Data panel session: Big Data or Bust
16 February 2016
Earlier this year, Microbial Genomics, the Microbiology Society’s newest journal, celebrated its six-month birthday. This journal is our first to have a mandatory open data policy, meaning that all supporting data must be submitted to a relevant depository. This allows it to be collated, analysed, critiqued and reused. Modern molecular and bioinformatics techniques are producing data at an ever increasing rate, but how can we ensure that it is made available in a transparent and credible way?
This year at the Society’s Annual Conference, we will be hosting an hour-long lunchtime session entitled Big Data or Bust, intended to stimulate discussion and raise awareness around the timely subject of data sharing and integration in the context of pathogen genomics. The session will include an interactive panel and audience discussion, which will be chaired by the PHG Foundation, and will build on the data themes covered in the PHG Foundation’s ‘Pathogen Genomics into Practice’ report, as well as their recent review which describes how data integration is integral to bringing pathogen genomics into 'health-service' practice and examines the factors central to achieving effective data sharing and integration. This review is published in Microbial Genomics.
Dr Jennifer Gardy, Dr Paul Kellam, Dr Nick Loman, Professor Julian Parkhill and Dr Claire Jenkins will be debating ideas around enabling effective data integration and sharing. This will be followed by a chair-panel and audience-panel Q&A style discussion. Join these leading scientists as they discuss the biggest issues in data sharing on Tuesday 22 March at 13:15.
Find out more about the full Conference schedule on our new online programme. You can also register to attend at early bird rates until 23:59, Monday 22 February.
Further reading: Raza, S., Luheshi, L. (2015). Big Data or Bust – realising the microbial genomics revolution. Microbial Genomics doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.000046
Image: The Microbiology Society's Open Data logo. Microbiology Society..