What is OpenMS?#

OpenMS is an open-source software platform designed for the analysis and visualization of high-throughput mass spectrometry data. OpenMS has been designed to operate on all platforms, and provides a flexible framework for users to access a wide range of built-in tools or build their own tools using the existing functionality. These tools can be applied separately to data or be applied in sequence (as a workflow or pipeline) to mass spectrometry data. OpenMS is well established and has been used widely in literature, particularly in the life sciences.

Fields such as proteomics and metabolomics require the rapid, large-scale identification, quantification and characterization of biomolecules which traditional analytical techniques struggle to offer. OpenMS has been created by a team of biologists and computer scientists to create a completely open-source solution that offers customisable tools for high-throughput processing of mass spectrometry data.

OpenMS provides a number of tools built from a C++ core library. These tools are collectively referred to as “The OpenMS PiPeline (TOPP) (formerly known as The OpenMS Proteomic Pipeline) tools. TOPP tools can be chained in a sequence to form workflows and can be applied to mass spectrometry data. Note: TOPP’s capabilities have been expanded to apply to a wide range of areas in the life sciences.