Documenting and understanding the global spread of alien species is a task for both basic and applied biology.  However, tracking the spread of individual species on both local and global scales is challenging, particularly for diverse and sometimes cryptic organisms such as insects.  Here, I discuss global data syntheses as part of the Global Ant Biodiversity Informatics (GABI) Project, an attempt to consolidate information on ant species geographic distributions.  I explore how such data compilations can be used to monitor the spread of invasive species as well as understand the macro-scale invasion patterns around the globe.  I present examples including a case of taxonomic confusion revealed by geographic distribution, an analysis of global hotspots of invasion, and an analysis of island patterns of invasion. While data compilation will never supplant the importance of local field observation and experiment, it can help provide large-scale context necessary to best interpret local scale ecology.