Permaculture Database

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

Bear Kaufmann wrote:

> What I was referring to is direct input of information on plants, not 
> the development process.
> There was initially interest in developing use-cases and a more thorough 
> understanding of how users would interact with the system, and what they 
> would need. There were some starts of that on that in the wiki and a few 
> other documents.

That is actually what needs to happen. Show them what we are doing and how 
they can help.
Then follow up with actual data entry and data structure schemes and solicit 
their input and suggestions.
If we had some sort of wiki or blog (how about that multi-blog idea so they 
will have their own workspace early on
to see if they like doing that sort of thing, actually start developing their own data sources and be able to show it to 
others and the development group) then group activity could occur. I see clearly what this could be and how it might be 
accomplished and will comment further.

> It seems there are people on this list with more experience doing that. 
> It might be a good idea to draw on input from the lists via a survey 
> form to understand what they might find useful or want in a project like 
> this. This might tie in well with the permaculture digital library 
> project (Heidi Pettitt). These could be developed into use cases/stories 
> and guide development. This should preferably happen in the early stages 
> before a specific route is decided.

A survey form is a great idea. Without actualy having the database online in 
functional form we can still establish
an online presence they can identify with and use so they will feel that they are part of the development process. Lots 
of good ideas and information can flow in positive directions this way.

> Agreed. But if we're developing a system that is more complex then a out 
> of the box wiki/CMS system (like PIW/pcplantdb, which Chad wrote from 
> scratch), it takes time to develop before user data can be entered into 
> the system.

Absolutely right. I agree. Still segmenting components of our ultimate system and purring some of them online for use 
before the RDB is ready could be very useful and, again, build enthusiasm and support and that critical flow of ideas 
and knowledgebase. People need to feel at home with this. All kinds of barriers can be bridged this way and a more 
cohesive, diverse community will form.

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