Knowledge-Based Client-Server Approach to Structural Information Retrieval: The Digital Anatomist Browser

摘要

Structural information can be defined as data and knowledge about biological objects ranging in sizefrom molecules to the whole body. A framework is described for organizing structural informationaround a well-defined set of terminology and semantic relationships, and for disseminatedmultimedia structural information by means of a wide-area information server that is accessible overthe internet. A Macintosh-based client of this server, called the Digital Anatomist Browser, hasbeen used to teach neuroanatomy for the last 2 years. The client-server approach provides eachstudent unlimited access to a rapidly growing knowledge base of structral biology that, whileimmediately useful for anatomy teaching, has the potential to be an organizing framework for otherkinds of medial knowledge as well.