Plant & Animal Genome VI Conference

C9

A DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR GENOMIC INVESTIGATION: GENEFLOW

1. GeneFlow, Inc., 503 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria, VA 22301
2. Dept. of Plant Breeding and Biometry, 252 Bradfield, Ithaca, NY 14853

In many research organizations, the primary objective is the rapid and efficient generation of data, and in many instances this is now performed with equisite precision and speed. The result is often a rapid and unwieldy accumulation of raw data which is perceived to have value but which, in its initial form, is often of very little use in making business or research decisions. Without some tool, generally software, to structure and present this data in a meaningful way to those who need to use it, data-generation becomes a costly exercise. The GeneFlow software program is an example of such a tool, designed to support genomic investigation and the breeding process. In addition to pedigree and molecular marker information, the latest version of GeneFlow includes support for phenotypic trait data, allowing users to trace trait values through a pedigree, and to associate molecular alleles with average trait scores. For organizations having a need to make constructive use of raw genomic data, decision support tools such as this may be critical.