Abstract
The Proteomics Standards Initiative (PSI) aims to define community standards for data representation in proteomics and to facilitate data comparison, exchange and verification. Initially the fields of protein–protein interactions (PPI) and mass spectroscopy have been targeted and the inaugural meeting of the PSI addressed the questions of data storage and exchange in both of these areas. The PPI group rapidly reached consensus as to the minimum requirements for a data exchange model; an XML draft is now being produced. The mass spectroscopy group have achieved major advances in the definition of a required data model and working groups are currently taking these discussions further. A further meeting is planned in January 2003 to advance both these projects.