The emphasis in bioinformatics has so far been on structures, in a wide sense of the word; (comparatively) easy to represent, store, analyse.

• The genomes
• Protein 3D structure/function
• Transcriptome, proteome, metabolome
• Pathways (wiring diagrams)

But:

Biology = structures + processes

Biology deals with processes, but, so far, bioinformatics has not been able to formalize and handle biological processes nearly as successfully as biological structures.

To make biology computable, there is a need for a formalization of biological processes. Databases will be requried where the data models contain time is a fundamental coordinate.

• The microarray time-series experiments contain both complete structural data, as well as temporal data.
• The 'Gene Ontology' project contains a Biological Process concept, albeit without any description of the dynamics.
• Systems Biology, simulation engines: temporal data will be required as constraints and tests.
• The various pathways and interactions databases rarely have the concept of time.
• Specialised databases in developmental biology (mouse, C elegans) contains some temporal data.