Very large scale integration, or VSLI, has two meanings, both of which are relevant to genetics. VSLI refers to the strategies involving a combination of computational and mathematical tools being deployed to develop quantitative ways of dealing with the many databases housing genomic and biological information.

The explosion of information resulting from genome sequencing programs, such as the Human Genome Project, has created a need for large databases with search and query capabilities. Incompatibilities among heterogeneous databases and computer programs has hindered the ability to query different sources of genomic information. Researchers are actively pursuing the large-scale integration of such databases, which can be structured differently and which encompass different aspects of biology, such as gene sequences and biochemical pathways. Strategies include a VSLI system that does not require a central controlling computer, as there is no centralized control. Such...