Wednesday, 18 February 2026, 6:17 PM
Site: SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics E-learning Portal
Course: Interoperable File Formats (2024_IOFFM)
Glossary: Glossary
A

archive

the storage of information or data for the long-term

B

binary file

a file format using only two digits (0 and 1) to represent the information or data


C

computer hardware

all the physical parts that make up a computer

D

data

collection of discrete or continuous values that convey information, describing the quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpreted formally (Source: Wikipedia)

F

file compression

the reduction in the number of bits needed to represent data in a file

file extension

a suffix added to the name of a file indicating the file's format

file format

the description of how information or data is encoded for storage in a computer file

file transfer protocol (FTP)

a method to download, upload, and transfer files from one location to another on the Internet and between computer systems

H

hierarchy

an arrangement of items that are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another (Source: Wikipedia)

I

interoperable

compatible or suitable for exchange and use, be it by humans or machines