From Reductionism to Reintegration: Solving society's most pressing problems requires building bridges between data...

Area of Science:

• Biology
• Ecology
• Environmental Science
• Data Science

Background:

• Reductionist approaches in biology have yielded progress but created data silos.
• Proliferation of subdisciplines hinders multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research.
• Addressing global challenges requires integrated biological data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify challenges in biological data integration.
• To propose a
• Data as a Service
• -oriented architecture for data reuse.
• To foster a reintegrated biology for global issue resolution.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of challenges in biological data integration.
• Conceptualization of a service-oriented architecture for data.
• Identification of needs for standards, tools, and career development.

Main Results:

• Major challenges to biological data integration were identified.
• A vision for a
• Data as a Service
• architecture was presented.
• Key components including standards, tools, and career strategies were outlined.

Conclusions:

• Data integration is essential for a "reintegrated biology" capable of addressing global challenges.
• A
• Data as a Service
• -oriented architecture can facilitate data reuse and discovery.
• Overcoming data integration barriers requires a holistic approach encompassing technical and cultural aspects.