A GPS Based Cattle Grazing Behavior
Monitoring and Analysis System
There are a number of animal, environmental, and management factors that affect
cattle grazing distribution in a pasture. Proper grazing distribution is a factor
which can increase livestock production per unit area. Water, air temperature,
dispersion of thermal foci (e.g., shade trees) are some of the variables that
affect animal movement both spatially and temporally. This paper describes a
project that was initiated with one of the objectives to develop a web based
user friendly online system that would enable extension specialists, instructors
and students to run analyses on the collected data, develop one or more hypotheses
and test them using the data available in the system. By doing so the team expects
to strengthen the experimentation and learning abilities of agricultural community
and academics.
---
A Soil Test Analysis and Fertilizer Recommendation System:
Java Web Service’s Application
A computer-based soil testing analysis, reporting, and data management system
has been developed to allow delivery of analytical results via the web. In this
system Java-based web service technology is used to provide an interactive web-based
computer application program.
The system has four major management modules including user management, soil
sample data management, report management, and billing management. A central
database server (MySQL) was used to collect and manage all analytical data and
user information. A decision support system program, written in Java, was developed
to provide fertilizer recommendations based on soil sample results and crops.
On a web-connected computer the soil testing service office can create or update a customer profile, submit or update soil sample information upon customer request, upload analytical results from lab computers to the database/application server, and generate/update invoices for farmers/homeowners based on quantities of soil samples tested. Customers can directly access the system on any web-connected computer to get fertilizer recommendations for soil samples as well as view and print their soil test report in an electronic format (PDF). Analytical data can be periodically downloaded as Excel summary files which will provide regional soil information to soil analysis investigators and Extension specialists. Some computer techniques applied in the system will be discussed in the presentation, such as Tomcat server, Java Bean, JSP, JWSP, and PDF generator. As an application of the system, some test reports generated by the system will be shown in the paper.
---
A Virtual Bovine Anatomy
and Physiology Lab
In an academic setting it is difficult to instruct students in the anatomy of
a beef animal. It has generally required that a beef carcass be fabricated into
wholesale and retail cuts or dissection of individual muscles. This could only
happen in a laboratory and a substantial cost would be incurred for each lab
session. Without individual animals the student could progress only at the same
rate as the class. The student also would not have the benefit of being able
to study away from the lab. Books or manuals can assist somewhat, but these
are only two-dimensional in nature, making it difficult to understand some of
the spatial relationships between muscles. This article introduces how we developed
a web site that tries to address the above issues and will serve as a resource
for not only academics but also to the industry.
---
Access E Info: Internet Education
for Communities
One way rural communities can compete in a global economy is by taking full
advantage of the benefits of the Internet. The key to making the most of the
Internet is being knowledgeable about how to best use it today and understand
potential future uses. Rural communities are eager for educational tools to
help them develop into savvy users. Access e-Info is a suite of programs that
helps community and business leaders, residents, small businesses, local governments
and nonprofit agencies make informed decisions about using the Internet.
Access e-Info currently offers programs on eCommerce, eGovernment, education
for workforce development or people new to the Internet, and a primer on broadband
infrastructure in rural communities. Each of the programs is on online, self-directed
guide that is easy to read, kept up to date, and has many pertinent resources
and links. Online guides can be found at http://www.accesse.info/ In addition,
presentation and hands-on materials are available for offering local community
workshops.
This presentation will showcase the Access e-Info programs, including content
excerpts and applications in communities.
---
Arizona Flora and Fauna Image
Gallery
The Arizona Flora and Fauna Image Gallery is an online collection of plant,
animal, and plant disease images. This is a collaborative effort between University
of Arizona Cooperative Extension and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Networking Lab AgData Project.
The primary purpose of the Arizona Flora and Fauna Image Gallery is to assist
University of Arizona faculty with the identification of plants, animals, and
plant diseases, or for other educational purposes. Use by the public is also
encouraged. University of Arizona faculty and staff from various departments
within the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences and Cooperative Extension
offices throughout Arizona have contributed to this database.
In the process of developing this site, several lessons were learned.
These include:
• Does the right hand know what the left hand is doing? Departmental collaborations
are not always smooth.
• If you build it, they may not come. Faculty are often too busy to submit
photos, or they have photos but no supporting metadata. Incentives to contribute,
and proper marketing, are essential.
• Taking care of business. Proper administrative support and funding is
also essential.
• When is enough, enough? Don’t try to create an all-inclusive application.
A limited but user-friendly site is better. Too much leeway in data entry can
confuse users, not help them.
Despite some difficulties, the site is live, and has over 2000 photos currently.
More are being added all the time.
