Mission Statement

Objectives: The objectives are to provide a standard reference system for information on Bioinformatics data structures that can be used to help support exchange and comparison of biological data sets in the life sciences disciplines.

The IEEE will support the standards submitted through the P1953 framework (described below). The IEEE will provide support for the standards development process by providing resources, act as mediators upon request, act as consultants when necessary to guide the development process and ensure global access to the standards upon release including hosting workshops, conferences and other materials to support the standard.

The Bioinformatics Standards Committee (BSC) will act as a liaison between groups in the bioscience community who are developing standards for biological objects and the IEEE. Initially, the BSC will survey the field to establish contacts with the development groups and solicit volunteers to act as representatives for their group. The BSC will educate standards development groups about the resources provided by the IEEE, provide a forum where different groups may establish contact and submit prospective standards to the IEEE. The BSC will serve as a forum for proposed development of standards in new areas and integration of established standards. The BSC will submit proposals to the IEEE for projects, conferences, workshops related to standards in the area of life sciences.

P 1953, the proposed framework, will provide a consistent reference system or database framework for maintaining and representing dynamic biological information. This information can then be used as needed as a consistent reference source for aiding in the discovery, comparison, exchange, and integration of bioinformatics data sets throughout the community. The IEEE successful mechanisms for announcing, incorporating and tracking changes will be used in all P 1953 sections.