Ecological Data: Design, Management and Processing (Methods in Ecology)

Rating:
Summary: Practical introduction of important topic
Review: This book offers practical advise for the ecologist or biological data manager. Although some of the principles of data management in this book should be review for those in the field, this book brings together this advise in one place. Most useful to me were the sections on data archiving and metadata, which go hand in hand. Throughout the book are references to data standards, and examples (such as online web sites) of implementing the principles. I would have appreciated more mention of XML, which has the potential to promote data exchange. I would have enjoyed more discussion of warehousing and mining, but you have to have the basic data management first! I would whole heartedly agree with the basic premise of the book of the need for treating data as a resource and the need for stewardship to increase understanding, data value, and understand long term problems.

Rating:
Summary: Practical introduction of important topic
Review: This book offers practical advise for the ecologist or biological data manager. Although some of the principles of data management in this book should be review for those in the field, this book brings together this advise in one place. Most useful to me were the sections on data archiving and metadata, which go hand in hand. Throughout the book are references to data standards, and examples (such as online web sites) of implementing the principles. I would have appreciated more mention of XML, which has the potential to promote data exchange. I would have enjoyed more discussion of warehousing and mining, but you have to have the basic data management first! I would whole heartedly agree with the basic premise of the book of the need for treating data as a resource and the need for stewardship to increase understanding, data value, and understand long term problems.