Technical issues

Software requirements

• Platform independence
• Object-oriented language

--> Java

Database choice

• Object-oriented database
• Complex, nested data
• OO applications will access data
• Data has natural object structure
• Light-weight, private db
• Compatible with main server
• Run on many platforms
• Cheap!

--> ObjectStore and ObjectStore PSE

Remote database access

• Support heterogeneous databases
• Different DBMS
• Different ways to represent the data
• Integrate both future and already existing databases
• "Middle layer" approach

--> CORBA (currently ObjectSpace Voyager)

System architecture

Current collaborators

• Channel kinetics: Ed Conley (the Ion Channel Network)
• Morphologies: Jack Glaser & George Wilcox (MicroBrightField, inc. and U. of Minnesota)
• Neuronal activity: Mark Nelson, UIUC (ISPA time series database)