On Wednesday 16 January 2008 08:45:58 pm Alex Mandel wrote: > Dylan Beaudette wrote: > > On Tuesday 15 January 2008 04:58:13 pm Ken Bloom wrote: > >> On Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:33:44 -0800 > >> > >> Dylan Beaudette <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >>> Hi, > >>> > >>> some of the people in my lab are interested in collaboratively > >>> compiling a large quantity of environmental data- each user appending > >>> several hundred measurements of several variables every week. > >>> > >>> They are currently emailing around a spread sheet file and there have > >>> been numerous data accidents. Now they are asking to put the file > >>> onto a shared drive, so that they can access it remotely. This sounds > >>> like a terrible idea to me- even worse than the previous attempt. > >>> > >>> The data are essentially rows and cols of numbers that are added to > >>> and edited weekly. > >>> > >>> At first I thought subversion might be helpful, but revision control > >>> doesn't work so well with binary data (excel files)... unless there > >>> is something I don't know about. It would be hard to detect > >>> conflicts, or to merge data. However, it would allow for timestamps > >>> and revision numbers to provide some level of authority. > >>> > >>> Designing some kind of database-driven system seems like a logical > >>> choice, but I do not have the time to do this. Perhaps there is > >>> already something out there. > >>> > >>> Does anyone have some insight into how to solve this data management > >>> nighmare? > >> > >> In what format do your colleagues generate their data to begin with? > >> Is this append-only or are there updates too? > >> > >> --Ken > > > > They work exclusively with Excel. > > > > A discussion about this problem with my sig. other last night resulted in > > mutual distrust of the way most people in academics and "professional" > > circles are handling data. There really should be a 'data management' > > course which is either part of the Technical Writing courses (which are > > required) or taught as a single quarter class. Everyone who is not in > > computer science or mathematics should be required to either test out of > > the course or take it. > > > > Dylan > > _______________________________________________ > > This is on my list of course to create, and may happen soon if I decide > to do a Phd. In the meantime we might do a spatial databases group study > next quarter. > > Alex
Hi Alex, If that course happens, let me know as there was some interest in an (attribute) database course in our dept. which Garrett and I were thinking about putting together. Cross-listing and including spatial DB stuff might draw a larger audience. One more fun class to think about! Dylan -- Dylan Beaudette Soil Resource Laboratory http://casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/ University of California at Davis 530.754.7341 _______________________________________________ vox-tech mailing list [email protected] http://lists.lugod.org/mailman/listinfo/vox-tech
