The European Bioinformatics Institute's data resources 2014.

Area of Science:

• Bioinformatics
• Molecular Biology
• Genomics

Background:

• Molecular biology has driven the 'big data' revolution, necessitating accessible biological data.
• Historical data resources like Dayhoff's 'Atlas of Protein Sequence and Structure' and the Human Genome Project highlight the long-standing need for data access.
• Population-scale sequencing initiatives continue to emphasize the importance of comprehensive biological data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize the foundational principles for developing public molecular data resources.
• To provide an overview of the European Bioinformatics Institute's (EMBL-EBI) database collection.
• To complement existing reviews of individual databases within the issue.

Main Methods:

• Review of principles guiding the development of public bioinformatics resources.
• Compilation and description of the European Bioinformatics Institute's (EMBL-EBI) database offerings.
• Synthesis of information to provide a cohesive overview.

Main Results:

• EMBL-EBI is a leading global organization offering free access to integrated molecular datasets.
• The principles for developing public resources focus on accessibility and comprehensiveness.
• A broad overview of EMBL-EBI's diverse database collection is presented.

Conclusions:

• Public access to integrated molecular data is essential for advancing molecular biology and big data research.
• EMBL-EBI plays a vital role in providing these critical resources.
• This overview serves as a guide to the institute's extensive database collection.