Supporting web based biology with ontologies

Complex questions posed by biologists require the fusion of evidence from different, independently developed and heterogeneous resources. The web as an enabler for interoperability has been an excellent mechanism for data publication and transportation. However, successful exchange and integration of information depends on a shared language for communication (a terminology) and a shared understanding of what the data means (an ontology). One means of integrating bioinformatic resources is though mediation through a single terminology founded on an ontology. Our TAMBIS system is an example of such an approach We show how TAMBIS uses a single terminology for interoperating between resources to answer complex questions. The approach is, however, "high gain but high pain". We conclude that for bioinformatics to realise the full potential of the web requires a fundamental movement of the web from one where information is intended to be machine readable by humans to one where information is machine processable by software services.