WebApollo 2.0: A Scalable, Distributed Sequence Annotation Editor for Multiple Genomes

WebApollo is a genomic feature editor constructed using a client-server architecture framework that supports a multitude of genome annotation projects. To support the diverse needs of the community, we have undertaken several major efforts. First, we are adding the ability to add multiple genomes to the same annotation project to support massive genome sequencing efforts. Second, we are incorporating user and group level permissions to control viewing and edits at both the feature and project level. Third, because of the diverse types of annotations that users have, we are working on the ability to add generic sequence features based on the Sequence Ontology. Fourth, we are working to provide better search functionality, validation checks, and editing capability to streamline quality control checks and adhere to best practices for submission to genome repositories.   

To support these changes, we have made significant architectural changes including adopting the Grails JVM framework and moving annotations into a more queryable datastore. Additionally, Grails supports both the Maven and Gradle build frameworks, which will significantly improve distribution and deployment.   

Additional information and code are available at http://genomearchitecture.org.