Database Frontiers

They aren’t really frontiers anymore, but I’m learning more about NoSQL databases and use cases–specifically, what the best way to create a better fossil specimen database is.  The use case would be a simple “what do we have and where is it” database for the University of North Dakota paleo collections.

Ideal features are

  • Easy replication or download, in case someone wants to run an analysis on all or part of the database.
  • Easy and or flexible query capabilities.  I’m getting the impression I get one or the other.
  • Easy import.
  • Versioning would be nice.
  • Scalability (in the end, 500,000 specimens).

So far CouchDB and MongoDB are my frontrunners, and even though I think CouchDB has more of the features I’d like to use, the supposedly easier querying in MongoDB has me intrigued.  This is definitely not going to be a post comparing the two.  It’s possible that MySQL is the right choice, and I am re-exploring that possibility.  I’m beginning to shy away from NodakPaleo as it exists right now, because Drupal adds a layer of complexity between researchers and the data.  Sure, it’s nice to have all the extras and be able to build a View that you can query a certain way via GUI, but ideally the databse would have an API that could be used by researchers for more interesting things–mapping exercises, mashups with different datasets, etc.  For that to happen, I think a JSON/BSON/XML document database may be the best choice in the end.  

I just want people to be able to talk to it and use it in a way that makes sense to them.  Continuing on, I hope to add more comprehensible thoughts about each option and how I am learning (because I know very little about these systems).

Finally, if you want to see where my free time went during 2007, check out SpecimenDB, the PHP/MySQL version I created.  Much of the backend I scraped from ‘PHP and MySQL for Dummies,’ but apparently I learned a lot that summer.  This is a new installation, so it obviously doesn’t have any information in it.

 

Question: Do Charity Bicycle Rides Work?

I’m not talking about mass gran fondo-style rides like MS150, but the smaller “a few of us are going to ride from X to Y and raise money along the way” type of rides.  I’m genuinely curious: do they raise money?  I can understand “awareness” as a goal (some of my friends are running across North Dakota this summer), but can riding from North Dakota to Florida really raise $500,000?

Here’s an opportunity for someone to do some Googling and make some graphs comparing how much money can be raised by different charity strategies.  I’d be interested in knowing.

In the Snow

Life is like a field full of snow…or a campus quad.  The deeper the snow, the fewer paths there will be.  Most people are content to walk around the snow on paved paths.  Some people will follow paths trodden by others.  Only a few will create new paths across the field, either to go to new places or create quicker routes than those that have been established.  It’s up to us how much snow we’re willing to walk through, and who we’re willing to follow.

Sharrows on University pass City Council

Read the Herald report here: http://www.grandforksherald.com/content/grand-forks-city-council-oks-bike-markers

But council member Tyrone Grandstrand called for the several bicyclists who attended the meeting to speak and say why they want sharrows on University as opposed to other roads.
The four cyclists who spoke said they’ll bike on University Avenue with or without sharrows, because it’s the fastest, most direct path between UND and downtown.
Council member Ken Vein said if the bicyclists are using University anyway, the city might as well make it safer.

More on this later.  The Northern Star Cycling Club was tweeting some of the more interesting commentary from the meeting, but I didn’t audio record it this time.

Update: The official video from the city council meeting is up.  Direct download item 4.14.

GFK City Council to Vote on Sharrows/Bike Lanes along University Ave

Meeting is Monday, 17 March 2014, at 5:30 PM at Grand Forks City Hall.
People who ride bicycles: We think sharrows will pass, but anyone who can show up, please do.  Other worries are that intersection treatments at University/Columbia and University/Washington have still not been addressed as part of this process.

Here is the council packet for this agenda item.

Here are the minutes from the 3/11 Service/Safety Committee meeting.  (Interesting also that a mysterious bike lane has shown up along 47th Ave S, for which nobody is claiming responsibilty)

I’ll leave you with this, which is a public comment submitted to the survey put out by the Greenway & Trail Users Group (click for larger):

More on University Ave Sharrows

[Sorry for the haphazard nature of this, just trying to get the information out there.  As soon as I know something firm, I will edit this post and probably get a new one up.]

Part 1

The minutes from the Grand Forks City Council/Service-Safety Committee from February 11 are available here.  Item number 11 (discussed) relates to adding sharrows to University Avenue between Columbia Road and North 3rd Street.  This was brought up for discussion because it is a change in the original plan of bike lanes along this stretch.

(In the minutes, I think “bikepath”is meant in every case to mean “bike lane,” however I have heard from other sources that to many in the local government, shared-use paths are the only acceptable places for people on bicycles to be, so I am curious as to if (in some people’s minds) “bike lane” is synonymous with “shared-use off-street path.”)

The City Engineer’s office is comfortable recommending sharrows, but not bike lanes, due to width restrictions (specifically related to snow pileup in the winter) (pers. comm. with Jason Schaefer).  This was stated in the S/S meeting minutes as well.

The committee moved to hold a decision for two more weeks from the meeting (in minutes), which would put it on Feb25th. I hear there may be an open house on the subject, hopefully before a decision is made  The public input meeting is Thursday, Feb 27th at 4:30 PM, A101, City Hall.  The Greenway & Trail Users Advisory Group is the official organized first contact if you have ideas or opinions on this sort of thing.

Part 2

As has been brought to my attention, there are two issues at stake here:  First, some people are concerned about that the process of creating the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, during which there were multiple opportunities for public comment, is being thwarted by City Engineering after the plan was approved by City Council.  That is, “the plan calls for a bike lane, so why are sharrows going in?”  Second, some people are disappointed that sharrows are going in rather than bike lanes.  These are both reasonable questions to ask.
I don’t think there’s any sort of power struggle between the council and engineering–I think engineering is doing the best they can to match the spirit of the bike/ped plan–but I do think that they may be acting extra cautious because this will be the first use of either a) sharrows or b) a marked bike lane between a travel lane and a parking lane in Grand Forks.  If we can provide data-driven, engineering-based solutions from other cities, I think we could work out some kind of compromise on both of these issues.

Site Update and Comments

Quick note that I’m still in the process of re-opening comments for all previous posts.  This was turned off when I moved everything over from Blogspot.  Also, any posts labeled “Anonymous” are actually by me, and I am fixing that as well.  Editing every post takes a little bit of time, but it does give me the chance to read what I’ve written before and identify some themes and some areas I’d like to improve.

If you find a post that you absolutely MUST comment on immediately, please get in touch–I love comments!

Update on NW East Grand Forks Plan

  • Multi-use trail and sharrows on 10th St NW is “not happening any time soon” because of budgetary snafus.
  • Gateway/5th Ave. NW intersection is delayed until 2022 (I assume this is “at the earliest.”
Original plan/study result: http://www.theforksmpo.org/PDFS/FinalEGFNWStStudy.pdf
Has been superseded by the 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan: http://www.theforksmpo.org/2040LRTP.html

Source: Email with MPO contact.