[TriLUG] OT: Standardized Data Crunching

[MG]

Tom Roche wrote:
> Ah, yes: a central catalog of data. Good luck with that :-) Phil
> Rhodes is quite correct that RDF et al provide the means to provide
> standardized global-scale repositories; unfortunately they don't
> provide the funding to do that.
>
>
>   


Just to give you an idea of what's involved with one application that's 
gathered and presented one type type of data, here's the EPA's watershed 
database:


http://www.epa.gov/storet/

There are plans for other types, but only the watershed data seems to be 
there in any quantity.


Note the EPA imposes a standard format on the data before it's uploaded 
from its public sources.  The public users who are also the source of 
the data do the work of pre-formatting the data before it goes into the 
network  While it's doable for users at each end of a node, it would be 
a gargantuan job at the main database end.  Standardizing pre-existing 
data is one of the biggest hurdles to this type of project.


MG