Cloudy With a Chance of Scientific Discoveries

The cloud. To many, it’s a mysterious black hole that somehow transports photos and files from their old or lost phone to their new one. To some researchers, though, it’s an invaluable resource that allows them access to data analytics tools they wouldn’t otherwise have. Credit: iStock. Scientists have begun using cloud computing to store, process, and analyze their data through online bioinformatics tools. Biological data sets are often large and hard to interpret, requiring complex calculating instructions—or algorithms—to understand them. Fortunately, these algorithms can run on local computers or remotely through cloud computing. One advantage of cloud-based programs over local computers is the ability to analyze data without taking up the user’s personal storage space. With cloud-based storage, researchers can store their large data files, including their labeled notes called annotations. Another benefit is that users have easy access to software packages within the cloud for data analysis. The cloud also encourages collaboration among scientists by making it easy to share large amounts of data. What Is the Cloud? The cloud refers to servers accessed over the internet that could physically be located anywhere in the world. You can think of it like using the gym. Just like you could buy a treadmill to work out at home, you could buy the individual computational tools for your specific project. But both limit what you have available to meet y...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Tools and Techniques Bioinformatics Computational Biology Cool Tools/Techniques Modeling Scientific Process Source Type: blogs