Community Cyberinfrastructure for Advanced Marine Microbial Ecology Research and Analysis
Encyclopedia
CAMERA, or the Community Cyberinfrastructure for Advanced Marine Microbial Ecology Research and Analysis, is a microbial ecology
research
project which was announced in January 2006.
and a bioinformatics
tools resource that will address many of the unique challenges of metagenomic analysis
. The project is funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
which awarded a 7-year, $24.5-million research grant to the CAMERA project, beginning in January 2006.
s as they function in natural ecosystem
s. The group is managed by:
CAMERA helps scientists access and work with data from the Venter Institute
's Global Ocean Sampling Expedition
. In 2007, the GOS
dataset was the largest ever released in the public domain. The group also places many other dataset
s for download on its website.
Microbial ecology
Microbial ecology is the ecology of microorganisms: their relationship with one another and with their environment. It concerns the three major domains of life — Eukaryota, Archaea, and Bacteria — as well as viruses....
research
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
project which was announced in January 2006.
Funding
The project aims to serve the needs of the microbial ecology research community by creating a vast data repositoryDigital library
A digital library is a library in which collections are stored in digital formats and accessible by computers. The digital content may be stored locally, or accessed remotely via computer networks...
and a bioinformatics
Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics is the application of computer science and information technology to the field of biology and medicine. Bioinformatics deals with algorithms, databases and information systems, web technologies, artificial intelligence and soft computing, information and computation theory, software...
tools resource that will address many of the unique challenges of metagenomic analysis
Metagenomics
Metagenomics is the study of metagenomes, genetic material recovered directly from environmental samples. The broad field may also be referred to as environmental genomics, ecogenomics or community genomics. Traditional microbiology and microbial genome sequencing rely upon cultivated clonal cultures...
. The project is funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation seeks to develop outcome-based projects that will improve the quality of life for future generations. The private foundation focuses upon portfolios of large-scale initiatives and encourages collaboration so as to achieve the most significant and enduring outcomes...
which awarded a 7-year, $24.5-million research grant to the CAMERA project, beginning in January 2006.
Work
CAMERA is devoted to serving the needs of scientists studying the complexity of organismOrganism
In biology, an organism is any contiguous living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole.An organism may either be unicellular or, as in the case of humans, comprise...
s as they function in natural ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s. The group is managed by:
- Principal Investigator Larry SmarrLarry SmarrLarry Smarr is a physicist and leader in scientific computing, supercomputer applications, and Internet infrastructure.He received both his BA and MS at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri and received a Ph.D...
(UCSDUniversity of California, San DiegoThe University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
) - Executive Director Paul Gilna (UCSDUniversity of California, San DiegoThe University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
)
CAMERA helps scientists access and work with data from the Venter Institute
J. Craig Venter Institute
The J. Craig Venter Institute is a non-profit genomics research institute founded by J. Craig Venter, Ph.D. in October 2006. The Institute was the result of consolidating four organizations: the Center for the Advancement of Genomics, The Institute for Genomic Research, the Institute for...
's Global Ocean Sampling Expedition
Global Ocean Sampling Expedition
The Global Ocean Sampling Expedition is an ocean exploration genome project with the goal of assessing the genetic diversity in marine microbial communities and to understand their role in nature's fundamental processes. Begun as a Sargasso Sea pilot sampling project in August 2003, Craig Venter...
. In 2007, the GOS
Global Ocean Sampling Expedition
The Global Ocean Sampling Expedition is an ocean exploration genome project with the goal of assessing the genetic diversity in marine microbial communities and to understand their role in nature's fundamental processes. Begun as a Sargasso Sea pilot sampling project in August 2003, Craig Venter...
dataset was the largest ever released in the public domain. The group also places many other dataset
Data set
A data set is a collection of data, usually presented in tabular form. Each column represents a particular variable. Each row corresponds to a given member of the data set in question. Its values for each of the variables, such as height and weight of an object or values of random numbers. Each...
s for download on its website.