LABORATORY INFORMATICS


profit consortia, with industry input and co-operation.’ LabWare’s support of these emerging standards has prompted the firm to build an AnIML module directly into its core software. ‘This module simplifies the ability to build an interface for different manufacturers, different software or different versions of that software,’ Brennan said. ‘It provides a single point of entry into LabWare for any data from an instrument that is accessible or available in AnIML.’ For end-users, companies and


laboratories there are some challenges associated with adopting a standard such as AnIML, Brennan acknowledged. While the benefits of having laboratory data in a standardised, human readable, easily archived, searched and secure format are evident, companies will have the challenge of converting often terabytes of legacy data into AnIML. This may seem daunting – ‘and its not something LabWare


with any form of software, will continue to evolve to support increased functionality, Schaefer noted.


Community cooperation As a global LIMS and ELN provider, LabWare is championing the uptake and real-world implementation of standards as a priority for laboratories, explained Jim Brennan, technical sales specialist. ‘When LabWare started in 1987, the firm didn’t offer LIMS or ELN systems, but operated as an independent interfacing company delivering bidirectional interfaces to connect third-party commercial LIMS to laboratory instrumentation. During the last three decades we’ve been at the front end of developing solutions for managing that transfer of data from instruments into other systems. It started with simple electronic balances and then progressed to more complex analytical systems, such as chromatographic data systems, DNA sequencers and their associated software.’ Even during the early days there


were standards available, which were incorporated into LabWare solutions, Brennan said. ‘Some of these older standards are still used, such as the ANDI (Analytical Data Interchange) protocol for chromatographic data, and ASTM for clinical instrument communication. Over recent years we have seen new standards emerging, including SiLA and AnIML, which are being developed through non-


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“It started with simple electronic balances and then progressed to more complex analytical systems, such as chromatographic data systems, DNA sequencers, and their associated software”


undertakes,’ Brennan noted – but there are specialist companies that will undertake that task, and while there are costs involved, the benefits are manifold. Importantly, AnIML is an ideal data


format for archiving, as it secures future accessibility, he continued. ‘This means companies don’t have the expense of maintaining outdated, proprietary software, just so that data can be viewed years down the line. We should remember that data belongs to the organisation that generated it, and so they should have it in a format that is accessible, readable and usable with tools that they are using now, but also that they might be using in the future.’


And this is, at least in part, why AnIML


is based on XML, because there are so many tools for viewing and reading XML, he noted. ‘AnIML may not be the first standard to be based on XML, but it has been developed to take full advantage of what XML can offer. Coupled with this, AnIML also supports data integrity, as it is built on base64 encoding, which provides


evidence of modified data while it’s in transit through different systems.’ Another key benefit of AnIML is that it’s


a free and open standard, said Brennan, mirroring Juchli’s comments about SiLA. ‘There’s no cost of entry, and its supported by the community.’ In fact, AnIML supports many industries, not just pharmaceuticals and the life science sector, Brennan suggested. Importantly, it also simplifies interface maintenance. ‘As instrument control software is updated repeatedly, an interface can become fragile. By adopting AnIML and having a single point of entry for it, there isn’t the need to completely rebuild an interface each time its updated or modified.’ Encouraging uptake of standards such as AnIML and SiLA is largely a matter of education, which LabWare promotes at its customer conferences, not just for end-users, but also instrument vendors, Brennan said. ‘The instrument vendors are very much


part of the overall conversation.’ And once potential users become aware and understand the benefits of AnIML, then they typically start to think about how to incorporate the standard into their organisation. ‘This will inevitably flag up the issue of converting legacy data, which is probably the biggest challenge up front.’ It’s important to make customers aware of the downstream benefits that outweigh the up-front costs, not least because outdated systems, and the costs of IT support and maintenance that they require, can be negated. ‘We hear stories about old PCs sitting


in basements running old Windows operating systems with an old piece of software, which have to be maintained just so that data remains accessible. This is a huge financial and technical burden, and not something that you want to rely on for important, valuable data.’ But there is no easy road to conversion, Brennan noted. ‘On a practical level, this goal of data conversion is often tackled in manageable chunks.’ Encouragingly, LabWare sees


community co-operation in the development of standards in real-world settings. ‘Some of our customers are interested in setting up a consortium to further look at data standards and how they can best be applied. We hope we will have a part in that, but it’s the customers that drive the effort, and they are, ultimately, guiding us in everything we do. We have brought data standards to their attention, and are making them accessible, and now they are going to explore and guide us on how we can work together to put them into action.’


February/March 2020 Scientific Computing World 17


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