Data standards and tools developed by collaborations such as the Gulf of Maine Ocean Data Partnership and the Ocean Biogeographic Information System are facilitating the sharing and integration of disparate datasets, an essential step towards unifying diverse research findings and building ecosystem knowledge. Mapping technology is likewise an invaluable tool for synthesis, analysis, and visualization of research data. Our data and mapping portal, the Biogeographical and Physical Data Integrator, utilizes open source technologies, follows OGS (Open Geospatial Consortium) specifications, and distributes biological data in a variety of formats.