GenomeAbout

GenomeAbout is a conceptual framework and repository designed to capture descriptive metadata and contextual information about genome sequences, projects, and related resources. It aims to provide a standardized, machine-readable description of genomes beyond sequence data alone, including organism, strain, source, assembly version, sequencing technology, coverage, methods, provenance, and licensing.

Data model: Core entities include Genome, Assembly, Sample, Project, Person, Organization, Publication, and Dataset. Each genome entry links to taxonomic data, accession numbers, quality metrics, and provenance notes. The model supports relations to related sequences, annotations, and external resources such as publications and data repositories.

Interoperability and standards: GenomeAbout emphasizes compatibility with established standards such as GA4GH data models, MIxS metadata, and common file formats (FASTA, FASTQ, VCF). It advocates JSON-LD or RDF representations to enable linking across databases and support FAIR principles.

Access and governance: The project envisions open access for metadata while respecting privacy and data-use restrictions for sensitive information. Governance roles include stewards, curators, and consortium members, with versioning, audit trails, and quality controls.

Applications and impact: Researchers use GenomeAbout to improve data discovery, reproducibility, and cross-study meta-analyses. It can support education and benchmarking by providing consistent genome-level context.

Notes: GenomeAbout is a hypothetical concept for discussion and design, not a widely adopted standard. Real-world implementations may vary.

See also: Genomics, Genome annotation, Metadata standards, GA4GH, MIxS, FAIR data principles.