Genomes OnLine Database (GOLD) A Metadata Management System For Genomes and Metagenomes

Abstract:
The Genomes Online Database (GOLD) (https://gold.jgi.doe.gov) is an open online resource, which maintains an up-to-date catalog of genome and metagenome projects in the context of a comprehensive list of associated metadata. Information in GOLD is organized into four levels: Study, Biosample/Organism, Sequencing Project and Analysis Project. Currently GOLD hosts information on 60, 700 Studies, 204, 171 Biosamples, 506, 126 Organisms, 551, 483 Sequencing Projects and 408, 866 Analysis Projects with a total of 650 metadata fields, of which 95 are based on controlled vocabulary (CV) terms. GOLD provides a user-friendly web interface to browse sequencing projects and launch advanced search tools across four classification levels. Users submit metadata on a wide range of Sequencing and Analysis Projects in GOLD before depositing sequence data to the Integrated Microbial Genomes (IMG) system for analysis. GOLD conforms with and supports the rules set by the Genomic Standards Consortium (GSC) Minimum Information standards. The current version of GOLD (v.9) has seen the number of projects and associated metadata increase exponentially over the years.

Speaker:
Dr. T.B.K. Reddy (PhD, JNU) is an accomplished expert in the development and maintenance of large scale biological databases and metadata curation. Dr. Reddy’s current work at the Joint Genome Institute (JGI) focuses on developing curated metadata resources to analyze and interpret large-scale genomics data. Dr. Reddy manages the Genomes Online Database (GOLD), which is a comprehensive online resource that provides curated metadata on ongoing genome sequencing projects from around the world, including microbial, viral, eukaryotic genomes and metagenomes. GOLD has been widely used by researchers around the world to study the diversity and evolution of microorganisms, microbial ecosystems and their role in various fields such as bioenergy, and climate science.