Biology data visualization is a branch of

bioinformatics Bioinformatics () is an interdisciplinary field that develops methods and software tools for understanding biological data, in particular when the data sets are large and complex. As an interdisciplinary field of science, bioinformatics combi ...

concerned with the application of computer graphics, scientific visualization, and information visualization to different areas of the

life sciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, the ...

. This includes visualization of sequences, genomes, alignments, phylogenies, macromolecular structures,

systems biology Systems biology is the computational modeling, computational and mathematical analysis and modeling of complex biological systems. It is a biology-based interdisciplinary field of study that focuses on complex interactions within biological syst ...

microscopy Microscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view objects and areas of objects that cannot be seen with the naked eye (objects that are not within the resolution range of the normal eye). There are three well-known branches of micr ...

, and

magnetic resonance imaging Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio wave ...

data. Software tools used for visualizing biological data range from simple, standalone programs to complex, integrated systems.

State-of-the-art and perspectives

Today we are experiencing a rapid growth in volume and diversity of biological data, presenting an increasing challenge for biologists. A key step in understanding and learning from these data is visualization. Thus, there has been a corresponding increase in the number and diversity of systems for visualizing biological data. An emerging trend is the blurring of boundaries between the visualization of 3D structures at atomic resolution, visualization of larger complexes by cryo-electron microscopy, and visualization of the location of proteins and complexes within whole cells and tissues. A second emerging trend is an increase in the availability and importance of time-resolved data from

electron microscopy An electron microscope is a microscope that uses a beam of accelerated electrons as a source of illumination. As the wavelength of an electron can be up to 100,000 times shorter than that of visible light photons, electron microscopes have a hi ...

and cell and tissue imaging. In contrast, visualization of trajectories has long been a prominent part of molecular dynamics. Finally, as datasets are increasing in size, complexity, and interconnectedness, biological visualization systems are improving in

usability Usability can be described as the capacity of a system to provide a condition for its users to perform the tasks safely, effectively, and efficiently while enjoying the experience. In software engineering, usability is the degree to which a soft ...

, data integration and

standardization Standardization or standardisation is the process of implementing and developing technical standards based on the consensus of different parties that include firms, users, interest groups, standards organizations and governments. Standardization ...

List of visualization software

Many software systems are available for visualization biological data. The list below links some popularly used software, and systems grouped by application areas. * Medusa - A simple tool for interaction graph analysis. It is a Java based application and available as an applet. * Cytoscape - An open source software for integrating bio-molecular interaction networks with high-throughput expression data and other molecular states. * Proviz - ProViz is a standalone open source application under the GPL license. * PATIKA - It is a tool with integrated visual environment for collaborative construction and analysis of cellular pathways. File:Genome_viewer_screenshot_small.png, Genomic and assembly data File:Tree_of_life_SVG.svg, Alignments, phylogeny and evolution File:Signal transduction v1.png,

Systems biology Systems biology is the computational modeling, computational and mathematical analysis and modeling of complex biological systems. It is a biology-based interdisciplinary field of study that focuses on complex interactions within biological syst ...

File:CaMKII.png, Molecular graphics File:Kinetochore.jpg,

Microscopy Microscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view objects and areas of objects that cannot be seen with the naked eye (objects that are not within the resolution range of the normal eye). There are three well-known branches of micr ...

File:DTI-sagittal-fibers.jpg,

Magnetic resonance imaging Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and radio wave ...

References

External links

Related conferences

BioVis: Symposium on Biological Data Visualization

Applications of Information Visualization in Bioinformatics

CIBDV: Computational Intelligence for Biological Data Visualization

* ttp://www.faculty.jacobs-university.de/llinsen/vmls/2009 VMLS: Visualization in Medicine & Life Sciences
VIZBI: Workshop on Visualizing Biological Data
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biological Data Visualization Bioinformatics Visualization (graphics)