North East Asian Regional-GOOS (NEAR-GOOS)
North East Asian Regional (NEAR-GOOS) is a regional pilot project of GOOS in the North East Asian Region, implemented by China, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation as one activity of IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC). NEAR-GOOS was conceived in 1995 and initiated in 1996 upon the formal adoption of the NEAR-GOOS Implementation Plan and Operational Manual by the 29th Executive Council of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission following a recommendation from the WESTPAC Regional Sub commission of IOC earlier in the year. It became one of the first regional pilot projects of GOOS .
NEAR-GOOS First Phase
The primary aim of NEAR-GOOS in its first phase was to facilitate the sharing of oceanographic data gathered by agencies of the partner countries using the Internet, to support the daily mapping of conditions in the marginal seas bordered by the partner countries (5). Although it was anticipated that this should eventually lead to improvement in the availability of information and ocean services for all kinds of beneficial purposes (in particular maritime weather and storm forecasting, fishing operations, pollution monitoring and coastal management), it is important to note that these flow-on outcomes were not specific goals for the first phase. 
The most important successes of NEAR-GOOS in its first phase have been:
i. The consolidation of a functional two-mode ‘distributed’ Internet-based database structure in the partner countries as a workable model for the enhancement and coordinated handling of oceanographic data at national level;
ii. The linking of this structure with two Regional Databases that are responsible for the receipt and merging of data concerning the NEAR-GOOS region as a whole, thus creating a regional database system which is part of GOOS;
iii. The adoption and practice of a free and open data exchange policy, predating the formulation of such a policy for GOOS as a whole;
iv. The implementation of coordinated and approved data exchange management training for regional participants.
NEAR-GOOS Second Phase
As it enters its second phase greater attention needs to be placed on how NEAR-GOOS should be strategically developed to deliver benefit and utility of its ocean data-gathering effort to its member states. This might involve a greater range of data types and the deriving of generic ‘products’ such as model analyses and synthesized maps. For this to be possible, it will also require more direct involvement of the agencies concerned and the recruitment of a wider range of organizations and disciplines.
The mission of NEAR-GOOS in its second phase is “to develop a comprehensive and sustained ocean observing network in the North-East Asian regional seas and coastal regions, especially focussed on observations, monitoring and other activities that cannot be easily implemented by countries acting independently. This network will embrace a wide range of data types and will be accompanied by pilot observing experiments, trials and demonstrations, training and useful products for use by the participating members and as a contribution to the GOOS and other global observing initiatives.”
The goals of NEAR-GOOS in its second phase is to “development of a basic integrated ocean observing and operational forecasting system in the NEAR-GOOS area adhering to the GOOS Principles and building on the data management and exchange mechanisms developed in the first phase through the inclusion of additional parameters, increased coverage in space and time, the generation of a generic suite of data products and adequate quality control and quality assurance procedures”. The operation of NEAR-GOOS has been coordinated and managed by the IOC/WESTPAC Coordinating Committee for NEAR-GOOS which operates with the following general Terms of Reference (revised at the seventh session of the Coordinating Committee in Vladivostok, 2002, Recommendation SC-WESTPAC-NEAR-GOOS-VII.1).