This website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience and help us with our marketing and analytics efforts. By continuing to use this website, you are giving your consent for us to set cookies.

Find out more Accept
CONTACT US
Case study

Genesys
Global plant biodiversity platform for long-term conservation and data sharing

Our collaboration with the Crop Trust spans over a decade and two mission-critical platforms, Genesys and GGCE. Dive into the case study to learn how we’ve helped build scalable systems for seed data sharing and genebank operations used in over 100 countries.

scroll down to discover
Genesys project mockup

Foreword

The Crop Trust plays a vital role in preserving agricultural biodiversity worldwide. Their digital platforms—Genesys, a public seed data portal, and Grin Global Community Edition (GGCE), an internal genebank management tool—form the backbone of global efforts to conserve and share plant genetic resources.

Since 2013, we have been a key technical partner in modernizing, expanding, and maintaining both systems. From full-scale platform rewrites and frontend migrations to long-term performance optimization and feature delivery, our team has remained closely aligned with the Crop Trust’s mission and evolving digital strategy.

Download as PDF

  • Services provided

    Web development, QA & software testing, Project management

  • Team

    1 Back-end developer, 1 Front-end developer, 1 QA engineer, 1 Project manager

  • Cooperation & pricing model

    Dedicated team

  • Duration

    In progress since 2013

  • Industry

    Agriculture, Crop diversity conservation

  • Country

    Germany

Story

2013–2015

Rebuilt Genesys platform from PHP to Java with a scalable backend and REST APIs

2019

Modernized Genesys frontend with React for better UX and data exploration

2020

Took over the development of GGCE platform and aligned it with backend standards

2020–2023

Delivered new features, extended APIs, improved security and internal tooling

2022-2024

Added in-platform documentation to support onboarding and global adoption

2024–ongoing

Migrating to API v2 and preparing AI-powered filtering and smart search features

In 2013, the Crop Trust, an international organization dedicated to preserving crop diversity, partnered with us to help rebuild Genesys, their global plant genetic resource platform. Originally, Genesys was built on PHP and, over time, began to lack the flexibility and performance needed to support the growing volume of genebank data worldwide. We had to redesign the system using Java to improve the platform’s scalability and simplify access to data about more than 4 million plant samples.

After the successful relaunch of the Java version in 2015 and the frontend migration to React in 2019, the scope of our involvement expanded. In 2020, we became responsible for a second Crop Trust product—Grin Global Community Edition (GGCE), an open-source software and database system used by genebanks to manage internal workflows and data. Our role was to support the system, modernize and expand it.

Over the years, our work has evolved from solely technical task execution to architectural consulting, improving data processing and continuous delivery of new features across both systems. Genesys now serves as a global access point for researchers and institutions working to preserve crop diversity, while GGCE helps local genebanks manage and digitize their internal operations.

Together, these platforms make a critical digital foundation for long-term global food security and biodiversity preservation. As of today, Genesys hosts over 4.3 million seed samples. More than 450 genebanks contribute to the platform, and data is sourced from over 100 countries.

And we’re proud to be part of the Crop Trust’s mission, ensuring their systems remain stable, scalable and ready for what’s next.

  • 4.3
    million seed samples
  • 12
    years of partnership between our team and Crop Trust
  • 450
    genebanks worldwide provide Genesys with data
  • 165
    partner institutions

Requirements & Challenges

Requirements & Challenges

When the Crop Trust first approached us, our primary objective was to rebuild their existing platform, Genesys, and help scale it into a more resilient and modular system. The task was to refactor, optimize and expand it so that it could support current demand and future growth.

Shortly after, our scope expanded to include Grin Global Community Edition (GGCE), a platform designed for internal genebank management. Our task was to take over development and ensure its alignment with current software standards, data models and integrations, while supporting existing users across multiple countries.

As both platforms evolved, so did the scope of our work and degree of engagement. We had to update legacy components, improve query responsiveness for large-scale datasets, rework data exchange layers, and adapt to our partner's expectations surrounding maintainable code style and tech stack relevance, all while maintaining stable releases for an active global user base.

  • Optimizing data exchange: Genesys’s original structure sent an excess of redundant data, slowing response times and adding load to the UI. We needed to restructure the flow of data exchange between frontend and backend to send only the necessary data, improving speed, especially in low-bandwidth environments.
  • Maintaining consistent data across platforms: Differences in data formatting and delivery between systems occasionally led to errors and inconsistencies. Ensuring both platforms always display reliable, synchronized data is essential for creating a seamless UX and preserving data accuracy.
  • Managing two related but distinct platforms: Supporting both Genesys and GGCE required clear architectural separation, careful coordination, and flexible feature implementation to account for different audiences, system requirements, and development timelines.
  • Customizing open-source tools:Various tools like Liquibase didn’t cover all our partner’s operational needs straight out of the box. We had to go deeper, creating custom logic to automate initial data loading and secure database integrity on every deployment.
  • Keeping tech stack updated: To ensure long-term maintainability and compliance with modern development standards, we needed to regularly upgrade core components. These updates had to be delivered seamlessly across environments without affecting platform stability or introducing regressions for end users.
  • Designing architecture for future growth: Scalability and reusability were key design principles from the outset, so our team needed to build both Genesys and GGCE to accommodate new APIs, reusable services, and potential integrations, all without system disruptions and major changes to service.

“The team at Aimprosoft is instrumental at keeping Genesys attractive to our users and data providers. Together we have built an open, fast and secure platform that provides researchers and breeders with the data about plant material in genebanks worldwide.”

