[Taxacom] Database collection software - Open Source

[Michael A. Ivie]

Another thing to add to Derek's post.  "The danger of the SeaGull 
impulse."  We are collections people, we are acquisitive by nature and 
by training.  But, it is important to avoid falling into "these data are 
MINE MINE MINE MINE" See <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSrUFKp1qVQ>

You do NOT need a database that is YOURS, under your sole control, 
sitting on a computer on your desk, that you can call MINE!  You need a 
place to put your data that makes them available, safe, globally 
compliant, and still attributable to your institution.  Big Oracle based 
systems like ARCTOS and Xbio:D provide those services in ways you cannot 
afford, nor can you manage.

Mike

On 5/20/2015 4:45 PM, Derek Sikes wrote:
> To elaborate:
>
> Given the enormous monetary investment needed to generate it (and its
> timeless value to humanity), I and funding agencies like the NSF, think
> that biodiversity data shouldn't be stored in something like an excel file
> on one's desktop that can be lost with a simple harddrive crash. Or even in
> a database like filemaker that any user could accidentally or maliciously
> delete all the contents of any field (under a default operation mode).
>
> Arctos is not impervious to data loss, but it's a lot less vulnerable than
> many common data management solutions. Treating biodiversity data the way
> banks and airlines treat their data seems wise if we're serious about these
> data being useful to our great grandchildren et al.
>
> Here's a piece of an NSF data management plan describing Arctos:
>
> In early 2012, Arctos became hosted by the Texas Advanced Computing Center,
> a member of the NSF sponsored TeraGrid network of supercomputing centers.
> At the TACC Arctos is on a shared 5PB storage system. Production servers
> are Dell R610s with 16 2.4 GHz cores, 48GB of memory, and a 10Gigabit
> connection to the outside world, benchmarked to move 1GB/sec to and from
> the disk subsystem, which can move over 20GB/sec.  With the exception of
> sensitive data selectively encumbered by individual collections, all data
> are accessible in real time to the public. Daily backups are stored in
> three locations, each on a separate tectonic plate.
>
> Derek
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, May 20, 2015 at 2:32 PM, Robert Mesibov <robert.mesibov at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Derek Sikes wrote:
>>
>> 'There is a reason banks and airlines run their online databases with
>> Oracle. I don't think biodiversity data should be treated as less
>> important.'
>>
>> Ummm... Please explain?
>> --
>> Dr Robert Mesibov
>> Honorary Research Associate
>> Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery
>> --
>> Home phone: (03) 64252630
>>
>
>

-- 
__________________________________________________

Michael A. Ivie, Ph.D., F.R.E.S.

Montana Entomology Collection
Marsh Labs, Room 50
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Montana State University
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(406) 994-4610 (voice)
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mivie at montana.edu