EMhub: a web platform for data management and on-the-fly processing in scientific facilities

Area of Science:

• Scientific facility operations
• Data management
• Research infrastructure

Background:

• Scientific facilities generate vast, heterogeneous data volumes rapidly.
• Managing users, instruments, reports, and invoices poses significant operational challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce EMhub, a web platform designed to support daily operations and record-keeping in scientific facilities.
• Demonstrate the platform's adaptability beyond its initial cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) application.

Main Methods:

• Developed EMhub as a modular web platform with core functionalities for managing users, instruments, bookings, and projects.
• Integrated a REST API to connect external processes for task automation (e.g., folder creation, user management, data processing pipelines).

Main Results:

• EMhub successfully supports daily operations and record-keeping at the Swedish National CryoEM Facility.
• The platform has been adopted by multiple centers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, including X-Ray Crystallography and Single-Molecule Imaging.
• An automated single-particle pipeline for on-the-fly data processing and analysis has been implemented.

Conclusions:

• EMhub's modular architecture and API facilitate its expansion to various data-generating scientific centers.
• The platform enhances operational efficiency and data management in research facilities.
• EMhub provides a scalable solution for the evolving needs of scientific infrastructure.