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I really enjoyed your latest newsletter, particularly the bit on pollination. The CD accompanying "The Atlas" is also very exciting and I have only one suggestion to make. Having used the Robert's multimedia birds of southern Africa, I probably make more use of its quiz than anything else. It has a game which teaches one your birds and it has different levels of difficulty to cater for all birders. Perhaps the same principle can be applied to the new CD? I do understand that it would entail a lot of extra work but if anyone can do, it would be Nigel. I have some ideas on it but I will give it more thought if you think it would be a viable option.
Mervyn Lotter, Lydenburg
Yes, an excellent idea! I had thought along those lines, but stopped up when I realized that we had no recordings of the mating calls for most of the proteas. (OK, whatever you call the bird calls, then). All we have is 'Suikerbossie ek wil jou he' for Pr repens.
In principle it is easy, a lookup table and a random number generator based on the date and time, and a form into which the quiz pictures are placed. No, it will be no extra work - the pictures and details are already available. I am sure that Nigel will be happy to play with this idea.
Tony Rebelo
Nice idea. It is as you suggested a trivial problem to solve. It might be nice to
be able to request that:
1. User only be presented with a user specified genus, with an optional addition of:
2. User only be presented with proteas from certain regions in the country. (i.e. learn my
local proteas first).
Pictures (non digital ones) need to be re-scanned because the ones on the web are not of sufficiently high quality, fine for the www but no good for a quiz. Similar code used to display pictures in the Erica ID package could be applied here.
Nigel Forshaw
Comments on the Atlas CD
Repeat Link File
I would suggest that the Repeat Link file not be distributed because it creates unnecessary complication to the user. All SRS should be included with the original data copied into the Repeat SRS. The Repeat SRS must maintain a link to the original SRS.
Co-ordinate, Locality, Habitat, and Comments file
For ease of use could these four files be merged to create one consolidated file?
These will be in dBase format, linked in an ACCESS database
We must be very careful not to distribute an Access database, which depends on the data being stored in a specific directory. Remember that a linked table or dBase file has a hard coded path stored in the Access database that is used to reference the data.
I have a very good way around this problem (gleaned from Microsoft documentation, I hasten to add) which will solve this problem, but requires an installation procedure to be run.
Remember that a CD drive may be different from computer to computer so that it is no good just saying the user will work off the CD and will never see the problem.
Date
I never was quite sure how dates were stored in the Dbase database, but I would not want to see any Y0 and Y1 years anywhere. Can the full date be used rigorously and everywhere please?
Comprehensive index and links to all 54 Newsletter articles
This is a lot of work. It has only been partially done for the later PAN’s. Can Ismail help here or a "secretary type " rather than wasting Ismail’s time. It would help if the articles could all be broken up into separate Word files.
Graphs of flowering and growth for each species in colour
I assume there will be accompanying text to say what the colours are all about. Yes, I hardly need to suggest this.
An electronic copy of The Atlas comprising:
There must be a photograph of each protea as well as the above please? If no photograph is available then tough, and the line drawing must suffice.
Full atlas coverage map for all Record Localities for linking to dBase protea file
How about including the shape file of under-atlassed areas. Is this a politically OK idea?
I liked Steve’s suggestion about type localities. Can a point shapefile of all 350 odd, type localities be created for distribution on the CD?
What are you going to do about co-ordinates being published (from the Coordinates file) for sensitive proteas? Display the co-ordinates to 4 (or 3) significant figures only?
Nigel Forshaw
The existing literature often includes quite accurate records and together with herbarium labels are available to any determined member of the general public. Protea Atlas Project data effectively have a 500 m filter (the record locality size) already operative. We must learn the lesson of Mi stokoei – that is, the danger of keeping localities secret and how secrecy results in unforeseen developments sneaking through and even resulting in the extinction of our most spectacular plant species. Even with filters and checks, those who really want the data will find it anyway. By contrast, those who should have access to the data, will probably be most inconvenienced by such filters. A nature conservation official reviewing a new development proposal cannot be expected to know that there is secret data protecting a very rare species. S/He must have the data on tap. So should the developers - so that they know not to waste their money on proposals that will not be approved!
Tony Rebelo
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