Web infrastructure for collaborative sharing of heterogeneous data modalities

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this program is to put in place a world-wide web enabled infrastructure allowing scientists, researchers, engineers, and clinicians to collaborate through an improved interface model supporting the data modalities found in biomedical research activities. A succesful program will yield the ability to rapidly and inexpensively connect research professionals whose online dialog requires references to data from various biomedical instrumentation types as well as various forms of research computing. The program is built entirely on current (or emerging) web standards, and is designed to speed the movement of data captured from various types of instrumentation and simulation engines into the 'informational assets' of a collaborative team. Objectives include specific feasibility benchmarks to (a) demonstrate an innovative messaging interface displaying text messages adjacent to common biomedical data modalitites (discrete data, image, time-series, and graphic representations of statistical summaries), (b) demonstrate the integration into a real-world collaborative team of researchers investigating clotting function, and (c) draft specifications of a technical direction to integrate advanced computing representations (e.g. sensing, video, animations) into the collaborative community. A successful program will incent medical device and instrumentation manufacturers to embrace the evolving internet standards in order to make their systems 'collaboration-ready' - easily integrated into the online infrastructure supporting the research community. The program speaks directly to the NIH's National Center for Resarch Resources mission, particularly the Biomedical Informatics Resarch Network (BIRN) program mission that "fosters distributed collaborations in biomedical science by utilizing information technology innovations." The program also supports the objectives in the Omnibus SBIR announcement (NCRR, Topic B) to support the "development of new bioinformatics technology infrastructure such as data management and analysis tools, networking infrastructure, and collaborative tool development." The collaborative services made possible by this program will be commercialized through services to clincial research organizations, technical support services provided to biomedical equipment manufacturers, or collaborative services delivered directly to university or private research organizations.