The LIMS Glossary includes LIMS and Technology "often-used" terms. If you can't think of how to spell a word or are looking for a definition, use our online glossary.

Facility
The premises and operational unit(s) that are necessary for operating a LIMS.

Fault Tolerance
The ability of a system to execute tasks regardless of strategic components' failure.

FCC
Federal Communication Commission.

FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Feedback
The return of part of the output of a machine, process, or system to the computer as input for another phase, especially for self-correction or control purposes.

FFO
Fixed Focus Optics technology utilizes a small aperture and non-moving lenses to digitize an image over a wider range of distance than the traditional CCD reader.

Fiber Optics
A data transmission medium that uses light conducted through glass or plastic fibers. Fiber-optic cables have cores capable of conducting modulated light signals by total internal reflection. Benefits include small diameters, high potential bandwidth, and lower cost than copper.

FIFRA
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act.

File
A general term for a named set of data items stored in machine-readable form.

Firewall
Typically a separate computer that sits between the internet and the internal network. The computer is dedicated to examining traffic for trouble and enforcing strict security measures.

Firmware
Computer programs, instructions, or functions implemented in user-modifiable hardware. Such programs or instructions, stored permanently in programmable read-only memories, constitute a fundamental part of system hardware.

First Read Rate
The ratio of the number of successful reads to the number of attempts.

Floating-point data
A mathematical notation in which the decimal point can be manipulated. Values are sign, magnitude, and exponent.

Flowchart
Diagrammatic representation of the operations involved in an algorithm or automated system. Flow lines indicate the sequence of operations or the flow of data, and special standard symbols are used to represent particular operations.

Font
A specific size and type of printable character.

Footprint
The amount of floor or table space taken up by a unit or object.

Frequency
The number of recurrences of a periodic phenomenon in a unit of time, usually electronically specified in Hertz ( Hz ) - i.e., one cycle per second equals one hertz.

Front-end
Shorthand term for the operator interface or application-specific aspects of a program.

FTP
(File Transfer Protocol): Is a tool that has been available for years to send and to retrieve files from other computers on the Internet. FTP provides a command line interface that isn't pretty, but is straightforward to use.

Function
1) The characteristic actions, operations, or kind of work a person or thing is supposed to perform, e.g., the engineering function or the material-handling function.
2) The operation called for in a computer software instruction.

Fuzzy Logic
A method used to model linguistic expressions that have nonbinary truth- values. It has been used with PID algorithms in process control, especially where process relationships are nonlinear.

GALP
(Good Automated Laboratory Practice) GALPs are standards that provide guidance in the use of automated equipment and instruments in the laboratory, the EPA is active in this area. Gateway - A computing system or software function that performs a protocol or API translation, and serves as an intermediary between computing systems or communication networks.

GLP
(Good Laboratory Practice) GLPs are standards that provide guidance in good laboratory techniques and operations that may effect the quality of data measurements. The FDA and the EPA have issued GLPs that are required by companies in their respective areas of responsibility.

GMP
(Good Measurement Practice) The good measurement practices that provide guidance for acquiring quality measurements.

Grade
A ranking of the quality of a product or service based on characteristics or features that are intended for different needs of the consumers of the product or services.

Groupware
A type of software designed to raise the productivity of people working in groups.

GUI
(Graphical User Interface) Software application manipulation by means of windows, icons, and menus and other graphical representations.

Hardware
The physical, manufactured components of a computer system, such as the circuit boards, CRT, keyboard, and chassis.

Hierarchical
An approach used in numerous technologies, including machine vision, process control, networking, databases, and planning, whereby the scope of work is arranged in hierarchies that establish priorities and appropriate routings. A database architecture in which data elements are arranged in the form of an inverted tree structure in which no data element has more than one parent.

Host Computer
The primary computer in a multi-computer network. The unit issues commands, has access to the most important data, and is the most versatile processing element in the system.

Hot Key
A key (or set of keys) designated to activate a specific function in an application program.

HTML
(Hypertext Markup Language): Plain text that contains some formatting instructions (in the form of tags or HTML markup codes) that advise the Web browsers how to display and print the documents.

HTTP
(Hypertext Transport Protocol): The protocol of the World Wide Web.

Hypertext
An interactive on-line documentation technique that allows users to select - typically via a mouse click - certain words or phrases to immediately link to information related to the selected item.

IAN
Industrial Article Numbering. See EAN.

Import/Export Capability
The ability to read/write data to/from a data file in a known data format for the purpose of exchanging data within software applications.

Information
Any communication or reception of knowledge such as facts, data or opinions, including numerical, graphic, or narrative forms, whether oral or maintained in any medium, including computerized databases (floppy disk and hard disk), papers, microform (microfiche or microfilm), or magnetic tape.

Infrared Laser Diode
An invisible light beam used in some bar code readers to scan a bar code that is invisible to the human eye. This technology is used specifically to prohibit people from visually reading the bar code. Analogous to night vision goggles

Initiation
A request for the development of a system to meet a need for information or to solve a problem for the individual making the request.

Input Signal
A signal applied to a device, element, or system.

Inspect
To measure, examine, test or gauge one or more characteristics of an entity and compare the results with specified requirements in order to establish whether conformance is achieved for each characteristic.

Installation and Operation
Incorporation and continuing use of the new system by the organization.

Installation Qualification
The act of establishing confidence that a system is capable of operating within stated limits and tolerances.

Instrument
1) The term for any item of electrical or electronic equipment designed to carry out a specific function or set of functions.
2) A device for measuring the value of an observable attribute. The instrument may also control the value.

Instrumentation
Devices, interconnections, and systems used to observe, measure, and/or provide data as to what is or has occurred in order to evaluate or control physical phenomenon or processes.

Integrity
Sound, unimpaired or perfect condition. That computer security characteristic that ensures that computer resources operate correctly and that the data in the databases is correct. This characteristic protects against deliberate or inadvertent unauthorized manipulation of the system and ensures and maintains the security of entities of a computer system under all conditions. Integrity is concerned with protecting information from corruption.

Interface
1) A shared boundary between two pieces of equipment.
2) The hardware and software needed to enable one device to communicate with another.

Interleaved Bar Code
A bar code in which characters are paired together using bar to represent the first character and spaces to represent the second character.

Interleaved 2 of 5
A numeric only bar code consisting of five bars. Two bars are wide, three are narrow. Used generally in industrial and master carton labeling.

Intranet
A company-wide (internal system that allows employees and authorized users to access data, information, and bulletin boards via a browser on their computer. There are several advantages to the intranet, it allows for greater communication within the company, from bulletin boards to company wide mail and rapid access to historical data for statistical analysis. Of course an intranet has security with multiple levels of permissions and can track individual usage. Internet: Computer network that was created around 25 years ago by the U.S. Department of Defense (Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration or DARPA). The purpose was to create a way for computers located around the world to transfer information and data robustly and reliably primarily for military purposes. The Internet is a network of networks, local networks around the world are linked together by wires, telephone lines, fiber optic cables, microwave transmissions and satellites.

ISDN
(Integrated Services Digital Network): Method of utilizing existing telephone wire digitally rather than in an analog format. ISDN lines can "move" data at speeds ranging from 64K to 1.544 Mbps. This allows significantly faster Internet access than modems.

ISO
The International Organization for Standardization.

ISO 9000 Registration
A certification process in which a registered company will gain international quality assurance recognition for its products.

ISO 9000 Standard Series
A set of international quality assurance standards. Knowledge-Based-System - Software that uses artificial intelligence techniques and a base of information about a specialized activity to control systems or operations.