Development of Linked Open Data for Bioresources

The broad dissemination of information is a key issue in improving access to existing bioresources. We attempted to develop Linked Open Data (LOD) for bioresources available at the RIKEN BioResource Center. The LOD consists of standardized, structured data available openly on the World Wide Web, including published bioresource information for 5,000 mouse strains and 3,600 cell lines. The LOD includes links to publically available information, such as genes, alleles, and ontologies, providing phenotypic information through the BioLOD website. As a result, information on mouse strains and cell lines have been connected to various data items in public databases and other project-oriented databases. Thus, through the use of LOD, dispersed efforts to produce different databases can be easily combined. Through these efforts, we expect to contribute to the global improvement of access to bioresources.