The Tree Biology Seed project is an iPlant initiated seed project with the goal to address an iPlant Grand Challenge question. This project intends to address the integration disparity between databases by implementing iPlant's Simple Semantic Web Architecture and Protocol (SSWAP) to make databases interoperable. For the prototype seed project, there will be development to bring in Tree Biology data from genetic, ecological, and physiological data sources. The goal of the project is to create a system to allow Tree Biologists query geographic locals based on geo-referenced coordinates. The Tree Biologists will then be able to explore genetic, physiological, and ecological data sources based on this location to potentially perform an association study by bringing in other data types.
   Currently, the seed project plans to prototype access to TreeGenes and DiversiTree for genetic data, AmeriFlux for ecological data, and TRY-db for physiological data. Once a prototype system has been implemented, we hope to extend interoperability to Fluxnet, LTER, and NCEAS BIEN for ecological sources. Along these lines, we also hope to extend support to more genomic resources like Genome Database for Rosaceae and Fagaceae Genomics Web.

   The NSF's Plant Science Cyberinfrastructure Collaborative (PSCIC) program intended to create a new type of organization, a cyberinfrastructure collaborative for the plant sciences, that enables new conceptual advances through integrative, computational thinking. Thusly, the iPlant Collaborative was created to satisfy this need.

   iPlant is a community of researchers, educators, and students working to enrich all plant sciences through the development of cyberinfrastructure - the physical computing resources, collaborative environment, virtual machine resources, and interoperable analysis software and data services that are essential components of modern biology. iPlant is of, by, and for the community; community driven questions and requirements shape and focus iPlant's mission.

• iPlant Tree Biology Wiki Page
• Presentation from iPlant Tree Biology Meeting, December 2011
• Seed Proposal