An information acquisition and dissemination technology developed by the NOS that supports safe adn cost–efficient navigation by providing ship masters and pilots with accurate real–time information required to avoid groundings and collisions. PORTS provides real–time water levels, currents, and other oceanographic and meteorological data from bays and harbours to the maritime user community in a variety of formats. It also provides nowcasts and predictions of these parameters via the use of numerical circulation models.