The California State University (CSU) is the largest university system in the United States with 23 campuses distributed throughout California currently serving over 400,000 students. More than 2 million students have graduated from the CSU and many have gone on to serve as scientists, educators and resource managers in California and nationwide. CICORE was conceived as a networked coastal observatory built on three pillars of the CSU: the statewide distribution of campuses, the depth and breath of the faculty’s knowledge and experience, and the students themselves.

• CICORE takes advantage of the unique distribution of the CSU campuses to create a coastal ocean observatory along the entire California coastline.
• CSU faculty contribute knowledge in the collection, processing and analysis of high resolution temporal and spatial data necessary to monitor and manage our coastal regions. Recent advances in imaging technology and the development of computer-based graphical information systems at the CSU have lead to an increased appreciation of the complexity and connectivity of our coastal regions.
• CSU students participate in many aspects of CICORE including field and laboratory work, data analysis and synthesis, and communication of results to the scientific and resource management communities and the public.

Through incorporation of CICORE technologies and data in the curricula of core classes, independent study, and advanced degree programs, CICORE is training the next generation of scientists and decision makers that will be responsible for ensuring the sustained use of the coastal zone.