Training course „Creation and management of databases"

The main purpose of the training course is to contribute to the promotion of new strategies and technologies in designing and management of advanced information systems in wetland studies and to develop practical skills among participants in implementation and use of different types of biological databases. Several FP7 initiatives and projects focus on the organization, integration and sustainability of databases related to biodiversity and ecology.

Programme:

18 May 2010

9.15-9.30         Opening ceremony

9.30-10.30       Data publication, data sharing and XML mark up - Lecture and discussions, Lyubomir Penev

10.30-11.00     Coffee break

11.00 -12.00    Scratchpads – general concepts and applications - Lecture and discussions, Dave Roberts & Vladimir Blagoderov

12.00 -14.00    Lunch

14.00 – 18.00  Scratchpads – how to use? Practical issues training, Dave Roberts & Vladimir Blagoderov

15.45 – 16.15  Coffee break

18.30 -              Get together party

19 May 2010

9.30 -10.30      ALTER-Net infobase and semantic issues of ecological databases and solutions, Herbert Schentz

10.30- 12.00    Participation of Bulgarian participants in the protest against the financial policy of the government related to the education and science

12.00 – 14.00   Lunch

14.00-15.00      The documentation system in the herbarium of Agricultural University - Plovdiv (SOA), Kiril Stoyanov 

15.00 – 15.30   Coffee break

15.30-17.00      Free on-line Database AVIMAL – advances and challenges, Pavel Zehtindjiev

20 May 2010  

9.30-10.15        Relational databases - basic concepts, Yordan Biserkov 

10.15-11.00     Open source alternative of reference database, Plamen Pankov

11.00-11.30     Coffee break

11.30-12.30     PESI – concepts and applications, Pavel Stoev

12.30-13.00     Closing ceremony

13.00-14.30     Farewell party

Summary of the lecture sessions and practical exercises

Main topics of the training course included:

• Scratchpads and AVIMAL information system - general concepts and applications
• Data publication, data sharing and XML mark up
• Approaches and methods in creation of databases;
• Reference databases;
• ALTER-Net infobase and semantic issues of ecological databases and solution.
• PESI 7FP project – concepts and applications.

The lectures and practicals were presented by scientists from The Museum of Natural History, London - Dr David Roberts and Dr. Vladimir Blagoderov, Herbert Schentz – expert in LTER databases, managing editor of ZooKeys and scientist from CLGE - Dr L. Penev, expert biologist in the frame of WETLANET project - Dr P. Zehtindjiev, Dr P. Stoev from the Museum of Natural History in Sofia, the curator of the herbarium of Agricultural University - Plovdiv (SOA)- Dr K. Stoyanov, biologist P. Pankov and master in information technologies – Y. Biserkov.

Copies of the presentations are available on request from Dr Vlada Peneva, vpeneva@ecolab.bas.bg

For some pictures from the event, please click here.