The neuroscience information framework: a data and knowledge environment for neuroscience

Abstract

With support from the Institutes and Centers forming the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research, we have designed and implemented a new initiative for integrating access to and use of Web-based neuroscience resources: the Neuroscience Information Framework. The Framework arises from the expressed need of the neuroscience community for neuroinformatic tools and resources to aid scientific inquiry, builds upon prior development of neuroinformatics by the Human Brain Project and others, and directly derives from the Society for Neuroscience's Neuroscience Database Gateway. Partnered with the Society, its Neuroinformatics Committee, and volunteer consultant-collaborators, our multi-site consortium has developed: (1) a comprehensive, dynamic, inventory of Web-accessible neuroscience resources, (2) an extended and integrated terminology describing resources and contents, and (3) a framework accepting and aiding concept-based queries. Evolving instantiations of the Framework may be viewed at http://nif.nih.gov , http://neurogateway.org , and other sites as they come on line.

Fig. 1

Framework contributors include both contract sites and volunteer consultant-collaborators. An Appendix lists contributors in greater detail

Fig. 2

Vector representation of interoperability dimensions for neuroinformatic resources. For each dimension, increasing interoperability is represented by distance from the origin. User interoperability is enhanced by open access to data, findings, or tools, and zero or minimal cost and licensing requirements. Technical interoperability measures openness of architecture and utility of standards for data format specification and for data and data model exchange. Domain interoperability includes the scope of a resource and the ease with which it interfaces with resources representing different subfields or domains of neuroscience. The data dimension measures relatedness of data and intersection of data models; the domain and data dimensions are thus non-orthogonal. Temporal interoperability reflects ease of migration and of incorporation of both future and legacy data (figure and legend modified from Gardner et al. 2001, © 2001 AMIA)

Fig. 3

This working development site was established initially to assemble an inventory towards assessing the state of the neuroinformatic ecosystem; later uses included testing ‘detector’ controlled vocabularies

Fig. 4

Overview of the NIFv1 implementation core architecture