Biological workflow with BlastQuest

Besides domain-specific biological problems, biologists are confronted with many computational problems. The large amount of varying, heterogeneous, and semi-structured biological data, the increasing complexity of biological applications, methods, and tools afflicted with uncertainty and missing knowledge, as well as the lacking interoperability of available tools necessitate integrative measures to enable biology workflow. In this paper we address these problems in the context of the processing and evaluation of BLAST query results. We present a new tool, called BlastQuest, which relies on database technology and provides sophisticated interactive and Web-enabled query, analysis, and visualization facilities for genomics data. The interface with the Gene Ontology and the KEGG pathway databases decisively foster the biological workflow. Finally, based on our experience with BlastQuest, we briefly sketch a new concept, called Genomics Algebra, for solving genomic data management problems from a broader perspective.