Modeling uncertainty in a database for physical gene mapping data.

We are building a database for the storage, retrieval, and graphical display of physical gene mapping data. To allow this information to be analyzed robustly, such a database must confront the inherent uncertainty of the data as a central design issue. The paper describes the overall database design, the types of gene mapping data which the system will contain, the types of uncertainty in the data, and certain of the design issues involved in allowing the database to handle uncertainty in a comprehensive fashion. Only if a full appreciation of uncertainty is built into the system from its inception will a physical gene mapping database be truly robust and successful.