems to streamline dissemination and exploitation.

Information services include the exploitation of factual databases and web sites targeted at economic users of the sea, such as the offshore oil & gas industry and dredging industry. Websites are set-up as thematic electronic markets and are targeted at the primary information/service providers in the specific theme. MARIS supports or manages the overall set-up and strategy for the site development and develops the individual home pages for participating organisations. These comprise governmental departments, regional government, research institutes, branch associations and private industries, such as offshore companies and publishers.

MARIS is developing, managing and exploiting a suite of more than 50 websites for various organizations and companies from the marine sectors, including a highly successful website for the international oil & gas industry (www.gasandoil.com) and for the dredging industry (www.sandandgravel.com). The latter is being developed in the framework of the INFO2000 Programme of the EC DGXIII.

Furthermore, over the years MARIS has become a specialist in initiating and organizing (inter)national projects and acting as coordinator/project manager.

KEY PERSON
D.M.A. Schaap, M.Sc.