Bioinformatics: Managing Scientific Data

Zoe Lacroix, Terence Critchlow9781558608290, 1-55860-829-X

This is the first book that focuses on the managements systems for biological data. It is an exciting compilation by leaders of an emerging community that addresses the key issues in biological data management. The book should be useful not only for the biologists but for data managers who are new to the biology domain. It would also be a great resource for courses at the interface of biology and data management.-Sylvia Spengler, Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryThis book very effectively tees up many of the technical challenges underlying biological data management and integration, through in-depth presentations of a good assortment of commercial and academic approaches. I found it to be a useful reference for much of the current thinking on this topic, in both theory and practice.-David B. Searls, GlaxoSmithKline PharmaceuticalsThe life sciences face unique challenges in bringing leading-edge computing technologies to bear on their highly heterogeneous collections of data. Bioinformatics: Managing Scientific Data outlines these challenges and then explores – in exacting detail – how they’ve been met by eight data-integration systems devised by life scientists working in a wide range of fields.This is critical, hard-to-find information for a necessarily diverse audience: life science researchers with a hands-on role in analysis of their data, computer scientists working with biodata, and managers who want a better understanding of the processes they oversee. It’s also a valuable resource for all students whose work will be affected by the growing importance of computing throughout the life sciences.Features- Begins with a workingdefinition of bioinformatics and sketches the steps that typically comprise the development of a bioinformatics system.- Details the challenges involved in applying computing technologies to bioinformation and accounts for the failures of conventional approaches.- Provides first-hand accounts of eight bioinformatics systems used in academia and industry, including BioKris, TAMBIS, K2, GeneExpress, P/FDM, KIND, SRS, and DiscoveryLink.- Presents a detailed methodology for evaluating these and other systems, allowing the readers to determine the best way to realize their research aims or assess a system already in use.- Includes a useful summary of challenges, a comparison of approaches, a glossary defining all major terms, and a list of scientific resources.