Accession Number : ADA457115

Title :   ChromaBlast - a Data Visualization Tool

Descriptive Note : Technical memo.

Corporate Author : DEFENCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SUFFIELD (ALBERTA)

Personal Author(s) : Ford, Barry N. ; Shei, Yimin ; Bjarnason, Stephen ; Richardson, Catharine

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Report Date : JUN 2006

Pagination or Media Count : 34

Abstract : Experimental systems in biology now have the capability to produce massive amounts of numerical data. Large scale analysis of such data is facilitated by costly integrated software packages. Often however, such packages have limited or no data reduction or manipulation tools, such as basic spreadsheet functionality. Thus the researcher is compelled to utilize a competent spreadsheet package, such as Microsoft Excel, then export the data set to analysis software. Reformatting data or reducing it for analysis must then be redone in the spreadsheet after each analysis run, until the final dataset is appropriately formatted for the analysis package. In order to facilitate the use of the capabilities of the spreadsheet software and perform data reduction or basic analysis without having to switch back and forth between software units, we are building a set of analysis tools in Excel. One of the most useful of the tool set is ChromaBlast, which normalizes columnar data, sorts the data into user-selectable range-driven bins, develops a colour heat map from the data, and outputs the heat map and bin assortment for review. Using intrinsic tools in the spreadsheet software, output data can be filtered and sorted to emphasize data patterns, and facilitate rapid data review.

Descriptors :   *DATA REDUCTION, *COMPUTER APPLICATIONS, *SPREADSHEET SOFTWARE, *GENOME, *COLOR CODING, CANADA, GENES, DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACIDS, COLORS

Subject Categories : GENETIC ENGINEERING AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
      COMPUTER PROGRAMMING AND SOFTWARE

Distribution Statement : APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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