data sharing

[Ken Walker]

>Who are the "non-scientific" users who desire collection data on
>the web?

>Which data do they desire, and to what end will they use it?

>Will these users lend their voice to the support of collections after
>the investment is made to place this data on-line, or will the users
>remain anonymous and the source uncredited?

>I believe that identifying users and the uses of data is desirable
>prior to structuring a system for disseminating that data, and
>before deciding which data to include (a specimen contains more data
>than the text on its label).

Attempting to answer these questions will probably only raise the
draw bridge to keep out the "non-scientific users".

Instead, why not use the scatter-gun approach and provide a range
of information outputs. Most of us field questions from the public
so have an idea of the types of questions asked and answers required.

For example, from a zoological point of view, outputs that contain
answers to the questions below, should satisfy many user needs or
at least give the users an appreciation of the value and extent
of the data:

Common Name / Scientific Name
Classification
Hierarchical Structure
Species Distribution Maps
Locality Information
Monthly Capture Frequencies
Time and Space Queries
Migration / Local Extinction Patterns
Cumulative and Comparative Checklists
        across a grid system
Host and/or Symbiotic Relationships
Images
Image Based Identifications for
        some groups (eg butterflies)

I have no doubt of that it will be extremely difficult to predictively
design the perfect web interface into a database. Therefore, the "trick"
may simply be to offer a structured dataset based around a
number of standard query/output modules.

As a brief example, Our Victorian Secondary School Cirriculum has a number of
"learning outcomes" for student to achieve. These include: BioDiversity,
Change and Continuity; Processing data; and Planning and Investigation. Web
access into our datasets provides a wonderful resource to achieve
these outcomes. And importantly, Real questions can be asked of Real Data.

Ken

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Ken Walker                              kwalker at mov.vic.gov.au
Museum of Victoria
Conservation and Environment
71 Victoria Crescent                    telephone 61-3 9284 0201
Abbotsford  Victoria                    fax       61-3 9416 0475
Australia  3067
Database Web Site: http://pioneer.mov.vic.gov.au/chaec/butter/home.html
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