The National Oceanographic Data Committee (NODC) of the pakistan acts as a national repository for all types of oceanographic data pertaining to the territorial waters and EEZ of Pakistan. The NODC has basic computer facilities for storing and retrieving information. NODC-Pakistan is a part of National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Pakistan. Ocean and marine data and information are very important for research, but also for monitoring, predicting and managing the marine environment, assessing fish stocks and biodiversity, offshore engineering, controling any hazard or disaster, and tourist industry.
NIO has established a National Oceanographic Data Centre (NODC) for effective data management for researchers, administrators, planners and coastal area developers. NODC is not only managing data collected by NIO scientists during various sea trips/cruises but also receives data from World Data Centre (WDC) as well as International Oceanographic Data Centres around the world. The wide variety of data includes physical oceanographic parameters of waves, tides, current data and temperature-salinity profiles, chemical oceanographic data comprising of distribution of nutrients and chlorophyll, geological and geophysical data about sediment distribution, coastal erosion/accretion, data about subsurface geology and potential for non-living resources. All these data sets contribute towards the economic development of the country through diversified users.