Complex test methods with multiple-stage acceptance criteria must be automated as much as possible. True solutions must solve the business pain of the end users. In general, the industry is rapidly acknowledging that one tool cannot possibly meet the needs of these diverse users.

In some cases it can work, but more often than not the result is a failed implementation, and a lot of unhappy (and potentially unproductive) users. However, end users seeking a solution to their business needs are often challenged by upper management to somehow 'make do' with a system already used in another part of the company. Combinatorial chemistry, screening, preclinical and clinical bioanalysis, analytical chemistry, manufacturing R&D and production quality control (QC) all have unique needs and workflows. One of the controversial challenges in selecting a LIMS in pharma is the wide diversity of laboratories in a company. We will also discuss some of the new trends in the capabilities of LIMS, and in the use of LIMS in the pharmaceutical enterprise. These include in-house developed systems, 'generic' laboratory information management systems (LIMS), and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solutions. This article will review the challenges facing pharmaceutical laboratories, and examine the three most common alternatives available to pharmaceutical companies evaluating laboratory informatics systems in the context of the above-mentioned challenges. More information on GLIMS is available at. The structure of the international GLIMS consortium, status of database development, sample imagery and derived analyses and user search and order interfaces will be demonstrated. The GLIMS information management system at NSIDC will provide an easy to use and widely accessible service for the glaciological community and other users needing information about the world's glaciers. The GLIMS database will include measurements (over time) of glacier length, area, boundaries, topography, surface velocity vectors, and snowline elevation, derived primarily from remote sensing data. We will ingest and maintain GLIMS-analyzed glacier data from Regional Centers and provide access to the data via the World Wide Web. The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) is developing the information management system for GLIMS. Federal Agencies and a group of internationally distributed glaciologists at Regional Centers of expertise. GLIMS is a collaborative effort with the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the National Aeronautics Space Adminstration (NASA), other U.S.

Approximately 700 ASTER images have been acquired with GLIMS gain settings as of mid-2001. The primary data source will be from the ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and reflection Radiometer) instrument aboard the EOS Terra spacecraft, and Landsat ETM+ (Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus), currently in operation.

This will be accomplished by: comprehensive periodic satellite measurements, coordinated distribution of screened image data, analysis of images at worldwide Regional Centers, validation of analyses, and a publicly accessible database. GLIMS (Global Land Ice Measurements from Space) is an international project to survey a majority of the world's glaciers with the accuracy and precision needed to assess recent changes and determine trends in glacial environments.

Glims in validation