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Implementation of the marine data infrastructure for ColombiaJulio Naranjo, Julian Pizarro, Paula Cristina Sierra-Correa & Daniel RozoResearch Program on Marine and Costal Management and Information Systems Lab at Marine and Coastal ResearchInstitute – INVEMAR. Santa Marta, Colombiasinam@invemar.org.co , julian.pizarro@invemar.org.co, paula.sierra@invemar.org.co , dmrozogarzon@gmail.comAbstractThe Marine and Coastal Research Institute (INVEMAR) has been assigned by law the responsibility of organizingin a structured way the marine data and information in order to support environmental management and NationalEnvironmental System of Colombia. In order to achieve this goal the intensive use of information technology isrequired, so that implies identifying thematic elements to be considered and the relationship between them, the regulatoryenvironment, infrastructure requirements and software design. The system developed is called Marine EnvironmentalInformation System (SIAM). Significant advances have been attained on what constitutes the core of acoastal marine alphanumeric and spatial data infrastructure for the Country.IntroductionINVEMAR, as an entity linked to the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADS), has thefunction, among others, to develop the technological and normative environment that would serve to process, storeand distribute the marine and coastal information required for environmental public administration. This informationis produced for the MADS, environmental authorities, official coastal entities (i.e. Mayor’s and governor's Office)and marine and coastal research networking partners. INVEMAR also has the task of supportting the network creationrelated to the coastal and marine scientific knowledge of the country, in the frame of the Science and TechnologyNational System. This ambitious technological project has been on course in a constant way since 2000, and iscalled Marine Environmental Information System (SIAM). The System integrates organizations – those mentionedabove, public and private sectors, research group and academia – the regulatory framework, technological tools, andthe actions required to provide the resources for its operation.Regulatory frameworkIn relation to the normative aspects, policies for the administration, publication, dissemination, and access to thedata and the information have been generated. In the same context, standards have been implemented for severalprocesses, for example, the documentation of geographic information through metadata by applying the ISO19115,and the OGC standard for the exchange of geographic information online using services like WMS and WFS. Bothstandards have been adopted in coordination with the Colombian institute responsible for consolidating nationalefforts aimed at building the spatial data infrastructure (IGAC).Main ComponentsThe System organizes different issues involved in marine management as follows:1. Data of biodiversity, which includes geo-referenced information from biological collections, data from coralreef, mangrove, and seagrasses monitoring, and follow-up reports of invasive species. In the latter case, usershave the option of selecting a specific geographic area and receive real time data.2. Documents with laws, programmes and research in the field of Integrated Coastal Zone Management, whichalso provides tools to support decision-making in protected areas management context. INVEMAR producethe National Marine and Coastal Environmental Status Report annually including Marine Atlas based on indicators.In addition, it offers environmental indicators, including those that are shared at regional level in124