This is an ontology for the description of sample preparation, visualisation, and imaging methods used in biomedical research.
The ontology was originally developed by FlyBase until circa 2005. The latest version edited by FlyBase is available on https://s3ftp.flybase.org/releases/FB2025_02/precomputed_files/ontologies/image.obo.gz.
It was later extended and used by several groups beyond FlyBase, including:
- Chris Woodcock and the Cell Image Library;
- Willy Wong and the Center for Research in Biological Systems (version available on GitHub);
- David Osumi-Sutherland as part of the PhenoImageShare project (version available on Github).
From 2026 onwards, the ontology is maintained by a joint effort under the umbrella of the FoundingGIDE project.
The ontology is known to be used by:
- FlyBase;
- Virtual Fly Brain;
- the Cell Image Library;
- the Human Cell Atlas;
- the FoundingGIDE project.
The latest version of the ontology can always be found at: http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/fbbi.owl.
Editors of this ontology should use the edit version, src/ontology/fbbi-edit.owl
Please use this GitHub repository's Issue tracker to request new terms/classes or report errors or specific concerns related to the ontology.
This ontology is maintained using the Ontology Development Kit.