COMNAP, the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs, commissioned this site to provide detailed information about Antarctic activities to the public, and manage the process of operational information exchange for Antarctic Treaty nations.

The site, powered by Lotus Domino, has two distinct sections: a public view, with general information only, and a secure members view, with detailed operational information and the ability to update and post new information.

The public site gives an overview of the Antarctic activities of all 29 member nations, including the location of their stations/bases, the type of air and sea transport used, and the scientific focus of their operations. Some background information about Antarctic operations - science, meteorology, aviation, shipping and marine navigation - is also provided, along with a regular newsletter, Bergy Bytes.

The members site provides Web-based distributed authoring tools for each member nation to update their information directly. It also features different levels of access - providing more sensitive information, like radio frequencies and telecommunications data, or accident and incident reports, to authorised users from each country. These users can also post meeting papers and reports related to their Antarctic activities.

A recent addition to the site, the Ship Position Reporting System, allows vessels from member nations to report their position on a regular basis using satellite-based email, and dynamically generate maps showing other vessels in their region - critical in the harsh environment of Antarctica.

Human Solutions designed and developed the COMNAP site in 1999, with graphic design by Interpretive Graphics. In 2003, the site was revamped with graphics and stylesheets by Neal Costello. The site is hosted through COMNAP's sponsoring agency, the Tasmanian Office for Antarctic Affairs. The content on the site is managed by the COMNAP Executive Secretary and the 29 member nations.

The COMNAP site demonstrates our ability to work with our clients to increase site functionality over time, integrate multiple technologies (email updates, map generation, PDF delivery) and provide secure, dynamic information to a widely distributed user base.