ARS | Publication request: IMPROVING THE EFFECTIVE USE OF THE MAIZE GENOME DATABASE FOR PLANT BREEDERS, DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGISTS AND OTHER USERS

Submitted to: Maize Genetics Conference Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: March 16, 1999
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: The process of extracting higher-order understanding from data sets is a fundamental intellectual process. This process breaks down quickly as the volume and dimensionality of the data increase. For a biological information database to be effective, it must provide the means to manage complexity. For the database to be effectively used by a wide community of users, information retrieval from the database must be a user-friendly experience. The Maize Genome Database is already very complex and information-rich. There is a growing need to improve the delivery of information in the database - not only to specialist scientists, but to a wider community of users, with differing skills in accessing biological databases. This improvement will be attained by the development and implementation of a biologically and taxonomically sound complement of descriptors and associated vocabulary for all present and new phenotypes and traits. This will result in the database being much more user-oriented. It is furthermore envisaged that this complement of descriptors and associated vocabulary should be transferable to other crop taxa, keeping in mind orthologous and homologous phenotypes. Initial results will be presented. Supported by NSF award 9872655.