pcplantdb

[Stephanie Gerson <sgerson@stanfordalumni.org>]

Hi again yalls,

A few responses:

Rich, 
First of all, wonderful point about having a guild/plant database inspire 
discussion on guilds from the general PC community.  I agree that this is 
necessary, and another valuable fruit of this project.  Also, you wrote:

“How else might touch graph be used?  It could possible be used as a 
thinking tool to say link the important elements in a design that you are 
doing.  But being a bear of very little brain I haven't really
got a good idea as to how this might work.”

I wrote up an entire script of the user experience involving a GBI (such 
as TouchGraph) as the user-interface.  Once I find the time, I will type 
it up (it is written and sketched in a journal) and send it to you all.  
This script will help answer your questions:

“Just trying to picture what you have in mind:
is it something like A web of plants, maybe with a small box around
the name of each plant and with link from each plant to
other memebers of guilds its a member of.  Question, what would be the 
extra information in these relationships?  Leading on from that. How is 
this extra data collected? How is it represented in the system?  Having 
ricer relationships has implications on backend design, in particular the 
table design for the relationship. You could have an extra field with a 
textual description of the relationship.”

Yes, you are on the right track.  The “extra information in these 
relationships” could potentially include any of the following – the 
compatibility/incompatibility of the two plants, what existing guilds/
natural plant communities they might be a part of, testimonials for 
permies/gardeners who have worked with both plants, which other plants 
alleviate incompatibility between these two plants, or any other aspect 
of their relationship.  This extra data could be included in the database 
or added by users wiki-style.  And yes, you could have an extra field 
with this textual information.  As mentioned, I will send out a user 
script which might elucidate additionally…

John,
“How about soliciting some more community involvement as regards
getting/using/acquiring plant data and images and so on?”

Great idea – perhaps we should send a message to all gardening/permie/ag-
related listservs and request free images?  Any volunteers?

Chad,
Great thinking to present Eden and PFAF as first generation examples of 
the project.  And I completely agree with your rant.  

“In other words I don't want to include anything in the project that 
cannot be freely redistributed.  The PFAF dataset is already 
distributable under a CC license which is fine, but the images are not, 
in my understanding, available under a license that would allow free 
redistribution.  Almost completely unrelated to that is I think it would 
be great to give PFAF money as part of the project.”

But I am wondering how we can make these two intentions – freely 
available images/information vs. contributing funding to PFAF – 
compatible?  Any thoughts?

Everyone,
Thanks for all the feedback, I am enthusiastic about collaborating with 
you all.  I will send that user script soon…

peace
*Stephanie


+++++++++++++++
Stephanie Gerson
sgerson@stanfordalumni.org
(c) 415.871.5683


____________________________________________________________________