OBIS-USA is a one-stop source for biogeographic data collected from U.S. waters and oceanic regions--the Arctic, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Great Lakes. It provides access to highly distributed data sets from a multitude of partners documenting where and when species were observed or collected. The site allows one to examine each data set to assess its applicability for a variety of uses. Current functionality allows the user to view the data and FGDC compliant metadata as well as to view geographic, temporal or spatial extent; the taxonomic depth and richness.

Data are accepted into OBIS-USA from the original developer or curator of the data. If you would like to contribute data please see: Contributing Data

OBIS-USA is the U.S. regional node of the global Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS).

U.S. National Committee for the Census of Marine Life - Is an advisory body comprised of a broad range of individuals from U.S. research institutions, industry, resource management, non-governmental organizations, and other ocean stakeholders. The Committee members focus on raising awareness of the need for basic research on marine biodiversity, advocating for the priorities of the U.S. research and education communities, and coordinating U.S. contributions to the global CoML initiative - a massive global program attempting to assess and explain the abundance, distribution, and diversity of all marine species. The committee advises OBIS-USA on data and management priorities, and helps develop strategies for long-term growth and stability.

Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) - A program under the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission; OBIS is a network of Regional OBIS Nodes (RONs) coordinated by a secretariat. The program provides a mechanism for coordinating the various node activities and development of data standards and protocols to promote interoperability and sharing. The secretariat manages a portal for access to global data contributed by the nodes and other partners.

OBIS-USA Data Providers - Critical to the success of OBIS-USA, our data providers are organizations and persons that serve data through the OBIS-USA portal. These organizations allow access to their data using standards and protocols developed for that purpose in order to help advance our understanding of marine biodiversity by allowing others to view and use their data through the OBIS-USA portal.