Informatics

When information science encountered the capabilities of computers and telecommunications in the late twentieth century, the discipline of informatics came into being. As does information science, informatics addresses the collection, classification, storage, retrieval, and dissemination of recorded knowledge. Application of computers and telecommunications—especially the Internet and the World Wide Web — to these functions has created new opportunities and new challenges for information management and delivery. And in the natural sciences, information science and computing technology are joined by the relatively new technology of geographic information systems to allow for an even greater depth of knowledge to be stored and applied.

In CBI's efforts to make the information about our biological resources easier to find and use, particularly as the operating agent for the National Biological Information Infrastructure, informatics is a keystone. One way to view the situation is to look at NBII as the "end" and informatics as the "means" to get there. The CBI informatics research and development program investigates, designs, and applies procedures, software applications, tools, and technologies to aid in the integration of biological data, and to improve the content and usefulness of the NBII and other biological information systems by addressing such fundamental needs as:

• Information Collection Management
• Information Access
• Models and Analytical Tools
• Technical Infrastructure
• Information Management