The difficulty of sharing geologic and geographic karst information is well documented. While there is a significant body of internationally accessible literature, important works are largely unknown or inaccessible. Some of the more difficult documents to access include maps, databases, technical reports, graduate theses or dissertations, images, video, and government publications. Also, karst related documents published in lessaccessible languages are hard to access or find—especially those published prior to the information age. In order to address this issue, the Karst Information Portal (KIP) was formed in 2005 and launched in 2007.

KIP is an evolving international community of scientists, information specialists, and other researchers seeking to promote information sharing and access to published and unpublished research in order to advance karst, cave, and aquifer research and stewardship. The portal is a searchable database of a variety of karst information that is accessible anywhere in the world. Like other well-known portals, such as Chronos, the KIP will continue to grow as users and developers bring more information within the network. We seek to expand KIP by developing partners in to populate the portal with pertinent databases, maps, gray literature, and other information of interest to the geoscience community. The KIP has the potential to transform geologic and geographic research in karst by creating new knowledge through the integration of international information in the discipline.