Farm animal genome databases

The requirements for bioinformatics resources to support genome research in farm animals is reviewed. The resources developed to meet these needs are described. Resource databases and associated tools have been developed to handle experimental data. Several of these systems serve the needs of multinational collaborations. Genome databases have been established to provide contemporary summaries of the status of genome maps in a range of farm and domestic animals along with experimental details and citations. New resources and tools will be required to address the informatics needs of emerging technologies such as microarrays. However, continued investment is also required to maintain the currency and utility of the current systems, especially the genome databases.