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Nov
22

Information Management Systems

We manage specialized hardware and software that allow our field and lab scientists to access and interact with data and allow clients access to test results.

Our database: past, present, and future

Beginning in 1965, Seattle Metro/King County started collecting and storing regional environmental data in a mainframe in Seattle. In the early 1990s, an application called the “Laboratory Information Management System” (LIMS) was brought on-line in our laboratory to allow our scientists to plan, track, analyze, report, and store data generated at our laboratory. It also became the home of this ever-growing regional data set. This database provides a rich data set for looking at historical water quality trends and is widely used by our clients.

Currently, our database is undergoing a major modernization. This update will replace the desktop application model with a webpage-based interface. These improvements will allow our scientists to generate, analyze, report, and store critical environmental data more efficiently. It will also make our data more transparent and useful for our clients.

A computer monitor sits on a black laboratory bench next to a grey bin with reagent bottles and an auto-titrator instrument sample carousel. This instrument is used to measure alkalinity. The screen shows data from a sample analysis.
A desktop computer, monitor, keyboard, and mouse sit next to a white and blue scientific quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) instrument on a black laboratory bench. The screen shows a data plot with several brightly colored zig-zagging lines indicating quantities of DNA present.

Specialized Laboratory Hardware and Software

There are a variety of specialized software and hardware to maintain and support a variety of our specialized instrument and scientific software and hardware essential to the laboratory.

These systems are used to report biological, chemical, physical, quality assurance data, and other data formats. Each type of data requires different analysis and organization. We are always working to ensure all the data generated by our laboratory is appropriately handled and stored.

A computer monitor sits on a black laboratory bench next to a white and blue Electrophoresis Gel Imager with a captured image of a gel that has had DNA run on it. This instrument is used to analyze DNA fragments generated during PCR (polymerase chain reaction).  
A desktop computer, monitor, and keyboard sit on a black laboratory bench next to a grey Spectrophotometer. The screen shows a grid with boxes of varying shades of blue. This instrument is used to measure algal toxins in water samples.
A computer monitor, keyboard, and mouse sit on a black laboratory bench next to a grey FlowCAM instrument. The screen shows several photos of marine microorganisms against a black background. The FlowCAM is used to document and analyze plankton in Puget Sound.  
An open laptop computer sits on a dark colored counter. The screen shows environmental sampling data that are displayed using the laboratory information management system (LIMS).

Related Topics

Clean Water Healthy Habitat

A King County initiative to protect water quality and habitat.

DNRP

Department of Natural Resources and Parks

King County wetlands

Clean water and healthy habitat, reducing floods and supporting biodiversity and find wetland maps

WLR

Water and Land Resources Division
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