Difference between revisions of "Main Page"

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<!--       "Welcome to LIMSwiki" and article count        -->
<div style="border-bottom:1px solid #abd5f5; background-color:#f0f0f0; padding:0.5em 0.5em 0.5em 0.5em; font-size:172%; -moz-border-radius:10px 10px 0 0; border-radius:10px 10px 0 0;">Welcome to [[LIMSwiki_mission|LIMSwiki]], <span style="top:+0.2em; font-size:72%;">the free [[Laboratory_informatics|laboratory informatics]] encyclopedia.</span>
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<br><div style="font-size:162%; border:none; margin:0; padding:0em; color:#000;">Welcome to [[LIMSwiki_mission|LIMSwiki]].</div>
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<div style="top:+0.2em; font-size:105%;">The free [[Laboratory_informatics|laboratory informatics]] encyclopedia that [[Help:Contents|anyone&nbsp;can&nbsp;edit]].</div>
'''LIMSwiki''' is a collaborative wiki dedicated to the scientific community, featuring organized, documented, and up-to-date content regarding all aspects of [[laboratory informatics]], [[bioinformatics]], and [[health informatics]]. LIMSwiki also strives to maintain relevant knowledge about laboratory equipment as well as commercial and [[:Category:Open-source software|open-source]] software likely to be used in a [[laboratory]] setting. This also includes the [[:Category:Vendors|vendors]] of such equipment and software.
<div id="articlecount" style="font-size:85%;">[[Special:ListUsers|Users]] have contributed: [[Special:Statistics|{{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}]] articles.</div><br>
 
Like any community wiki, the value and success of LIMSwiki is dependent upon the scientific community contributing their vast knowledge through the creation of relevant articles and editing of existing articles where knowledge is absent. If you wish to enrich the content of this wiki or have something of value to add, please consider [[:Special:RequestAccount|requesting an account]].
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Need help getting started with LIMSwiki? Here are some excellent starting points:
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If you're new to editing a wiki, the best place to start learning editing syntax is the [[Help:Contents|Basic Text Formatting]] help file. <br>&nbsp;<br>Below are some links to introduce you to LIMSwiki:
* [[LIMSwiki mission]]
* [[Special:AllPages|Glossary of all pages]]
* [[:Category:Articles with unsourced statements|List of pages with unsourced statements]]
* [[Main Page/archive|Archive of front-page content]]
* [[Add and change request|Add and change requests]]
* [[Special:RequestAccount|Request a LIMSwiki account]]
* [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Contents_User's_Guide A Wiki User's Guide]
* [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:FAQ MediaWiki FAQ]


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! style="padding:2px;" | <h2 style="margin:3px; background:#cedff2; font-size:120%; font-weight:bold; border:1px solid #a3b0bf; text-align:left; color:#180360; padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Latest Updates and News</h2>
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| <h2 style="font-size:105%; font-weight:bold; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em; width:50%;">February 22, 2012:</h2>
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[[File:EDSAC (21).jpg|thumb|left|Thankfully data storage and analysis in the lab has gotten easier.]]'''Yes, this wiki is still alive!''' It's strange to think it's been almost a year since it was introduced. Since then those with the time to spare have added a wide variety of infrastructure and some content. It has been a slow process, however, and like any major wiki project, more knowledgeable and dedicated editors are needed.


So what has been going on with the wiki? The initial focus was to get some of the major concepts like [[laboratory information management system]] (LIMS) and [[electronic laboratory notebook]] (ELN) documented at least up to a decent state of quality, with room for article improvement later on. Then a fair amount of effort went into documenting just ''who'' is [[LIMS vendor|selling LIMS]], [[LIS vendor|LIS]], [[ELN vendor|ELN]], and [[CDMS vendor|CDMS]]. More infrastructure went into place for [http://limswiki.org/index.php?title=Special%3AAllPages&from=&to=&namespace=14 categories], and a method was put in place for vendors to include a knowledge base on the wiki. Most recently work has been done to track the features LIMS vendors publicly advertise for their LIMS and document them on each vendor page. That work — along with work detailing what each piece of LIMS functionality generally does — is still in progress.
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<div style="border-bottom:1px solid Gold; background-color:#ffff77; padding:0.2em 0.5em 0.2em 0.5em; font-size:110%; font-weight:bold;-moz-border-radius:10px 10px 0 0; border-radius:10px 10px 0 0;">Learn more</div>
As for the future, we hope to build a critical mass of people willing to help research, write, and cite information about all things [[laboratory informatics]]. The need for storing laboratory data, analyzing samples, and improving [[workflow]] will only become greater, and with that need comes a demand for clear and referenced information about laboratory data management and the laboratories that require it.
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Need to know more about laboratory and other types of informatics? Here is some suggested reading:
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<div style="border-bottom:1px solid #abd5f5; background-color:#d0e5f5; padding:0.2em 0.5em 0.2em 0.5em; font-size:110%; font-weight:bold;-moz-border-radius:10px 10px 0 0; border-radius:10px 10px 0 0;">Laboratory informatics software</div>
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Are you looking for [[LIMS]] software? An [[electronic laboratory notebook]]? Try these suggestions:
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Best,
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[[User:Shawndouglas|Shawn Douglas]] 15:57, 22 February 2012 (EST)
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Looking for open-source software solutions to make your lab or office more efficient? Suggestions include:
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<h2 style="font-size:105%; font-weight:bold; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em; width:50%;">April 10, 2012:</h2>
| <h2 style="font-size:105%; font-weight:bold; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em; width:50%;">May 22, 2011:</h2>
'''The front page has received a facelift.''' A major complaint of the wiki so far has been that it's not terribly clear where to find the most usable material on the wiki at the moment. We've been so concerned with the content that other aspects have been taken for granted. Hopefully this front page overhaul makes it a bit easier to find the juiciest tidbits. As new material continues to be added, we'll be vigilant and update the front page as necessary.
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<h2 style="font-size:105%; font-weight:bold; text-align:left; color:#000; padding:0.2em 0.4em; width:50%;">February 22, 2012:</h2>
[[File:PBB GE IL10 207433 at fs.png|thumb|left|Genomics is only one branch of science that heavily depends on laboratory informatics.]]While researching modern vendors of [[laboratory informatics]] software, I stumbled across [http://www.labvantage.com/blog/index.php/2011/05/lims-eln-sdms-cdms-ecm-les-lis-edc-and-other-interesting-acronyms/ a post] by [[LABVANTAGE Solutions, Inc.|LABVANTAGE's]] Terry Smallmon from earlier this month. In it he rightfully points out that while the nomenclature of laboratory informatics has historically had distinct subdivisions such as [[LIMS]], [[ELN]], and [[CDS]], times are changing. The lines that differentiate a LIMS from a [[SDMS]], for example, have blurred significantly, almost to the point where the nomenclature is losing its meaning in some cases. Smallmon also notes that as vendors take a more modular approach to laboratory informatics, the distinctions fade even more. Finally he points out that at least for him, determining what a potential customer needs shouldn't be based on nomenclature alone, but rather on the problem(s) a customer is trying to solve.
[[File:EDSAC (21).jpg|thumb|left|Thankfully data storage and analysis in the lab has gotten easier.]]'''Yes, this wiki is still alive!''' It's strange to think it's been almost a year since it was introduced. Since then those with the time to spare have added a wide variety of infrastructure and some content. It has been a slow process, however, and like any major wiki project, more knowledgeable and dedicated editors are needed.<br />
 
