Object-oriented virtual sample library: a container of multi-dimensional data for acquisition, visualization and sharing

Combinatorial methods bring about enormous data not only in size but also in dimension. To handle multi-dimensional data easily, a concept of virtual container for combinatorially acquired data is demonstrated which is called ``virtual sample library'' (VSL). VSL stores the data hierarchically in the order of (1) coordinates in the sample library,
(2) names of the measurements performed, and (3) data obtained from each measurement. Thus, the stored data are accessed intuitively just by tracing this tree-like structure and are provided for visualization and sharing with others. This framework is constructed by the aid of an object-oriented scripting language which is good at abstracting complicated data structure. In this paper, after summarizing the problems of handling data acquired from combinatorially integrated samples and availabilities of software tools to solve them, the concept of VSL is proposed and its structure and functions are demonstrated on the basis of one specific experimental data. Its extensibility as a platform for numerical simulation is also discussed.