November 2012 Summaries

The neo4j.org website has been revamped with a new site that aims to welcome new users and provide helpful information on getting started and developing applications using Neo4j. The site is built using Node.js, Express, and hosted on GitHub, making it easy for contributors to fork, make changes, and issue pull requests. The site provides information in three broad categories: Learn, Develop, and Participate, covering topics such as general information about graph databases, tutorials, licensing, drivers, installation instructions, and contributions. The site features an interactive Cypher tutorial, screencasts, and a growing gallery of contributors and driver authors. It also includes instructions on how to give feedback and contribute to the site itself, as well as resources for installing Neo4j and integrating it into various programming languages and frameworks.

The workshop "Graph Databases in Life Sciences" brought together researchers and bioinformatics developers to discuss the applicability of graph databases in biological research and applications. Prof. Lennart Martens hosted the event, which featured presentations by experts from various backgrounds, including Thilo Muth, Pablo Pareja, Anthony Liekens, and Davy Suvee. The workshop covered topics such as metaproteomics, Bio4j, biograph.be, and Graph Database use cases in pharmaceutical companies. Participants learned about the Neo4j graph database and its applications in life sciences, including importing data from flat CSV files into a graph database and running queries to find specific proteins and their interaction pathways. The event also included hands-on activities, such as visualizing pathways in Neo4j Web-UI and running Cypher queries to retrieve common pathways involving specific proteins.

The Neo4j community team supported the event but credits Allison Sparrow and Adam Herzog for organizing it. The week was busy with a mix of community discussions, website work, and presentations, including a successful Dr. Who tutorial on Monday evening. The meetups grew significantly over the last year, now having 3,903 members in 32 groups spanning 28 cities across 16 countries. Pernilla joined the team and supported worldwide meetups, while Andreas and Michael set up the community lounge and RFID equipment for a unique conference interaction graph. The event featured presentations, discussions, and interactions with attendees, including a showcase of the new website and public Neo4j dataset. After a busy week, the community expressed gratitude to everyone involved, inviting others to attend future events or start their own meetups.

The Neo4j team has been impressed by the creative work of beta users who have utilized their Add-on service. These early adopters have taken advantage of the free plan to experiment with graph databases, leading to innovative applications and proof-of-concepts that showcase the versatility of graphs in various domains. The public release of the Neo4j Add-on on Heroku is imminent and will be showcased at GraphConnect next week, where the team will also share post-release coverage.

The Neo4j community is excited to be part of GraphConnect San Francisco 2012, with a special Community Lounge offering a cozy space for relaxation and discussion. The event features presentations, discussions, and hacking sessions on various topics related to graph databases, including language drivers, graph visualization tools, and RFID interactions. The community lounge also showcases the Zen Desktop Sand Table, which can be easily programmed and used for visualizing graphs in a zen-like manner. Throughout the day, attendees will have opportunities to engage with Neo4j contributors, participate in Twitter contests, and display their own graphs on paper or digital platforms.