Semantic Laboratories
Solutions for Drug Discovery Research Intelligence

Service: Collaboration Data Exchange

Many research organizations are involved in collaborations our outsource some of their experiments.  For these type of relationships to be effective in the exchange of information, a robust data interchange method is key.  This could be as simple as defining an agreed upon Excel file format, or more elaborate such as custom XML-formatted file.  The decision for the format of the data files exchanged depends on the processed envision for handling the data.  For example, if data is exchanged for incorporating into local relational databases, then a custom XML file may facilitate automated handling of data.  In addition, if each group in the collaboration is adding annotation to the data, then the updating process on both ends requires a robust method for data synchronization.

Recent advances in XML-based data specification technologies allow for a rich and robust data format that captures the full complexity of research data and supports the processes of automated data integration and data synchronization.

The key tasks for defining a data exchange format include:

• design XML data schemas and file formats that captures the full richness of the experimental data and analysis annotation

• design a data versioning schema for coordinating data updates between collaborating groups

• integrate simple software tools for creating and validating the XML documents based on the XML schema

• identify a secure mechanism (e.g., data encryption) for transporting these data files across the Internet between collaborating groups

• integrate software tools for exporting and importing data from these XML documents for automation processes

With a clear data exchange mechanism and published data formats, collaborating groups can increase the efficiency and frequency of data exchange in support of the research collaboration.

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