Hawaii Natural Resources Monitoring Database

"Version 2"

Proposed /changes enhancements

Proposed changes/enhancements for version 2 of the Monitoring Database

Following is a list of brief descriptions of each of the proposed changes/enhancements to be included in "version 2" of the Monitoring Database (more technical detailed descriptions follow in the next section).

• The "direction" field in MONUNITS/etc. will allow >1 (e.g. 3? 6?) characters (to allow recording of "NNE" or "NNW350", etc.)

• Include a mechanism to allow taxon codes to be duplicated among various organism types (e.g. FlePur could be used to identify either a plant, animal, or lichen)

• TAXA & TAXONCOD tables will be combined to simplify maintenance (PDOXWIN v.7/8 features make this possible & reasonable).

• Many more "info source" fields (metadata!) will be added within taxonomic infrastructure.

• A(n easier) way to identify standard vs. user-defined taxon codes (and other taxonomic units) will be included.

• Put "extract" buttons on data entry screen for each Data Set Type

• A separate field will be included in the TAXA table to document the source of the info in the "Vernacular name(s)" field. Additionally, the "Vernacular name(s)" field may be split into two fields: one for English vernacular name(s), the other for Hawaiian vernacular name(s).

Please feel free to suggest additional enhancements during the Monitoring Database Adminstrators' Workshop or afterwards; after the workshop, please submit suggestions in writing (preferably via e-mail) to the Monitoring Database System Designer/Coordinator at the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project). This is your chance to get your input heard!! PLEASE take advantage of it!!

Details of proposed Monitoring Database version 2 changes/enhancements

• 990415/pt: change GENERA's "Genus description" field to A200 (from M1)

• 990415/pt: add "This rec's info src(s)" field to (at least) all taxonomic tables

• 990415/pt: add "genus info source" to GENERA table, "class info source" for CLASSES table, etc.

• 990415/pt: add "genus authority" to GENERA table, "class authority" for CLASSES table, etc.

• 990415/pt: add "genus auth. info source" to GENERA table, "class auth. info source" for CLASSES table, etc.

• 990415/pt: add "genus auth. publ. year" to GENERA table, "class auth. publ. year" for CLASSES table, etc.

• 990415/pt: (possibly?) add a "taxonomic authorities" table, including "official" abbreviations & interpretations

• 990415/pt: (possibly?) add a "taxonomic authorities references" table, including bibliographic references to authority citations

• 971006: per Coleen (ok'd by PT), the "direction" field in MONUNITS/etc. should have >1 (e.g. 3) characters (to allow stuff like NNE, etc.)

• 971006: (work out a scheme-e.g. an additional field in TAXONCOD--to allow duplication of taxon codes ACROSS organism groups--brainstorm: instead of having the extra code be redundant & reflect exact same info as "kindgom", call it "taxon scheme" -- this would then solve Cliff's problem about using a scheme for just lichens, etc... btw, write cliff an e-mail about this idea, and continue to ask him for even a theoretical framework RE: how his lichen coding scheme can work...)

• 971009: use PDOXWIN7 files: TAXA & TAXONCOD tables should be COMBINED; use "unique 2ndary index" feature to keep TaxonCode field unique, AND make it a required field (have it be auto-calculated based on existing data in database, but allow manual override)

• 971009: add "Family source" field to GENERA table

• 971014: maybe have a FIELD in TAXONCOD* which specifies whether the taxon code is a STANDARD taxon code or a USER-DEFINED taxon code (should probably use TCORGCOD here-so will be unique for all users; also, this may be how the TCORGCOD field can be easily expanded to exceed the [currently limiting] 1­character code that it is now; using the "unique 2ndary index" feature of the PDOXWIN v.7 engine, can keep "Taxon code" field unique on its own (w/o having to worry about whether there are dups between user-defined/standard codes) [*or in TAXA-w/ respect to other suggestion in this list about combining those 2 tables]; in fact, for EACH taxonomic table (KINGDOM, … TAXONCOD), indicate (via a field of some sort-e.g. see prev. notes RE: use of TCORGCOD) whether each record is "standard" or user-defined.

• 971020: (Although this will be a moot point after the above items are implemented,) make cascade RI from TAXA-GENERA "prohibited", then ALLOW cascade from TAXONCOD-TAXA. Much more useful (since only one or the other can be in place at any given time); and people should be forced to think more carefully about globally changing a genus, anyway. (Also, the TAXA-INFRASP RI must be changed to "prohibit" cascade.)

• 971031/pt: Put "extract" buttons on data entry screen for each Data Set Type (instead of or in addition to putting them on the UTILITIES | EXTRACT menu….) [NOTE:  the way they're set up now, there are both local(to the button) and shared (from form level) subroutines… if the buttons are to be placed on individual forms, a subroutine library should be created for common use; if they are to ALSO remain on the UTILITIES | EXTRACT menu, the code needs to be moved EITHER to individual scripts OR to library subroutines (now THERE's an idea!!)]

• 980416/pt: Add a field to TAXA to document the SOURCE(s) of info in the "Vernacular name(s)" field; perhaps also add separate "English vernacular name" and "Hawaiian vernacular name" fields.