We invite comments and review of our data model both from prospective users and from developers of other information resources for the Human Brain Project. Queries on the database will return Experiments, including encompassed Views and Traces, and all related metadata. Human Brain Project developers are asked to evaluate the utility of our top-level superclass elements to define the specifics of their data models. For clarity, we present views of our model in three parts. In the Entity-Relationship diagrams used to describe the data model, each rectangle is a database table defining an element of our data model by means of values of the attributes listed below each table title.
Diamonds represent relationships between entities.
In order to facilitate description, specification, and selection of datasets, the Common Data Model incorporates not only datasets but also a controlled-vocabulary hierarchical metadata schema. Hierarchies of descriptive terms characterizing neurons, datasets, and methodology are shared by data submitters and requestors, thereby facilitating directed searches. In our implementation of such hierarchies, terms may be selected at any level of specificity, with the search algorithm ensuring appropriate recognition across levels. As for the data model, we invite comments and review both from prospective users and from developers of other information resources for the Human Brain Project. Neurophysiologists who acquire or analyze cortical data should review the hierarchies of terms to ensure that each hierarchy spans the needed range with sufficient specificity , and that each term is the most appropriate in common use.