ESEAS is a project involving a network for absolute sea level measurements in the European Seas. The sea level station at Portomaso will be supplying data to this project for a 3-year period. The PO-Unit of IOI Malta is applying to become an official member of ESEAS.
	GRAND brings together all the GOOS Regional Alliances (GRAs) and is supported by the major international organisations related to GOOS (IOC, JCOMM, I-GOOS). The partnership covers all the oceans on Earth to provide a forum, led by Europe, to harmonise the diverse regional systems within GOOS, while advancing the European contribution to the global system. GRAND will facilitate the dissemination of best practice, technology transfer, development of international co-operation, establishment of observing systems in developing countries, application of results of EU projects to the broader international community active in the GRAs. This will help to strengthen the role of the EU on the international stage while contributing to the integration and strengthening of the European Research Area.
	MAMA - Running in its third year of activity, the EU-funded thematic network entitled Mediterranean network to Assess and upgrade Monitoring and forecasting Activity in the region (MAMA) has brought together a consortium, made up of major marine institutions from all the Mediterranean countries, to shape a concerted effort towards the planning and design of the long term sustained ocean monitoring and forecasting system in the region. MAMA is providing assessments on the present assets and gaps in the monitoring systems and research infrastructures for operational oceanography in the region, and in the capability to measure, model and forecast the ecosystem. It is targeting to integrate the existing knowledge base, and build capacities to lay out the initial observing system, to trigger awareness on the benefits of operational oceanography and outreach potential users, and to work towards establishing long-term commitments by governments. MAMA will run through up to the end of 2004.
	MFSTEP - Mediterranean Forecasting System: Toward Environmental Predictions. MFSTEP is a continuation of the Mediterranean Forecasting System Pilot Project - MFSTEP in which the PO-Unit contributed by developing a shelf-scale numerical model comprising the approaches of the Maltese Islands and the stretch of sea to the north up to the coast of Sicily. In MFSTEP this model will be run with higher spatial resolution to produce weekly forecasts of the circulation, temperature, salinity and mixed layer depth in the area.
	SEA SEARCH targeting to develop, maintain and electronically publish jointly meta-data products/directories to keep track of ocean and marine data and information; the project will improve the overall awareness, overview and access to ocean and marine data and information in Europe, including the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. It will also exchange experience and cooperation towards the development, promotion and implementation of data and information management practices and methods. IOI-MOC will be working with a number of local marine-related organisations/entities to compile a national directory on (i) marine research activities, and (ii) marine data holdings. Within the framework of this project, IOI-MOC will also be developing the Malta Blue Pages. The latter will function as a web-based oceanographic database to serve as an online repository centre for a number of data sources in the field of oceanography in Malta. The Malta Blue Pages will be hosted by the CapeMalta website of the PO-Unit and is being developed on methodologies using state-of-the-art server-side technologies. It will also make use of RealTimeTM Publishing Systems for remote maintenance and updating of the database over the Internet.