Ecology and microbiology seemed to be concepts that had nothing in common for several decades, and the field of microbial ecology took a long time to emerge and consolidate. This was largely due to the lack of tools and technologies to explore this field. However, with the development of technologies, algorithms and methodologies that allow the simultaneous study of all (micro)organisms present in an environment at a specific time, in the last decade it has been possible to study microorganisms and their interactions together in what is now known as meta-omics sciences.

Initially metagenomics allowed us to access the composition and genetic potential of environments, later transcriptomics allowed us to approach gene expression in those environments and now with proteomics and metabolomics we can begin to understand the different interactions between members of a community. However, all these techniques have developed quite rapidly and the technologies and algorithms for the analysis and interpretation of these data have evolved more in response to the particular needs of research groups than in a rational thinking to optimize the use of data and resources, taking advantage of the advances in computing capabilities that are currently available.