Arabidopsis bioinformatics resources: Current state, challenges, and priorities for the future (Plant Direct)

Future research success demands that data are reliable, accessible and shareable. This means that as types and magnitudes of data change, best practices for how data are collected and stored must be regularly updated. Following a focused workshop, the International Arabidopsis Informatics Consortium has presented a vision for these best practices and how to implement them. Key recommendations include the need for standardization in both nomenclature and metadata, the development of a “Super-Portal” to link tools, resources and standards, and the need to continue developing tools that integrate across data types. They also point to the need to continue to engage with the broader community as well as scientists and data scientists and to highlight the interestingness and importance of plant research. (Summary by Mary Williams) Plant Direct 10.1002/pld3.109