We are in the process of developing a database for stock-keeping of Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) stocks; it is ingenuously named “flystockdb” and will eventually be publicly available and open to anyone.
Key features of flystockdb:
- web-interface (HTML + JavaScript)
- rights-management (publicly-, privately-shared stocks)
- software aided entry of genotypes and genomic features
The central access-point to flystockdb is its web-interface, which permits users to conveniently connect to the centralised fly-stock keeping database from everywhere. There is no installation process necessary, whilst data safety is guaranteed via the secured and rights-managed flystockdb server.
A fine granularity rights-management allows for sharing stocks publicly with everyone else, sharing stocks with designated flystockdb-users, and to keep private non-shared stocks. “Groups” can be used to accumulate communal stock-collections, to serve as repositories for private stock-supplies, or anything in-between.
Automatic recognition and linkage of whole genotypes — but also of single genotypic features — via FlyBase simplifies and aides the entry of fly-stocks. Genes, alleles, balancers and even P-elements are sorted onto the right chromosomes by contextually aware algorithms that can decompose and analyse user-input on-the-fly.
A preview of flystockdb is available via a screencast:
- High-Quality Screencast (113MB)
- Low-Quality Screencast (30MB)
We anticipate to go live mid-2011.
