Overview

Today's session will have three purposes:

1. To introduce students to the emerging field of informatics, which is the electronic exchange of data (typically using the Internet) and their subsequent analysis.

2. To begin an a discussion of electronic imaging

A. Informatics is an emerging discipline that involves sharing and subsequent analysis of data using computers. Informatics typically involves two categories of activities:

• Those associated with providing data
• Those associated with utilizing data

B. Steps for providing data:

• Collect data following effective protocols, incorporating effective QA/QC measures
• Format the data in a logical (ideally standardized), retrievable manner
• Create a metadata document
• Upload the data and metadata to a server

C. Steps for utilizing data

• Formulate a question
• Search for data
• Identify datasets that bear upon the question
• Inspect the datasets (including metadata documents) for usefulness
• Download the data and incorporate into appropriate archiving / analysis software
• Conduct necessary data manipulations, analyses, and visualizations to answer questions and communicate findings

D. Example of Providing Data

Get your red hot data here

E. Example of Data Mining

1. Availability of data on the web (see example 1, and example 2)

2. One technique for capturing tabular data using cemetery data example

a. Save the dataset using your web browser

b. Open the dataset using Excel

c. Go through the parsing functions of Excel

d. Check for anomalous values

e. Reformat data to suit objectives

II. Introduction to electronic imaging

A. Discuss general terminology related to imaging

B. Learn how to use image applications

1. Object-oriented (drawing) using MS Word features

• Lines, dashes, and arrows
• Rectangles, ovals
• Autoshapes
• Creating colored lines and fills
• Creating 3D effects

2. Create an illustration of your room

This page posted and maintained by Kenneth M. Klemow, Ph.D., Biology Department, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766. (570) 408-4758, kklemow@wilkes.edu.