Cyberinfrastructure for Life Sciences - iAnimal Resources for Genomics and Other Data Driven Biology

Whole genome sequence, SNPs, copy number variation, phenotypes and other “-omics” data underlie evidence-based estimations of breeding value. Unfortunately, the computational resources (data storage, high-performance computing, analysis pipelines, etc.) that exploit this knowledge are limited in availability – many investigations are therefore restricted to the commercial sector or well-funded academic programs. Cyberinfrastructure developed by the iPlant Collaborative (NSF-#DBI0735191) and its extension iAnimal (USDA-#2013-67015-21231) provides the animal breeding community a comprehensive and freely available platform for the storage, sharing, and analyses of large datasets – from genomes to phenotype data. iPlant/iAnimal tools support a variety of genotype-phenotype related analyses in a platform that accommodates every level of user – from breeder to bioinformatician. These tools have been used to develop scalable, accessible versions of common workflows required for applying sequencing to livestock genomics.