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MU researchers develop soybean database

Carol Von Canon
/
Flickr

Researchers at the University of Missouri have developed a new all-inclusive web database for collecting soybean information.

The Soybean Knowledge Base is a public database that will store and integrate information on a variety of soybean topics, such as genes and genomes.  Although the ability to collaborate information was important, the University mostly developed the database to store their own information.

“The scientists here at Missouri were generating an enormous amount of information and we just didn’t want that information to get lost, and we also wanted the tools to analyze our own data so that was the major impetus for putting it together," said Gary Stacey, a professor of plant sciences at the University of Missouri.

Trupti Joshi, the assistant research professor for the department of computer science at MU constructed the database. She integrated many visual tools and applications for researchers, scientists, and farmers to access internationally.

Joshi says that databases offer a complete understanding of all of the information that is being generated through computers.

"Databases are a growing need for other plant science, animal science, and health science fields. A lot of … is actually applicable for the plants and animal side, as well as, in studies of cancer and other diseases. There is a growing need for high-performance computing resources," said Joshi.

The SoyKB is a part of the U.S.'s $200 million "Big Data" initiative program. The program in effect is designed to help simplify the extraction of complex collections of digital data.