Ocean Biodiversity Information System alternatives

3 tools to consider instead of Ocean Biodiversity Information System, shown against it.

Ocean Biodiversity Information System Copernicus Marine Service Argo Program Global Fishing Watch
Vendor Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO) / International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) Mercator Ocean International (for the European Union's Copernicus Programme) International Argo program (coordinated via the Argo Steering Team and IOC; US operations led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography) Global Fishing Watch (non-profit, founded by Oceana, SkyTruth and Google)
Pricing model Free Free Free Free
Free tier Yes Yes Yes Yes
Deployment Cloud Cloud Cloud Cloud
Open source No No No No
Best for Marine ecologists and conservation planners needing free, global species occurrence data. Marine scientists, forecasters and coastal planners needing free global ocean observation and forecast data. Oceanographers and climate scientists needing free, global subsurface ocean temperature and salinity data. Fisheries managers, researchers, NGOs and journalists monitoring global fishing and maritime activity.
Pricing

Free, open-access database governed by IOC-UNESCO/IODE and maintained by an international network of data nodes.

Pricing has not been verified yet — see the vendor's site.

Free and open EU public service funded through the Copernicus Programme; no licensing fees.

Pricing has not been verified yet — see the vendor's site.

Free international scientific program funded by participating national agencies; data is openly distributed.

Pricing has not been verified yet — see the vendor's site.

Free non-profit platform funded by philanthropic and partner organizations; core map, data and APIs are open.

Pricing has not been verified yet — see the vendor's site.

Features
  • Global database of marine species occurrence records
  • Contributions from ~38 nodes across ~99 countries
  • Interactive mapping tool (OBIS Mapper) for spatial queries
  • RESTful API for programmatic data access
  • DNA sequence and environmental measurement data alongside occurrences
  • Searchable by species, dataset, location or publisher
  • Global and regional ocean physical, biogeochemical and sea-ice datasets
  • Hindcast, nowcast and forecast ocean model products
  • Annual Ocean State Report and Ocean Monitoring Indicators
  • Searchable data catalogue with direct NetCDF downloads
  • MyOcean Health and 3D ocean visualization tools
  • Training, workshops and technical user support
  • Global fleet of autonomous profiling floats measuring temperature and salinity to 2,000m
  • OneArgo expansion adding biogeochemical, deep-ocean and polar floats
  • Near-real-time data delivery via satellite
  • Free access through Global Data Assembly Centers
  • Data distribution via the Global Telecommunication System
  • Core input for ocean reanalyses and climate research
  • Interactive global map of vessel activity from AIS, radar and optical satellite data
  • Detection of vessels not broadcasting AIS ("dark" vessels)
  • Marine Manager portal for monitoring protected areas
  • Vessel Viewer for individual vessel history
  • Public APIs for programmatic data access
  • Open datasets and published research on fishing effort

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