So what has been going on with the wiki? The initial focus was to get some of the major concepts like...<br />
From my limited perspective, I can't disagree with Smallmon's observations. In fact, the blurred definition of laboratory informatics solutions is referenced in several cases among the major articles. However, I feel it important to emphasize that while definitions of these solutions may be blurring, a rough majority of vendors seem to continue using the nomenclature to describe their offerings. While I can understand the trepidation and skepticism behind trying to more appropriately define the industry nomenclature, the endeavor still seems a worthy one. Sure, we'll never have full agreement on the definition of any one term; however, by making the effort to coalesce the history of laboratory informatics, the industry should in theory have more cohesion.  


As an outsider looking in, I perceive this to be a desirable goal. Laboratory informatics is an increasingly vital component of laboratories and scientific research. I recently was told a story from a programmer friend who works in genomics. He related that from his viewpoint, there's an increasingly large bottleneck between the amount of data being created in genomics labs and how it's stored and processed. This really struck home for me. As technology allows for better data collection, so should it allow for better storage and processing. And laboratory informatics is at the center of all of this. Faster and more efficient systems will be needed, and regardless of nomenclature, these solutions will solve problems.  
[[News|Read more of this and other archived news...]]
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That said, collecting the history and relevant information surrounding the field can only help unify the effort to create better solutions. The names and definitions of those solutions may change with time, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't make the effort. Just as we document the never-ending changes of language in dictionaries, so should we document the changes of the laboratory informatics industry. It's poised to play an important role in humanity's advancement.
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Best,
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{{Most popular pages}}


[[User:Shawndouglas|Shawn Douglas]] 18:43, 22 May 2011 (EDT)
[[:Special:PopularPages|View all current most popular pages]]
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Revision as of 17:43, 10 April 2012


Welcome to LIMSwiki, the free laboratory informatics encyclopedia.
Users have contributed: 3,164 articles.

LIMSwiki is a collaborative wiki dedicated to the scientific community, featuring organized, documented, and up-to-date content regarding all aspects of laboratory informatics, bioinformatics, and health informatics. LIMSwiki also strives to maintain relevant knowledge about laboratory equipment as well as commercial and open-source software likely to be used in a laboratory setting. This also includes the vendors of such equipment and software.

Like any community wiki, the value and success of LIMSwiki is dependent upon the scientific community contributing their vast knowledge through the creation of relevant articles and editing of existing articles where knowledge is absent. If you wish to enrich the content of this wiki or have something of value to add, please consider requesting an account.


Get started

Need help getting started with LIMSwiki? Here are some excellent starting points:

Learn more

Need to know more about laboratory and other types of informatics? Here is some suggested reading:


Laboratory informatics software

Are you looking for LIMS software? An electronic laboratory notebook? Try these suggestions:

Open-source software

Looking for open-source software solutions to make your lab or office more efficient? Suggestions include:


Additional information
Latest news

April 10, 2012:

The front page has received a facelift. A major complaint of the wiki so far has been that it's not terribly clear where to find the most usable material on the wiki at the moment. We've been so concerned with the content that other aspects have been taken for granted. Hopefully this front page overhaul makes it a bit easier to find the juiciest tidbits. As new material continues to be added, we'll be vigilant and update the front page as necessary.



February 22, 2012:

Thankfully data storage and analysis in the lab has gotten easier.
Yes, this wiki is still alive! It's strange to think it's been almost a year since it was introduced. Since then those with the time to spare have added a wide variety of infrastructure and some content. It has been a slow process, however, and like any major wiki project, more knowledgeable and dedicated editors are needed.

So what has been going on with the wiki? The initial focus was to get some of the major concepts like...

Read more of this and other archived news...

Most popular pages

This template is no longer being used on this wiki.

View all current most popular pages