Modern neuroscience relies on a combination of experimental and theoretical approaches to understand the brain. Sharing the tools and outputs of research is now a crucial part of good scientific practice. While standardised formats for exchange of both data (Neurodata Without Borders, NWB) and computational models (NeuroML) have emerged, data and model sharing have traditionally happened via independent repositories/databases. This makes “closing the loop” - using experimental data for data-driven modelling, and applying insights from modelling/theoretical investigations to guide/inspire new experiments - a non-trivial undertaking.

To address these challenges, we have developed an updated version of the Open Source Brain (OSB) platform (OSBv2, https://www.v2.opensourcebrain.org), a browser based, integrated research environment for both experimental data analysis and theoretical/modelling research. OSBv2 uses NWB as the recommended data sharing format, and includes our newly developed NWB Explorer application where users can visualise and analyse experimental data using a powerful graphical interface. OSBv2 also integrates the graphical frontend to NetPyNE to facilitate the simulation and analysis of network models using NEURON. Furthermore, users can save and share “workspaces” generated from these applications on our cloud storage, and also open them in a full featured JupyterLab environment, giving them access to tools from the greater Python neuroscientific ecosystem.