Wellmap: a file format for microplate layouts

Abstract

Objective: Microplates are ubiquitous in biological research because they make it easy to collect data for hundreds of different conditions in a single experiment. Despite this, there is no standard method to annotate the wealth of data contained in each plate. Results: We introduce a new file format, called wellmap, for describing the layout of wells on microplates. The format is text-based and emphasizes being easy to read, write, and share. It is capable of describing any layout for any experiment. It is also accompanied by a tool for generating clear visualizations of layout files, and a simple API for parsing layout files in analysis scripts written in python or R. We have used wellmap in our own research to annotate data from a wide variety of experiments, including qPCR and flow cytometry. Given the large number of experiments that make use of microplates, it is our hope that other researchers will find this file format as useful as we have. For complete instructions on how to install and use wellmap, visit: https://wellmap.rtfd.io.