The effective environmental management of marine waters requires various types of studies supported by data on the marine environment (such as physico-chemical parameters, distribution and abundance of species, bathymetry, cartography of the coastal zones, etc.) and on human activities that take place at sea and coastal zones (such as fishing, aggregate extraction, marine protected areas, shipping, etc.).

In Portugal, these marine data are collected by several public and private entities from different sea-related areas of activity. Each entity, however, collects the specific data it needs using its own methodologies and usually without knowledge of the type of data that other entities are collecting. As a result of this disconnection between entities, the efforts put into data collection and processing are duplicated and it is difficult to know what data exist and where they are.

The SNIMar project developed a technological solution (a geoportal) to gather and display the information on the marine environment collected by the different entities. By this way, the SNIMar geoportal facilitate sharing, researching and accessing to data, which value the efforts that each institution puts into data collection and contribute to the advancement of marine science.

The geoportal will be a thematic infrastructure of the National Geographic Information System (SNIG), which is managed by the Directorate-General for Territorial Development. In line with the INSPIRE Directive, the National Geographic Information System is connected with a European spatial data infrastructure that aids the decision-making of community environmental policies and other policies or activities which may have an impact on the environment.