The Biological Information System for Marine Life, in short BISMaL, is a web-based data system for biodiversity information, particularly in biogeographic data of marine organisms. BISMaL was constructed by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) and is operated in the Global Oceanographic Data Center (GODAC) of JAMSTEC. BISMaL mainly collects information on marine organisms around Japan. And its aim is to open information of marine organisms to the public and to contribute to a better understanding of marine biodiversity.
BISMaL is an integrated data system including photographs, movies, distribution records, references, and brief descriptions of morphology/ecology of each species or its higher taxon. Although BISMaL is a data system of JAMSTEC, it also works as the system of the Japan Ocean Biodiversity Information System Center (J-OBIS), the Japan node of the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS). Data and information collected and integrated by J-OBIS are opened to the public and provided to OBIS through BISMaL. BISMaL is contributing to global data sharing and information exchange as well as working as a data system of JAMSTEC.