Implementation of a Molecular Biology Computation Resource Server

计算结构和分子生物学方面的各种新举措，以及人类基因组计划，将计算和基于计算机的信息系统带到了医学、遗传学和生物技术的前沿。然而，大多数可公开访问的计算工具都没有得到充分利用，因为它们很复杂且难以访问。该项目的任务是为分子生物学软件和数据创建一个可公开访问的、集中的目录。该计划将进一步发展“分子生物学软件黄页”服务器，并通过万维网在互联网上提供。该系统的原型是由一项规划拨款开发的，可通过URL http://www.bchs.uh.edu/Server访问。“黄页生物检索指南”（Yellow BAGI）将允许用户根据操作系统、关键词、作者或网站查找软件。每个索引都与另一个索引交叉索引，人们可以通过点击感兴趣的程序的名称来下载所选的软件（从任何被索引的站点）。在原型中，我们索引了两个站点ftp.bio.indiana.edu和ftp.bchs.uh.edu。在这个项目中，我们将与（有点类似的）欧洲生物信息学研究所的生物目录项目合作。我们将划分责任领域，并在两个项目之间每天共享数据。我们的自动网络新闻和FTP网站调查将补充他们的期刊筛选。我们还将为佩德罗的生物分子研究工具网页提供替换，该网页最近没有更新。我们工作的主要重点将是实施黄色BAGI项目，并为BAGI数据库开发一个试用关系模式。我们还将纳入生物目录项目的经验教训，该项目与本工作有不同的优缺点。使用其他信息来源，如未被生物目录工作人员扫描的期刊，我们将向BAGI和生物目录添加信息。这个项目的最终目标是确定我们开发的数据收集机制的可伸缩性。最重要的是，我们将衡量生物界对项目的兴趣和反馈，以决定是否进入维护阶段。

A variety of new initiatives in computational structural and molecular biology, along with the Human Genome Project, have brought computation and computer-based information systems to the forefront of medicine, genetics an biotechnology. However the majority of publicly accessible computational tools are underutilized because they are complex and difficult to access. The mission of this project is to create a publicly accessible, centralized, directory for molecular biological software and data. The project will further develop the "Yellow Pages of Molecular Biology Software" server and make it available on the Internet via the World Wide Web. The prototype of the system, developed with a planning grant, is accessible via the URL http://www.bchs.uh.edu/Server. The Bio-Access Guide to the Internet Yellow Pages, or "Yellow BAGI", will let the users look for software by operating system, keyword, author, or site. Each index is cross-indexed to another, and one can download the selected software (from any site indexed) by clicking on the name of the program of interest. In the prototype we have indexed two sites, ftp.bio.indiana.edu and ftp.bchs.uh.edu. In this project we will collaborate with the (somewhat similar) European Bioinformatics Institute's Biocatalog project. We will divide areas of responsibility and share data on a daily basis between the two projects. Our automatic Netnews and FTP site surveys will complement their journal screening. We will also provide a replacement for Pedro's Biomolecular Research Tools Web pages, which have not been updated in recent times. The primary focus of our work will be to implement the Yellow BAGI project and develop a trial relational schema for the BAGI data bank. We will also incorporate lessons from the Biocatalog project, which has different strengths and weaknesses from this work. Using other sources of information such as journals not covered by Biocatalog staff scanning we will add information t o BAGI and the Biocatalog. The final goal of this project will be to determine scalability of the data collection mechanisms we have developed. Most importantly, we will measure the biological community's interest and feedback on the project, to decide whether to proceed into a maintenance phase.