Resource: National Cancer Institute – Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid
caBIG™ stands for the cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid™. caBIG™ is an information network enabling all constituencies in the cancer community – researchers, physicians, and patients – to share data and knowledge. The components of caBIG™ are widely applicable beyond cancer as well.
The mission of caBIG™ is to develop a truly collaborative information network that accelerates the discovery of new approaches for the detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer, ultimately improving patient outcomes.
The goals of caBIG™ are to:
- Connect scientists and practitioners through a shareable and interoperable infrastructure
- Develop standard rules and a common language to more easily share information
- Build or adapt tools for collecting, analyzing, integrating, and disseminating information associated with cancer research and care.
Since its inception, caBIG™ has committed to the following cornerstones:
- Federated: caBIG™ software and resources are widely distributed, interlinked, and available to everyone in the cancer research community, but institutions maintain local control over their own resources and data.
- Open-development: caBIG™ tools and infrastructure are being developed through an open, participatory process. caBIG™ leverages existing resources whenever possible, rather than building new tools in every case.
- Open-access:caBIG™ resources are freely obtainable by the cancer community to ensure broad data-sharing and collaboration.
- Open-source: The caBIG™ source code is available to view, alter, and redistribute.
Learn concepts and terminology critical for working with caBIG™
- “caBIG™ Essentials” Overview (interactive, uses Adobe Flash)
Introduces important terminology, key concepts, and describes different ways of connecting with caBIG™.- Alternative format: “caBIG™ Essentials” Overview Slides
- caBIG™ Core Concepts
There are a number of vital concepts to both understand and connect with caBIG™. They are introduced briefly here. - How It Works
Describes how caBIG™ is organized and operates. - caBIG™ Primer
Complete high-level overview of the program’s vision and mission, organization, activities, and challenges.
Look up acronyms and unfamiliar terms
- Visit the glossary: The Glossary of Acronyms and Terms has definitions for caBIG™ acronyms and common bioinformatics terms.
- View definitions as you read:. Terms in the glossary are underlined with blue dots. Roll your mouse over the term and it’s definition will show. E.g., rest your mouse on this term – Domain Analysis Model