OntoDas – a tool for facilitating the construction of complex queries to the Gene Ontology
2008

OntoDas: A Tool for Constructing Queries to the Gene Ontology

Sample size: 5 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Kieran O'Neill, Alexander Garcia, Anita Schwegmann, Rafael C. Jimenez, Dan Jacobson, Henning Hermjakob

Primary Institution: Central Node, National Bioinformatics Network, Cape Town, South Africa

Hypothesis

OntoDas aims to facilitate the construction of complex queries over biological information using the Gene Ontology.

Conclusion

OntoDas provides a visual and intuitive means for constructing complex queries against the Gene Ontology.

Supporting Evidence

  • OntoDas was designed with input from biologists to ensure it meets their needs.
  • The tool was evaluated with biologists who found it easier to build queries compared to existing tools.
  • OntoDas guarantees that all constructed queries return at least one gene product.

Takeaway

OntoDas is a tool that helps scientists easily create questions about genes using a visual interface, making it simpler to find the information they need.

Methodology

OntoDas was developed as a web-based tool using participatory design with biologists to ensure usability and effectiveness.

Limitations

OntoDas may struggle with very general or very specific terms and has performance issues with large sets of combinable terms.

Participant Demographics

The evaluation involved five laboratory biologists.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2105-9-437

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