Plant & Animal Genome VI Conference Plant & Animal Genome VI Conference
C2
The genome databases supported by the Plant Genome Research
Program represent a significant investment of time, creativity
and money. The information provided in these resources is often
complex and may cross many disciplinary boundaries. Because of
its complex nature, the appropriate methods and circumstances for
using the information may not always be intuitively obvious to the
end-user. While the common theme throughout these repositories is
the genetic map, each species group may organize and display
similar information in different ways, compounding the difficulty
for users who need to navigate several of the databases and
synthesize information. To encourage the use of these tools, widen
their audience and increase their usefulness, the Plant Genome
Data and Information Center (PGDIC) is supporting the development
of a World Wide Web-based tutorial which will expose users to the
broad range of information encompassed by this set of databases,
and assist them in interpreting it. The tutorial includes examples
from a wide sample of the available databases, and curators are
encouraged to supply additional examples if desired. The tutorial
will be available to all curators who wish to customize it as a
species-specific tutorial, and the PGDIC will assist, when possible,
in this customization process.