Scientific competency questions as the basis for semantically enriched open pharmacological space development by Kamal Azzaoui, et al. (Drug Discovery Today, Volume 18, Issues 17–18, September 2013, Pages 843–852)
Abstract:
Molecular information systems play an important part in modern data-driven drug discovery. They do not only support decision making but also enable new discoveries via association and inference. In this review, we outline the scientific requirements identified by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) Open PHACTS consortium for the design of an open pharmacological space (OPS) information system. The focus of this work is the integration of compound–target–pathway–disease/phenotype data for public and industrial drug discovery research. Typical scientific competency questions provided by the consortium members will be analyzed based on the underlying data concepts and associations needed to answer the questions. Publicly available data sources used to target these questions as well as the need for and potential of semantic web-based technology will be presented.
Pharmacology may not be your space but this is a good example of what it takes for semantic integration of resources in a complex area.
Despite the “…you too can be a brain surgeon with our new web-based app…” from various sources, semantic integration has been, is and will remain difficult under the best of circumstances.
I don’t say that to discourage anyone but to avoid the let-down when integration projects don’t provide easy returns.
It is far better to plan for incremental and measurable benefits along the way than to fashion grandiose goals that are ever receding on the horizon.
I first saw this in a tweet by ChemConnector.