Databases and Systems

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process. Because the databases are currently in heterogeneous format, the road to
integration will be an interesting experiment in database interconnectivity.
The FlyBase Consortium Model
FlyBase has opted for a distributed structure, in which several remote sites participate
in producing a single integrated database. With the inclusion of BDGP and EDGP,
the FlyBase Consortium includes 5 groups, located at: Harvard University,
University of Cambridge, Indiana University, University of California — Berkeley,
and the European Bioinformatics Institute. The advantages of this approach are the
small sizes of the individual groups, the inclusion of several project directors who in
part act as a set of internal advisors, and the heterogeneity of viewpoints that are
represented. FlyBase has concluded that this distributed organization works
extremely well for its purposes. It does however place considerable emphasis on
issues of data transfer, synchrony, and integration.
The Subdivisions of Data Responsibilities within FlyBase
The data outputs of the BDGP and EDGP projects are their individual
responsibilities, as are the literature data outputs of the original FlyBase group.
These include:
BDGP:
1 .P1/BAC STS content physical map of the genome.
2.Genomic sequence of the autosomes.
3.Characterization of ESTs from a variety of cDNA libraries.
4.Sequencing of representative near full-length cDNAs.
5 .Autosomal P element insertion mapping and characterization.
6.ComputationaI identification of genes.
7.Incorporation of the above data into genome level maps.
EDGP:
8.Cosmid/BAC physical map of the genome.
9.Genomic sequence of the X chromosome.
10.X chromosomal P element insertion mapping and characterization.
11.Computational identification of genes.
12.Incorporation of the above data into genome level maps.
Literature:
Bibliographic information, including links to bibliographic databases such as
PubMed and BIOSIS.