CHM Explorer
CHM Explorer connects ocean data systems, tools and institutions in a living, machine-readable network. It provides a prototype discovery and coordination layer for the BBNJ Clearing-House Mechanism, helping people find the sources and connections an ocean governance decision needs.
For area-based management tools, this means finding biodiversity, fisheries, oceanographic and protected-area evidence across platforms and borders, and understanding which resources support a question.
Ocean data is highly fragmented.
Databases, platforms, monitoring systems and analytical tools have developed within separate disciplines, institutions, countries and funding programs. Each may work well internally, yet the broader ecosystem remains difficult to navigate.
CHM Explorer maintains a structured graph of this ecosystem. Databases, tools, institutions, countries, communities, standards and interfaces become nodes; their technical, institutional, geographic and data relationships become connections.
A searchable catalogue describes each system’s purpose, operator, region, data types, access methods, identifiers, sources and relationships. The graph reveals regional clusters, isolated databases, shared dependencies and missing technical connections.
The connections behind ocean data
Most ocean databases store a particular category of information. Most directories provide a searchable list of tools or links. CHM Explorer maps the infrastructure around those resources: what each system contains, who maintains it, where it applies, how it can be accessed and how it connects with other systems.
Authoritative sources
The underlying databases remain the authoritative sources. CHM Explorer provides the discovery, routing and coordination layer that helps people and software determine which sources are relevant and how to use them.
Explicit relationships
The relationships are central to the product. Two databases may overlap, exchange data or share standards. Making those relationships explicit helps users assess whether the systems can be combined for a particular question.
See how your work connects, where your data travels and who depends on it.
A person working within one area of marine conservation may understand their immediate datasets but have little visibility into the surrounding ecosystem. CHM Explorer makes those connections visible.
The network can help form communities around shared datasets, standards, gaps and use cases. It makes visible where coordination succeeds and where infrastructure remains fragmented.
Researchers
Discover complementary sources.
Policymakers
Inspect the infrastructure supporting a decision.
Data providers and technical teams
Identify integration opportunities.
Communities
Find others working on comparable problems.
Designed for the AI era
CHM Explorer is designed for a world in which both people and software agents need to discover and use ocean resources. Its machine-readable structure can be exposed through APIs, MCP servers and other interfaces, helping agents identify systems, understand their capabilities and determine how to query them.
This approach supports source discovery, tool selection and access, combining systems when one source is insufficient, and keeping results open to inspection and validation.
From a question to its source
Find the source
Identify the relevant dataset or service.
Query the resource
Determine the appropriate query parameters.
Keep the evidence visible
Return a result with its source and method.
The model helps interpret and operate the tool; the underlying system supplies the evidence.
Interested in Our Work?
We welcome conversations about research collaborations, prototype work, strategic partnerships, and funding opportunities that can help move ocean-governance concepts into practice.