Grand challenges in biodiversity informatics
Grand challenges in biodiversity informatics
Date
2007-01
Authors
Sarkar, Indra Neil
Linked Authors
Person
Alternative Title
Citable URI
As Published
Date Created
Location
DOI
Related Materials
Replaces
Replaced By
Keywords
Abstract
The exponentially growing array of biological data has necessitated the development of a new
information management domain, biodiversity informatics. It is one of the newest members of
the ‘informatics’ sub-disciplines, which all generally focus on the management of information
through the application of advanced technologies. Like other informatics sub-disciplines,
biodiversity informatics depends on fundamental computer science and information science
principles to facilitate the management of heterogeneous data. Biodiversity informatics
distinguishes itself as being the most focused on biological knowledge dating back to the earliest
dates of recorded history – while most biological or biomedical informatics studies focus on
organizing and studying information spanning less than 100 years, the scope of biodiversity
informatics spans the age of the Earth. Biodiversity informatics is also concerned with the widest
range of disparate data types – including climatology, epidemiology, geography, and taxonomy.
To this end, many informatics principles can readily be incorporated into biodiversity
informatics; however, there are equally as many challenges that will require creative solutions.
Here, several such challenges are presented in an effort to lay a framework for the types of issues
that will define the future of biodiversity informatics and, in turn, the future of biology and
biomedicine.
Description
Author Posting. © The Author, 2007. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of KH Biotech Services Pte for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Asia-Pacific Biotech News 11(1): 15-18.