Presentation

Biologists face two problems in interpreting their experiments: the integration of their data with information from multiple heterogeneous sources and data analysis with bioinformatics tools. The amount of data contained in sources and the numbers of sources and tools have increased exponentially over the last few years. Source selection and the choice of tools are therefore of prime importance, but it is difficult for users to make these choices without assistance.

Following a thorough analysis of scientists' needs during the querying process, we found that biologists express preferences concerning the sources to be queried and the tools used. Interviews also showed that the querying process itself -- the strategy followed -- differs between scientists. In response to these findings, we have developed the BioGuide system. BioGuide helps the scientists choose suitable sources and tools, find complementary information in sources, and deal with divergent data. It is generic in that it can be adapted by each user to provide answers respecting the user's preferences, and obtained following his or her strategies (Publications). 

BioGuide is available for use!