(Data) Drover to the Rescue!
Genomics researchers, much like cattle drovers in the outback, are increasingly having to wrangle very large datasets. Managing herds of DNA data can be a painstakingly manual chore for researchers, yet this is where the automation of machines can make your research life easier.
Ergo: we are pleased to announce a new data service aimed at helping biomedical researchers working with large datasets as produced by DNA/RNA sequencing machines. We are calling this new data service the “Data Drover”[1] and it is powered by the MyTardis system[2] and Research Bazaar[3].
The problem: DNA sequencing machines produce large datasets (terabytes in days!). One computer server sitting next to your sequencer is not enough (nor is it secure!). You need the ability to share datasets with fellow trusted researchers, as well as utilise new analyst tools to decode the genomes; and the ability to publish your data to cite in your forthcoming research paper.
The solution: The Research Platforms department at the University of Melbourne is now offering consultation through its “Data Drover” service to any research group requiring a purpose built system for managing the research data produced by your sequencing machines. We are very pleased to be using the tried & tested MyTardis research data system as the engine which automatically droves the data from your sequencing machine into well organised and described datasets.
Some of the much loved research features of the MyTardis system include:
Captures data off a wide variety of scientific instruments and stores it securely and privately online.
Allows the sharing of data securely with fellow research team members.
Quick thumbnail previews of experiments, images and metadata.
Easy-to-use web interface that offers search and “tagging” functionalities.
Shareable timestamped links to allow researcher outside of your team to consult on your data for declared periods of time.
Verify, backup and redundancy of data in University housed datacentres.
For good practice in research data management techniques.
Ability to produce DOIs of datasets for citation in your research publications once ready for publishing.
Plugins that allow preliminary processing, and visualising of data.
But wait there’s more! Our Data Drover service also builds on the MyTardis engine to help your team develop the skills to analyse your data using the latest genome tools like:
Galaxy Genomics workflow engine, so you can do DNA analysis which is repeatable with clearly published methods. See: an interview with a researcher using Galaxy.
Rstudio data analysis and research graph generator. Helping make sure you produce graphs and plots which have good statistical analysis and error bars! see: #DataCarpentry
iPython Lab Notebook for doing big data analysis across multiple gene sequences. see: #SWCarpentry
In short, our new Data Drover service can help you muster your DNA data management and analysis in the most efficient way possible so you can forget about the technology and focus on the research!
How can I get involved in the Data Drover Service so I can plug my sequencing machine into MyTardis and get my team skilled-up in utilising genomics analysis tools to the best of their ability?
Please contact Dr. Andy Tseng (Lead Data Architect <andy.tseng@unimelb.edu.au > or David F. Flanders (Research Community Manager) <David.Flanders@UniMelb.edu.au>.
The Director of Research Platforms is Dr. Steven Manos <smanos@unimelb.edu.au>
Stop by our website to pick up a brochure describing our other compute and data services.
Get the latest news from our news feed: https://twitter.com/ResPlat ← if you have a Twitter account, you can also ask question live to our friendly staff waiting to help.
[1]= Data Drover is a sub-project within the VicNode (a federally funded project to provide storage solutions to suit a variety of Victorian research data storage needs) aiming to offer a simple integrated workflow between instruments and data storage.
[2]= MyTardis (http://mytardis.org) is an Open Source data management system purpose-built for managing large datasets produced by scientific instruments. It was created at Monash University with the Australian Synchrotron in mind (see https://store.synchrotron.org.au/) but is quickly becoming the de facto multi-instrument system for managing scientific equipment throughout all labs in the University. To know more about MyTardis and its community, please contact steve.androulakis@monash.edu
[3]= The Research Bazaar is our campaign, community and conference to help bring about the next generation of digital research skills: http://resbaz.tumblr.com/about
Image citation: images by Kate B. Dixon, reused through a creative commons license. Thank you for sharing Kate, your pictures have helped make science more interesting!
