Permaculture Database

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

Paul Cereghino wrote:

> Figure we may as well keep batting this text back and forth... I am 
> seeing discrete topics emerge that could migrate to wiki space, but I'd 
> like to keep working at a unifying core to this conceptual model.  Is 
> this going somewhere.. what are the steps forward.  

I think we are on the same wavelength, tonight for sure.

Let's get started on this project. It needs a name. Maybe Permaculture 
Relationships & Guilds.
Or PCDB (assuming that flatfile, object-oriented and relational databases are 
all considered _databases_).
Or .... Permapedia. PC Wiki/DB
I propose that someone volunteer to obtain an ibiblio account for themselves,
create webspace with group access (for others with ibiblio accounts needing access to the wiki and webspace admin side 
of things) for us then download and make an installation of Mediawiki, MySQL account, blog and cms software as needed.

We could start with this then add query of datasets from 1) external (other plant databases, web archives, forum 
archives, etc.) and 2) imported internal sources.
Regarding 2) Rich: Could we add the PFAF dataset and could you advise us on 
importing it into wiki structure
with the necessary user interface with which to query it (assuming the search feature built into MediaWiki would not be 
able to do it)?

The concept would be a permaculture relationships and guilds discovery tool 
with future enhancements to include
a general permaculture information resource (the Permapedia).

We would need the following:

A means for deciding who will be allowed to have a wiki public user account 
so they can enter data into the system
- I suggest that all may be invited but a formal request must be made to be 
reviewed by a volunteer group
-- This can be accomplished by setting up a separate pcdb-user mailing list which they request subscription to in an 
email; if approved they then post their introduction and reason for wanting a wiki account; this list would have several 
owners, i.e. another wiki volunteer group, to handle subscription requests and grant wiki accounts. This list would 
serve many valuable purposes including communication between registered users, welcoming new users, sharing ideas for 
data development and preliminary peer review of their work. This list, pcdb, would continue to be the main development 
forum.

A means for ensuring data input quality and preserving data integrity.  A peer review process with a permanent peer 
review volunteer group of experts might be needed.
- I think that, if approved, users who submit a lot of data should have the privilege to "own" their data; i.e. have 
limited right to have the final say, within reason, over data revistions or overwrites of their work (originals should 
always be kept - some whitepage software allows each contributor to have their space where they develop and keep data 
they prepare for database submission (kind of a mini-wiki of their own). Actually every accountholder/contributor
should be provided with their own private (or portions public if they so choose) wiki for work-in-progress. I do not 
know if this feature is offered by MediaWiki. If not then we could set up a project blog with Wordpress or a CMS using 
Drupal (or other software) on which user/contributors [I like the term "content provider"] would have their accounts
to develop work that would migrate to the PCDB Wiki. ibiblio is featuring blogs this month. Here's something that might 
be perfect for us:
- Lyceum
- It's been just about a year since the Lyceum Project launched! It's a multi-blog derivative of WordPress, suitable for 
- installations with 2 or 200,000 blogs!
This could be the multi user blog we need to attach to our wiki/db. Maybe somehow we could create database entries as 
wikipages that have RSS feeds sourcing our users blogs in Lyceum. Maybe the Wiki could use RSS feeds in other ways as 
well, i.e. photo, video, audio gallery updates. This wiki could be a totally 24/7/365 continuously revised information 
system.

There are really amazing possibilities.

In fact a portion of the Wiki could consist of a whole user wiki consisting 
of all the individual blogs (or mmini wikis)
owned by all registered Wiki users - this would be useful in that the public could see what contributors are working on 
and offer to help develop and refine their work.

Suggestions welcome.

LL
--
Lawrence F. London, Jr.
Venaura Farm
lfl@intrex.net
http://market-farming.com
http://market-farming.com/venaurafarm
http://venaurafarm.blogspot.com/
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech