A database and web application for the University of Coimbra Bacteria Culture Collection, from culture deposit to the digital catalogue.
The context
A bacteria culture collection is not only a set of microorganisms. Each culture carries scientific and administrative information that needs to be recorded, validated and maintained over time, keeping the collection coherent and traceable.
The work
In 2019, the Universidade de Coimbra entrusted Waymotion with the development of a new digital base for the University of Coimbra Bacteria Culture Collection — UCCCB. The project brought together a structured database and a web component for managing the collection and interacting with its users.
The platform came to support the process of depositing bacterial cultures. Microbiologists could submit the required information online, which was then received and reviewed by the team responsible for the collection. The circuit included managing the documentation, communicating with depositors, assigning the UCCCB identification number and publishing the validated records in the catalogue.
The administration component made it possible to organise and update the information on the cultures, follow the different stages of the process and control which elements were made available through the public interface. Separating the data structure, the management processes and the web presentation created a base ready to accompany the growth of the collection.
What it left behind
Development was completed in 2020. Waymotion went on to support the use of the platform, introducing fixes and improvements to the submission and publication of records, with work documented up to 2022.
This reference shows how software development can support specialised scientific infrastructure, turning scattered procedures into a structured information base and a digital process shared between researchers and the managers of the collection.
