| PackageDescription | Biological Observation Matrix (BIOM) format
The BIOM file format (canonically pronounced biome) is designed to be a
general-use format for representing biological sample by observation
contingency tables. BIOM is a recognized standard for the Earth
Microbiome Project and is a Genomics Standards Consortium candidate
project.
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The BIOM format is designed for general use in broad areas of
comparative -omics. For example, in marker-gene surveys, the primary use
of this format is to represent OTU tables: the observations in this case
are OTUs and the matrix contains counts corresponding to the number of
times each OTU is observed in each sample. With respect to metagenome
data, this format would be used to represent metagenome tables: the
observations in this case might correspond to SEED subsystems, and the
matrix would contain counts corresponding to the number of times each
subsystem is observed in each metagenome. Similarly, with respect to
genome data, this format may be used to represent a set of genomes: the
observations in this case again might correspond to SEED subsystems, and
the counts would correspond to the number of times each subsystem is
observed in each genome. |