Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS)

The Ocean Biogeographic Information System, or OBIS, is an international information system focused on marine biodiversity. It provides expert geo-referenced data on marine species and currently contains nearly 30 million georeferenced, accurately identified species records from more than 800 databases (numbers of September 2010). OBIS provides spatial query tools for visualizing relationships among species and their environment. This information is readily and freely accessible by the Internet and requires no special software to use.

OBIS integrates biological, physical, and chemical oceanographic data from numerous sources, provides tools to test hypotheses about marine biodiversity, and assists research on marine ecosystems. Users of OBIS, including researchers, students, and environmental managers, gain a dynamic view of the distribution of marine species over space and time.

Former Project Leaders
Edward Vanden Berghe, United States
J. Frederick Grassle, United States