Abstract:
The establishment of a computerized data
management system (DMS) for the OSU College of
Forestry's properties is documented. The properties
consist of about 14,000 acres and are
used by many departments at OSU for instruction
and research, as well as being managed for financial
return.
The steps followed in establishing the DMS
were:
1.The potential users of the DMS that would
assist in its establishment were identified.
2.Both the intended applications of the DMS
and the variables to be stored were determined. 3.The capabilities that the basic DMS must have
so that, with supplementary programming, the
users' needs could be met were defined.
4.The basic DMS's located in the literature
review were evaluated for adequate capabilities
of data storage, retrieval, update, deletion
and addition.
5.The DMS's having adequate capabilities were
compared in several other areas, such as,
compatibility with existing OSU equipment and
cost of implementation. A DMS was then
selected for implementation.
6.The DMS was implemented. This included
determing data structure in storage, writing
supplementary programs, and writing a user's
manual.
7.The DMS was evaluated for how well it met the
users' needs, ease of use, cost of use, and
ease of modification.
The steps followed, the defined users' needs
and the conclusions presented should be applicable
to any similar situation.
