Plant & Animal Genomes XIII Conference Plant & Animal Genomes XIII ConferenceJanuary 15-19, 2005
Town & Country Convention Center
San Diego, CA
Simon JB Jupp , Warren J Read , Graeme A Gill , Beatrice Schildknecht
We at NASC have been developing an improved interface to our traditional Germplasm supply and information services, whilst striving to augment the depth and quality of Germplasm-related data. This effort is realised in the provision of new tools to enhance the browsing of our extensive and growing collection of stocks, plus new interactive features aimed at promoting information exchange among the Arabidopsis community.
Our search facilities extend beyond simple browsing of collections and full-text search engine to encompass ontology-based searching of phenotypes, which helpfully guides the user to stocks possessing the desired characteristic(s). The ultimate aim is to allow users seamlessly to navigate our web pages, pooling related information from our Germplasm, AtEnsembl, Affymetrix and other databases (such as our small proteomics server). For example, a user will be able to link easily from a seed stock with a particular phenotype, through any genes associated with that phenotype, to Affymetrix experiments which profile the expression of those genes under given environmental stimuli.
Our other chief focus is on improving customer and user interaction with NASC and other members of the Arabidopsis community through arabidopsis.info. Our new web forums facilitate the exchange of ideas and suggestions among users, and give NASC a public space to address user questions. There will also be a means for experimenters to report comments and findings on NASC-supplied stocks, and to forward pointers to literature relating to such findings.