Ferrum
Ferrum for field & offline deployment
The same GA4GH standards — built for settings where connectivity, power, and hardware are limited.
Why this profile exists
Sequencing capacity is spreading faster than the infrastructure to store, share, and analyse data — in field labs, remote sites, humanitarian settings, and anywhere a permanent cloud link is impractical. Ferrum runs GA4GH-compliant infrastructure without reliable connectivity, with sovereign data residency and checkpoint recovery.
What is different
Works offline
Laptop mode with SQLite and checkpoint recovery. No PostgreSQL, no MinIO, no permanent internet access required.
Nanopore-native
Portable sequencers are standard in field labs. Ferrum ingests POD5/FAST5/BLOW5 directly and stores ONT metrics alongside DRS objects.
Sovereignty by design
Data residency audit, controlled emergency sharing during outbreaks, no forced cloud transfer.
Deployment models
Grant-backed pilot
Deployment as part of a funded research or public-health project, with joint publication as output where appropriate.
Field deployment package
Fixed-fee remote installation and three months of support — pricing on request.
Community reference
Free for research use (BUSL-1.1); commercial licence for production institutional deployments.
Who this is for
- Public health institutes building genomic surveillance
- Pathogen genomics labs in research hospitals
- University bioinformatics platforms in low-bandwidth settings
- Regional research consortia that need interoperable, on-prem infrastructure