ABSTRACT
Knowledge databases facilitate collaboration between independent researchers by providing access to information and resources otherwise unavailable-the knowledge database forming a linkage between parties. Establishing a knowledge database is complex, particularly in proteomics where data sources are heterogeneous, data formats are incongruent, and the data are related to human subjects. This chapter describes the multiparty collaborative framework and ways to manage it; the difference between a database and a knowledge database; issues related to creating databases containing information linked to human subjects, and techniques for managing the associated IRB issues; references for existing proteomics data resources and Web sites; differences between metadata and data standards and the necessity for both when harmonizing and aggregating heterogeneous data sources and data formats; and references to pertinent metadata and data standards.
