GO file formats: New GPAD/GPI 2.0

If you are using GO annotations, you probably are using the recommended format GAF 2.2. Although mostly limited to internal purposes, some tools use GPAD. If you use or ingest the GPAD format, please be aware the GPAD is changing.

We are planning on changing the GPAD/GPI format to 2.0, starting with
the next release, expected towards the end of July. This change only
affects files with the extensions “.gpad” and “.gpi”; files with “.gaf”
will remain unchanged. In the lead-up to this version change, snapshots
will switch to the GPAD/GPI 2.0 format starting with the next snapshot.

The technical specifications for this change can be found on the GO GitHub. This document also includes the list of differences between GPAD/GPI 1.1 and the new 2.0.

Once the release has been made, the default GPAD/GPI documentation links
on the website will be updated to point to the 2.0 version (Gene Product Association Data (GPAD) format 2.0), updating from the current 1.2.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the GO Helpdesk at
help@geneontology.org or use the GO helpdesk tracker.