With a focus on the western Pacific, this portal provides ocean data relevant to a range of sectors and applications including tourism, fishing, shipping/boating, coastal inundation, environmental management etc. Designed with a user-friendly interface, the portal entry page features the applications, thereby negating the need for users to have universal knowledge of the types of information that may be relevant to their activity. The primary purpose of the portal is both data discovery, and a means of communicating ocean information.
MODIS (or Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) is a key instrument aboard the Terra (originally known as EOS AM-1) and Aqua (originally known as EOS PM-1) satellites. Terra's orbit around the Earth is timed so that it passes from north to south across the equator in the morning, while Aqua passes south to north over the equator in the afternoon. Terra MODIS and Aqua MODIS are viewing the entire Earth's surface every 1 to 2 days, acquiring data in 36 spectral bands, or groups of wavelengths (see MODIS Technical Specifications).