| Two calls for community review: 1. Digital SWC Reconstructions Describing Neuron Morphology (SWC) 2. SPARC Data Structure Feedback from the community is an important part of our review process; it helps us ensure that the standard has community support and is useful and practical to the community. By commenting, you contribute to improving the standard for current and future users! 1. Digital SWC Reconstructions Describing Neuron Morphology (SWC) SWC files (file extension of .swc) are text-based (ASCII text) files that describe three-dimensional neuronal or glial morphology. These digital reconstructions represent morphology as a vectorized tree structure, made of a series of connected nodes. An SWC file contains a series of text-based rows where each neuron node is described by a single row of only seven space-separated values. The format is simple and intuitive; a parser of or writer to the format could be implemented by anyone with knowledge of any programming language. With an open archive and freely available structure editor, the SWC system facilitates community-wide pooling of data for building biophysically realistic neuronal models and studying the morphological variation between neurons, contributing to a greater neuroscientific cooperation and openness. Review by Aug 15 Learn more: incf.org/commentaries/swc 2. SPARC Data Structure Financially backed by the NIH Common Fund, SPARC is a large-scale project which aims to deepen our knowledge of nerve-organ interactions. With an initial focus on bioelectronic medicine, the SPARC consortium created the SPARC data structure (SDS), a file and metadata organizational scheme inspired by the Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS). This data structure has proven capable of handling complex datasets from multiple and heterogeneous species, measurement techniques, and spatial scales. One of the primary purposes of SDS is to increase the integrity of scientific research by promoting FAIR and open science practices, particularly by facilitating the generation of well-annotated, organized, standardized, and shared biomedical datasets. Review by Aug 15 Learn more: incf.org/commentaries/sparc |