"Bioinformatics is the field of science in which biology, computer science, and information technology merge to form a single discipline. The ultimate goal of the field is to enable the discovery of new biological insights as well as to create a global perspective from which unifying principles in biology can be discerned."
National Center for Biotechnology Information
As the amount of biological information is increasing exponentially as a result of advances in high-throughput DNA sequencing technology, determination of protein structure, as well as genome-wide gene expression and genotype analysis using DNA chips, it is essential that appropriate data bases are in place to hold the information, accompanied by fast and reliable data processing and retrieval systems and automated data analysis pipelines. The development of bioinformatics is inseparable from advances in computer hardware, software and information technologies.