Menoci: lightweight extensible web portal enhancing data management for biomedical research projects.

BACKGROUND: Biomedical research projects deal with data management requirements from multiple sources like funding agencies' guidelines, publisher policies, discipline best practices, and their own users' needs. We describe functional and quality requirements based on many years of experience implementing data management for the CRC 1002 and CRC 1190. A fully equipped data management software should improve documentation of experiments and materials, enable data storage and sharing according to the FAIR Guiding Principles while maximizing usability, information security, as well as software sustainability and reusability. RESULTS: We introduce the modular web portal software menoci for data collection, experiment documentation, data publication, sharing, and preservation in biomedical research projects. Menoci modules are based on the Drupal content management system which enables lightweight deployment and setup, and creates the possibility to combine research data management with a customisable project home page or collaboration platform. CONCLUSIONS: Management of research data and digital research artefacts is transforming from individual researcher or groups best practices towards project- or organisation-wide service infrastructures. To enable and support this structural transformation process, a vital ecosystem of open source software tools is needed. Menoci is a contribution to this ecosystem of research data management tools that is specifically designed to support biomedical research projects.

The Global Genome Biodiversity Network (GGBN) Data Standard specification.

Genomic samples of non-model organisms are becoming increasingly important in a broad range of studies from developmental biology, biodiversity analyses, to conservation. Genomic sample definition, description, quality, voucher information and metadata all need to be digitized and disseminated across scientific communities. This information needs to be concise and consistent in today's ever-increasing bioinformatic era, for complementary data aggregators to easily map databases to one another. In order to facilitate exchange of information on genomic samples and their derived data, the Global Genome Biodiversity Network (GGBN) Data Standard is intended to provide a platform based on a documented agreement to promote the efficient sharing and usage of genomic sample material and associated specimen information in a consistent way. The new data standard presented here build upon existing standards commonly used within the community extending them with the capability to exchange data on tissue, environmental and DNA sample as well as sequences. The GGBN Data Standard will reveal and democratize the hidden contents of biodiversity biobanks, for the convenience of everyone in the wider biobanking community. Technical tools exist for data providers to easily map their databases to the standard.Database URL: http://terms.tdwg.org/wiki/GGBN_Data_Standard.

Suitability of customer relationship management systems for the management of study participants in biomedical research.

BACKGROUND: Longitudinal biomedical research projects study patients or participants over a course of time. No IT solution is known that can manage study participants, enhance quality of data, support re-contacting of participants, plan study visits, and keep track of informed consent procedures and recruitments that may be subject to change over time. In business settings management of personal is one of the major aspects of customer relationship management systems (CRMS). OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether CRMS are suitable IT solutions for study participant management in biomedical research. METHODS: Three boards of experts in the field of biomedical research were consulted to get an insight into recent IT developments regarding study participant management systems (SPMS). Subsequently, a requirements analysis was performed with stakeholders of a major biomedical research project. The successive suitability evaluation was based on the comparison of the identified requirements with the features of six CRMS. RESULTS: Independently of each other, the interviewed expert boards confirmed that there is no generic IT solution for the management of participants. Sixty-four requirements were identified and prioritized in a requirements analysis. The best CRMS was able to fulfill forty-two of these requirements. The non-fulfilled requirements demand an adaption of the CRMS, consuming time and resources, reducing the update compatibility, the system's suitability, and the security of the CRMS. CONCLUSIONS: A specific solution for the SPMS is favored instead of a generic and commercially-oriented CRMS. Therefore, the development of a small and specific SPMS solution was commenced and is currently on the way to completion.