GOLD

GOLD provides a curated repository of metadata for genome and metagenome sequencing projects managed by the Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE-JGI) to support comparative genomics, microbial ecology, and environmental genomics.

Key Features:

• Extensive metadata repository: GOLD compiles project-level information and associated metadata for genome and metagenome sequencing projects.
• Public API: GOLD exposes programmatic access for data retrieval and integration with external bioinformatics tools and pipelines.
• Versioned expansions: Iterative releases (for example GOLD v.9) expand project coverage and metadata scope.

Scientific Applications:

• Comparative genomics: Supports large-scale comparative analyses by providing standardized project metadata across genomes and metagenomes.
• Evolutionary studies: Provides project context and sequencing metadata useful for phylogenetic and evolutionary inference.
• Microbial ecology: Enables ecological analyses by aggregating project metadata relevant to microbial community studies.
• Environmental genomics: Aggregates metagenome project metadata to support cross-habitat and environmental genomics investigations.

Methodology:

GOLD systematically curates metadata from genome and metagenome sequencing projects and exposes the curated metadata via a public API.