As high-resolution biological transmission electron microscopy (TEM)
has increased in popularity over recent years, the volume of data and
number of projects underway has risen dramatically. A robust tool for
effective data management is essential to efficiently process large
data sets and extract maximum information from the available data. We
present the Electron Microscopy Electronic Notebook (EMEN), a portable,
object-oriented, web-based tool for TEM data archival and project
management. EMEN has several unique features. First, the database is
logically organized and annotated so multiple collaborators at
different geographical locations can easily access and interpret the
data without assistance. Second, the database was designed to provide
flexibility to the user, so it can be used much as a lab notebook would
be, while maintaining a structure suitable for data mining and direct
interaction with data-processing software. Finally, as an
object-oriented database, the database structure is dynamic and can be
easily extended to incorporate information not defined in the original
database specification.