Informatics is concerned with the applications of structure and organization to scientific information and the associated human activities. The term is used simultaneously today in a variety of ways, emphasizing applications of information technology, representing natural or human systems, and exploring multifaceted sociotechnical issues. Informatics draws on the information and social sciences in considering conceptual, organizational, technological and communication issues.

The work of Ocean Informatics is represented at the union of oceanography, information science and social science domains. Participants range from data and information managers to scientific researchers and educators.

Ocean Informatics is a community of practice emerging to meet the challenges of articulating requirements and designing for complex systems of information that support heterogeneous data collections and diverse local practices. Engaging with issues of interdisciplinarity and collaboration, the focus is on developing strategies from the design process to mindful variety, from shared language to boundary objects. In fostering a multi-dimensional sociotechnical awareness, the focus is to design a thick infrastructure that enables interoperability and facilitates collaborative science and scientists.

This is not a temporary state of affairs; the design of an information infrastructure is an ongoing process. Our products are both immediate and long-term: a deeper understanding of and engagement with information flows and learning environments.