BioTDMS: a general-purpose system for integrative management of bioinformatics tools and data.

Proper management of bioinformatics data and tools is crucial because the amount of data is enormous, the type of data varies, and there are often different approaches (and consequently tools) for solving a particular problem. While specialised systems exist to serve specific needs, such systems are difficult to adapt and require large resource commitments for development and maintenance. We propose a system called Bioinformatics Tools and Data Management System (BioTDMS) that uses open-source technologies to provide a platform for managing both data and tools. We present case studies that show some potential applications of this system.