Provenance of e-Science Experiments - Experience from Bioinformatics

TLDR

Provenance is essential for validating and verifying e‑Science experiments, as data without origin are of reduced value. The article provides an overview of initial work on provenance of bioinformatics e‑Science experiments in myGrid. The authors employ derivation paths and annotations as provenance types and deliver them through the myGrid WorkBench, enabling mining of experimental data webs for useful information and presentations. The study demonstrates that provenance can be delivered via the myGrid WorkBench and that the resulting data webs can be mined for useful information and presentations.

Abstract

Like experiments performed at a laboratory bench, the data associated with an e-Science experiment are of reduced value if other scientists are not able to identify the origin, or provenance, of those data. Provenance information is essential if experiments are to be validated and verified by others, or even by those who originally performed them. In this article, we give an overview of our initial work on the provenance of bioinformatics e-Science experiments within myGrid. We use two kinds of provenance: the derivation path of information and annotation. We show how this kind of provenance can be delivered within the myGrid demonstrator WorkBench and we explore how the resulting Webs of experimental data holdings can be mined for useful information and presentations for the e-Scientist.