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The MERSEA Integrated Project is supported by the European Union (Sixth Framework programme of research and development, FP6)  to contribute to the development of the ocean and marine application component of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security system (GMES). GMES is a joint initiative of the European Commission and of European Space Agency designed to establish a European capacity for the provision and use of operational information for Global Monitoring of Environment and Security. GMES aims to develop Europe's capability to supply independent and permanent access to reliable and timely information on the status of Earth's environment at all scales, from global to regional and local, in support of EU policy and sustainable development.

Mersea also contributes to the implementation of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), and federates European contribution to the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE). Godae is an international programme aiming to develop a global (full scale) system of observations, communications, modelling and assimilation, that will deliver regular, comprehensive information on the state of the oceans, in a way that will promote and engender wide utility and availability of this resource for maximum benefit to the user community. Godae aims to make this concept a reality, that it is possible to observe, model, monitor and predict the state of the global ocean in three dimensions on a routine, real-time basis, in a manner similar to weather forecasting. Godae is a practical demonstration of how real-time assimilation of ocean data on a global scale can provide regular, complete descriptions of ocean temperature, salinity and current fields for operational oceanography as additional information for seasonal forecasting and oceanographic research. .