---
Building Interactive
Graphic Simulations to Help Students Understand Nitrogen Transformations in
the Soil
Nitrogen is one of the most important macronutrients essential to the growth
of plants. In soil-plant-microbial systems, it undergoes a series of chemical
and biological transformations which regulates its availability to plants and
also generates health and environmental concerns. Better understanding on how
biological activities and environmental factors regulate soil nitrogen (N) transformations
is essential to guide farming practices for better plant production and environmental
quality.
This presentation introduces how we use Java, Perl and XML languages to re-engine an empirical NCSOIL FORTRAN model and transform it into an interactive Internet based system. The newly designed system enables users to graphically simulate how soil N transformations are regulated by common farming practices and environmental factors. The University of Nebraska used the system to teach a Soil Resources class in the Fall of 2003. It is reported that it helps teachers explain and students understand concepts related to N transformations in soil. It also makes it possible for users to build a solid knowledge base in a faster, more efficient manner. This presentation includes student evaluation results based on its usage in classrooms at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
---
Collaborative
Project Management and Planning
The Enterprise application team of AgIT took a new, collaborative approach to
project management on their latest application development. This presentation
will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this approach. A great deal
of time was spent in project planning as a team in all day sessions that we
called camps. The entire team participated and that created an empowered team.
This presentation will consist of a short presentation on the process and will
leave a good deal of time for questions, answers and discussion.
---
Content Mgt System for
County Extension - What is Next?
A year ago in Nebraska we deployed a Content Management System (CMS) web application
for our county extension offices. We hoped that it would empower more staff
to be able to provide more of their own content on their web site themselves,
while we also wanted to maintain the quality of what was provided.
With a year’s experience, what have we learned? What are the strengths
and weaknesses of using CMS? What are the support issues of users with wide
ranging skills and technical aptitudes? If we could have seen what we know now,
what would we have done differently? WHAT IS NEXT?
---
Corralling, Cajoling,
and Coercing Your Content Providers
Technology aside, how do you actually work with people in your organization
to develop and deliver rich Web content? During this session, the University
of Vermont (UVM) Extension “Web Team”—composed of a publications
editor, information technology specialist, and technical support specialist—will
share their experiences.
Over the course of the past two years, they have led the charge to adopt use of the UVM Template Publishing System, which provides a consistent page layout and navigational structure. During the last year, they have reorganized UVM Extension’s entire Web site to be more navigable by clientele, and focused their efforts on adding usable educational content. But they haven’t done it alone. Communicators and information technologists depend on subject matter specialists to provide educational content. Identifying and gathering, or corralling, content can be as easy as cajoling faculty and staff content providers or as difficult as coercing them.
In UVM Extension, a top-down strategy involving administrators, faculty, and staff was used to identify the topics of information that would be included in the new Web site and the standard categories of information that would be available for each topic, with the goal of making useful educational content more easily accessible by Extension clientele.
---
Creating Content
Management Sites with MS Share Point
Content management has become the current focus for many development entities,
especially at the university level. The basic idea is that content and presentation
(technical infrastructure) are separated. This allows the client to focus on
what they know best – the content, while IT groups can focus on the infrastructure
to meet presentation needs.
Purdue’s Agriculture Information Technology (AgIT) department has been
creating content management sites since 1999. While the technology has changed
over the years, our concept has not. We have provided a custom, web-based environment
that will be easy and efficient for the client. The cost of such an endeavor
is usually 3 to 4 months of development resources per project.
Content management tools have recently begun to flood the market. But, as many
of us have discovered, they are cost prohibitive. What if there was a tool that
would meet the needs of your basic sites? And what if that tool’s cost
was the purchase of a FrontPage/Share Point license and a server to place it
on. Special programming needs, you ask? All you need are the basics of creating
MS FrontPage templates and knowledge in CSS. That’s it … no catch!
Join us as we demo how to use MS Share Point to create content management sites.
If you are still debating whether to attend, what if we told you that we have
decreased development time from an average of 3 months to 2 weeks?
---
Do Customers Know Where You Are?... Putting
Extension On the Map
As the extension service of each state struggles to get its fair share of the
shrinking budgetary pie, letting customers know where you are and what you have
been doing become more important than ever. Even those on the frontline (i.e.,
county agents) doubt the effectiveness of their reports as the narratives and
numbers get distilled going up the administrative ladder and then down again to
the legislators and targeted constituents. Consequently, final reports end up
with abstracted ownership associated with generic location. One of the most
effective ways of driving home the impacts any extension program to
administrators, colleagues, and customers, without losing the sense of
"ownership", is associating any of your activities with geography. This
presentation describes the development of a pilot Texas Cooperative Extension
MapBuilder that goes beyond the differential coloring of county boundaries.
Some of its features include monochromatic and thematic color set option,
mapping type options (choropleth, prism, and block), customizable titles,
legends, and footnotes, transparency option, data entry interface for "response"
data, and more. This is NOT a GIS system but could be complementary to it. The
objective of this project is to provide county agents, faculty, and staff with a
simple and interactive tool to generate maps that can be used for web sites,
presentations, and reports without going through the agony of learning and
using a complicated GIS system.
