  Combinatorial experiments involve synthesis of sample libraries with lateral
composition gradients requiring spatially-resolved characterization of
structure and properties. Due to maturation of combinatorial methods and their
successful application in many fields, the modern combinatorial laboratory
produces diverse and complex data sets requiring advanced analysis and
visualization techniques. In order to utilize these large data sets to uncover
new knowledge, the combinatorial scientist must engage in data science. For
data science tasks, most laboratories adopt common-purpose data management and
visualization software. However, processing and cross-correlating data from
various measurement tools is no small task for such generic programs. Here we
describe COMBIgor, a purpose-built open-source software package written in the
commercial Igor Pro environment, designed to offer a systematic approach to
loading, storing, processing, and visualizing combinatorial data sets. It
includes (1) methods for loading and storing data sets from combinatorial
libraries, (2) routines for streamlined data processing, and (3) data analysis
and visualization features to construct figures. Most importantly, COMBIgor is
designed to be easily customized by a laboratory, group, or individual in order
to integrate additional instruments and data-processing algorithms. Utilizing
the capabilities of COMBIgor can significantly reduce the burden of data
management on the combinatorial scientist.
