DBSIM: A Platform of Simulation Resources for Genetic Epidemiology Studies

Computer simulations are routinely conducted to evaluate new statistical methods, to compare the properties among different methods, and to mimic the real data in genetic epidemiology studies. Conducting simulation studies can become a complicated task as several challenges can occur, such as the selection of an appropriate simulation tool and the specification of parameters in the simulation model. Although abundant simulated data have been generated for human genetic research, currently there is no public database designed specifically as a repository for these simulated data. With the lack of such database, for similar studies, similar simulations may have been repeated, which resulted in redundant works. We created an online platform, DBSIM, for simulation data sharing and discussion of simulation techniques for human genetic studies. DBSIM has a database containing simulation scripts, simulated data, and documentations from published manuscripts, as well as a discussion forum, which provides a platform for discussion of the simulated data and exchanging simulation ideas. DBSIM will be useful in three aspects. Moreover, summary statistics such as the simulation tools that are most commonly used and datasets that are most frequently downloaded are provided. The statistics will be very informative for researchers to choose an appropriate simulation tool or select a common dataset for method comparisons. DBSIM can be accessed at http://dbsim.nhri.org.tw.