| Product Name: |
Dunebase 2 |
| Level: |
Second Year Tertiary / Third Year Tertiary / Post-grad |
| Platform: |
PC - Windows® |
| Supplied Information: |
Dunebase is a database (expert system) of the coastal area of New South Wales with some facilities for querying that database. It is a useful resource for those interested in the geomorphology, vegetation and to a lesser extent the use of the coastal zone of NSW. The database contains some general background geographical information together with details of most of the beaches, useful properties of coastal plants, vegetation associations, plant descriptions and recreational uses. |
| Possible Use: |
This product is suitable for Second Year Tertiary / Third Year Tertiary / Post-grad courses for use by students without supervision. |
| Price: |
$98 + $5 p/h |
| Developer/s: |
David Chapman & Bruce Bailey |
| Review: |
Dunebase is a database of the coastal area of New South Wales with some facilities for querying that database. It is not a computer aided learning program. It is a useful resource for those interested in the geomorphology, vegetation and to a lesser extent the use of the coastal zone of NSW. The database contains some general background geographical information together with details of most of the beaches, useful properties of coastal plants, vegetation associations, plant descriptions and recreational uses. The data tends to be generalised. For example, every beach from the Queensland border to Kempsey has the same description of the strand line complex(A1) and all are "especially affected by off-road vehicles: and all represent "the southern limit of tropical strand line species." The collection of more detailed information would obviously be a major task, but it is important to appreciate the level of detail present for some data. The beaches are listed from north to south which could make it difficult for anyone unfamiliar with the area to select a particular beach. The map showing the location of the beach is also very generalised and of limited value. It might have been better to use this as a means of selecting the beaches. It would have been nice to have a map of each beach, even a sketch map, and a photo. Reference is made to the 1:25 000 scale maps of the Land Information Centre, although this is not stated. The vegetation database is the most comprehensive with a useful glossary using hypertext. The use of more diagrams, as found here, as well as photographs would enhance the database considerably. Good points are the ability to search for a plant by either its common or scientific name and identify plants meeting selected criteria. The section on recreation is not well integrated into the rest of the database and appears to be more of an add-on, although users will be able to do their own manual integration of the data. For example, there is no indication of which of the four beach types each beach belongs to and the urban beaches are omitted. The database is most likely to be of value to a limited range of students studying coastal geomorphology or biogeography. It could also be useful in teaching about the decision making process by providing "a user friendly information management system." It is no more and no less than that. Many users will be put off by the large amounts of text on the screen and the lack of illustrations. The design and layout could be improved. The software is easy to load and run. Text can be printed, although not as neatly as might be desired on the laser printer used and omitted the diagrams would require cutting and pasting. There are also the occasional "no information available screens" when clicking on hypertext links. There is no doubt that this is a useful resource. It would be good if a more detailed revision could be produced in the future. |
|
Alan Jones, Department of Geography & Planning, University of New England, ajones@metz.une.edu.au |
| |
| Supplier: |
David Chapman, Dept of Geography, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia |
| Date Record Last Modified: |
6/1/97 |
