The KTOI Ecosystem Project Relational Database : a Report Prepared by Statistical Consulting Services for KTOI Describing the Key Components and Specifications of the KTOI Relational Database.
- Statistical Consulting Services
Data are the central focus of any research project. Their collection and analysis are crucial to meeting project goals, testing scientific hypotheses, and drawing relevant conclusions. Typical research projects often devote the majority of their resources to the collection, storage and analysis of data. Therefore, issues related to data quality should be of foremost concern. Data quality issues are even more important when conducting multifaceted studies involving several teams of researchers. Without the use of a standardized protocol, for example, independent data collection carried out by separate research efforts can lead to inconsistencies, confusion and errors throughout the larger project. A database management system can be utilized to help avoid all of the aforementioned problems. The centralization of data into a common relational unit, i.e. a relational database, shifts the responsibility for data quality and maintenance from multiple individuals to a single database manager, thus allowing data quality issues to be assessed and corrected in a timely manner. The database system also provides an easy mechanism for standardizing data components, such as variable names and values uniformly across all segments of a project. This is particularly an important issue when data are collected on a number of biological/physical response and explanatory variables from various locations and times. The database system can integrate all segments of a large study into one unit, while providing oversight and accessibility to the data collection process. The quality of all data collected is uniformly maintained and compatibility between research efforts ensured. While the physical database would exist in a central location, access will not be physically limited. Advanced database interfaces are created to operate over the internet utilizing a Web-based relational database, allowing project members to access their data from virtually anywhere. These interfaces provide users with the ability to upload, download, edit, and search data remotely, creating a dynamic system that is continually updated with the most recent information. At the same time, data are protected through user access restrictions, by implementing user profiles and password protected security. This accessibility could be set to any combination of read/write/edit abilities from an administrator capacity with full access to all data, to a highly restricted public access capability limited to general project information. Generation of customized summary reports and basic graphical routines could also be obtained through a Web-based interference. Using these types of features, users could produce summary tables, track trends of specified response variables over time or location, and compare results from various disciplines. Exploration of data in this manner can help users to better define and clarify their research goals and provide a means of integrating various aspects of a larger research project.
- Research Organization:
- Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Portland, OR (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- 39133
- OSTI ID:
- 967047
- Report Number(s):
- P113487; R&D Project: 1994-049-00; TRN: US200923%%97
- Resource Relation:
- Related Information: "Submitted September 2009"
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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