Genemetrics: A System for Bioinformatic Data Analysis

Abstract

Bioinformatic data tend to be high-dimensional and often reflect complex patterns and processes. Genemetrics was motivated by the need of analyzing such kind of data. It supports object-oriented data representation and multi-window interactive dynamic graphics, with which its suite of analytical tools (CART, SOM, etc.) is integrated. Genemetrics' considering components of graphical displays as visual representations of underlying entities (e.g. genes, cells) opens entirely new possibilities for interaction. With such an arrangement, users can look at a plot and, by interacting with graphical symbols in the plot, initiate the retrieval of data from the underlying data base. Analysis routines to be applied to the data can be selected graphically. The results of the analysis can again be in the form of plots and ready for further graphical manipulation. This will Greatly facilitate swift, smooth interaction between users and data sets, because the processes of understanding the information contained in the data and extracting data from the database are integrated.