While it would be ideal for CalCOFI data to be available through a single portal, each portal has its strengths and limitations. The following diagram illustrates one possible realization of data flow between CalCOFI data and the portals: from raw data to the integrated database to portals and meta-portals.
In practice, CalCOFI is a partnership with various contributing members, so the authoritative dataset might flow differently, such as from EDI to the database to the other portals. The other portals, such as OBIS or ERDDAP, serve different audiences or purposes. The meta-portals like ODIS and Data.gov then index these portals to provide broader discovery of CalCOFI datasets.