Matija Obreza

Product Owner at The Crop Trust

Features

Features

featured images Crop Trust 1

Centralized accession data management and filtering (Genesys)

With new advanced filtering tools, users can search and navigate millions of seed samples by crop type, origin, donor and other parameters. These updates make it easier for researchers and policymakers to locate materials quickly. Genesys now also supports integration with climate and trait data.

featured images Crop Trust 2

Data entry and internal workflows for genebanks (GGCE)

We improved tools for managing accession (seed sample) data within individual genebanks to help them digitize their collections and reduce manual record-keeping. GGCE now supports custom workflows, barcode-based tracking and configurable statuses on real-life genebank operations.

featured images Crop Trust 3

Bulk data upload and standardization tools (Genesys)

We implemented mechanisms for bulk uploading accessions and linked metadata from various formats. Users can validate datasets before submission to avoid data corruption and check alignment with international standards, reducing onboarding friction for new institutions contributing to Genesys.

featured images Crop Trust 4

Role-based access control and permissions (GGCE)

With flexible user roles and permission logic added to GGCE, our team enabled control over who can access and modify specific parts of the system. And genebanks can now assign responsibilities across teams (from data curators to technical staff) without compromising security.

featured images Crop Trust 5

Streamlined data contribution with Genesys API (Genesys)

Our team delivered a flexible API layer and a Java-based Anno uploader to simplify the process of submitting accession data to Genesys. The tool converts various formats into the standardized MCPD format. It helps partner institutions share data faster, requiring less manual formatting and internal training.

featured images Crop Trust 6

Interactive map-based accession filtering (Genesys)

An interactive map helps users explore accession data by geographic origin and climate conditions. Using multiple climate layers and visual filtering tools, users can select areas on the map, view precipitation and temperature data, and identify matching cultivars. It makes complex genetic data more intuitive and easier to locate.

Stack

  • — Platform
  • — Frontend
  • — Backend
  • — QA tools
  • — Additional tools
  • Java
  • Webpack 5
  • React
  • Express.js
  • Redux
  • Redux-Saga
  • Material-UI
  • TypeScript
  • SCSS
  • D3.js
  • i18n
  • Java 11
  • Spring Framework (Core, Web MVC, Data, Security, ACL)
  • Hibernate
  • MariaDB
  • MySQL
  • Elasticsearch
  • Hazelcast
  • Liquibase S3
  • QueryDSL
  • Eclipse Jetty
  • Node.js
  • MSSQL
  • Express.js
  • JPA
  • JUnit
  • Liquibase
  • Hazelcast
  • Maven3
  • JSP
  • ACL
  • Webpack3
  • ES6
  • ESLint
  • npm
  • Yarn
  • Git flow
  • PM2
  • GitHub
  • AI Assistant
  • 0Auth2

Project outcomes

Project outcomes

Over more than a decade of collaboration, our team helped transform both platforms into scalable, well-documented tools that support the Crop Trust’s global conservation efforts, resulting in the following technical and strategic outcomes:

  • Rebuilt and modernized Genesys for scale, reliability, and global use: Our team transformed Genesys from a legacy PHP system into a modern platform. It enabled the new platform to handle millions of records and support dozens of integrations with genebanks, laying the foundation for what would become the world’s largest open-access repository of plant-based genetic resources.
  • Built long-term sustainability into two critical plant conservation platforms: By evolving both Genesys and GGCE, we ensured that institutions across 100+ countries can rely on stable, scalable, and continuously improving systems. Our long-term involvement minimizes the need for costly rebuilds while supporting uninterrupted access to critical conservation data and ongoing feature delivery.
  • Upgraded the tech that contributes to global food security: Our work powers the infrastructure behind more than 4.4 million accessions shared across 450+ genebanks to preserve biodiversity and respond proactively to climate change. We’re proud to play a long-term role in building and supporting tools that directly serve one of the most important missions of our time.
  • Supported the digitization of local genebank operations worldwide: Through GGCE, we help genebanks move from outdated operations to seamless internal processes with tools for internal accession tracking, workflow management and others. Users can manage hundreds of thousands of samples across multiple regions, which is a significant step toward more efficient crop conservation.
  • Improved data formatting and ease of access to Genesys: We built and implemented systems for bulk uploading, transforming and validating accession data from diverse sources and formats. This functionality significantly lowers the barrier for new institutions to contribute their data to Genesys. It also ensures data quality and consistency, critical for research and policy decisions.
  • Revamped global access and usability through a modern React frontend: Replacing outdated, server-rendered interfaces with dynamic React applications, our team improved system performance, usability and maintainability. These upgrades drastically improved the experience for researchers, data contributors and policy advisors accessing the platforms. It also made room for future improvements like dynamic filtering, AI-driven assistance and responsive UI components.

Let’s talk

The most impactful partnerships start from a first conversation – so let’s have one!

Are you ready to turn your unique concept into a feature-rich IT product? Leverage our experience in building scalable, user-centric solutions to turn your idea into reality.

Contact us directly via

+44 20 8144 4696

contacts@aimprosoft.com

Visit our HQ in

Cyprus, Nicosia, Griva Digeni, 81-83 Jacovides Tower, 1st floor

Meet our representatives in

The UK, Spain, Bulgaria, Poland, and over 15 other European countries

Hey Aimprosoft,

    My name is
    from
    and
    I know you from
    In short,

    Thank you for reaching out!

    We’ve received your message and will get back to you shortly.

    Contact us directly via

    +44 20 8144 4696

    contacts@aimprosoft.com

    Visit our HQ in

    Cyprus, Nicosia, Griva Digeni, 81-83 Jacovides Tower, 1st floor

    Meet our representatives in

    The UK, Spain, Bulgaria, Poland, and over 15 other European countries