---
EDIS: Extension
Publication Management from Cradle to Grave
Electronic Data Information Source (EDIS) is a publication management system
which UF/IFAS has been using since 1994 for the creation, storage, and online
display of extension publications. This hands-on workshop offers participants
the opportunity to learn how the EDIS system handles publications through
the full spectrum of their life cycles, from cradle to grave—and beyond.
Utilities to be demonstrated include:
EDIS Authoring Tool - an interface for entering structured content into the
EDIS database.
EDIS Administrative Tools - for cataloging, notification, and management.
EDIS Routing System - a web-based system for routing documents through the
approval process.
EDIS Website - featuring document, search and topic navigation pages dynamically
generated from content and metadata stored in the EDIS database.
EDIS Print-As-Needed ordering system - allowing county offices to order print
copies of EDIS publications as they are needed.
UF Smathers Libraries EDIS Cataloging Tools - tools used by the UF library for
automatic generation of MARC records and preservation of digital archival copies
of
EDIS publications.
---
E-Extension on the Agriculture
Network Information Center (AgNIC)
The Agriculture Network Information Center (AgNIC) is a voluntary alliance lead
by the National Agricultural Library (NAL), land-grant universities and other
agricultural organizations, in cooperation with citizen groups and government
agencies. AgNIC focuses on providing agricultural information in electronic
format over the World Wide Web via the Internet. One of the objectives of AgNIC
is that member participants take responsibility for small vertical segments
of agricultural information and develop Web sites and reference services in
specific subject areas. The collective AgNIC Web resource benefits all members
in ways that they cannot achieve on their own, thus justifying the local costs
of participation.
One AgNIC goal is to catalog all of the Cooperative Extension full text resources
into the AgNIC database. A cooperative agreement with USDA/NAL and Purdue University
has been established to create a structure for adding all of Purdue University’s
Cooperative Extension Service’s and the Aquaculture Network Information
Center’s resources to the AgNIC database. The database will allow the
user to search from a centralized site, via a web browser, and locate vetted
materials.
The cataloging involves the use of metadata, and AgNIC uses a modified Dublin
Core to accomplish this. The required Dublin Core fields for an AgNIC entry
are: Title, Description, Subject Descriptors (from NALT), URL, Type of Resource,
and Language. In addition, there are optional fields; Keywords, Coverage Area,
Coverage Spatial, Coverage date, Creator’s name, Publisher’s name,
Contributor’s name, Audience, Creation date, Modification date, Format
(media type), Source, Rights, Relation, and Cataloger’s notes.
The framework used for the AgNIC portal will be based on Zope open source software
with the underlying standards of an augmented Dublin Core metadata format, XML,
controlled vocabulary using the National Agricultural Library’s Agricultural
Thesaurus (NALT), and national digitizing standards. The National Agricultural
Library’s Agricultural Thesaurus (NALT) contains nearly 60,000 terms (39,172
descriptors and 19,039 lead-in terms). The search capability of AgNIC ties heavily
into the NALT. A search of the thesaurus can return “broader terms”,
“narrower terms”, “related terms”, and “suggested
terms” automatically.
The results of this project will be improved marketability and access to Extension
publications. Implementation of National e-Extension portal will decrease duplication
of effort across state boundaries and increase the likelihood that publications
will remain accessible through the ongoing stewardship of AgNIC.
---
"From The Chair"
NEWS: More than an online department newsletter. How to create, market and use
"people in the news" stories about teaching, research and extension
programs
The “From the Chair” News website (http://hcs.osu.edu/news) promotes
the people, programs, and products of the Horticulture & Crop Science Department
at The Ohio State University. The News website strives to keep both internal
and external alumni, friends and industry stakeholders up-to-date on the successes
of the department, its people and its programs. Through the publication of over
100 “people in the news” profiles and stories per calendar year,
this online resource has proven more valuable than a traditional printed department
newsletter. The website features an ongoing, active history of the department
by highlighting the activities of the faculty, staff, students, and alumni of
our plant science programs.
New stories are published on a timely basis with four stories added to the database
every two weeks. Interested alumni and friends receive an e-mail notice every
other week that informs them of the titles and abstracts of the newly published
stories. The growing e-mail distribution list now includes over 4,000 alumni,
industry partners, stakeholders and university personnel.
At the request of our Department Chairman, this website was created as a way
to communicate with all of client groups and alumni without mailing costly print
based newsletters. The stories cover the broad spectrum of research, teaching,
and service provided by the department in easy to read stories with photographs.
Utilizing a database background, the website allows users to search for stories
or browse back in time to view previously published news.
We will demonstrate the evolution of this product from its early development
to its current form. The technologies used for story management, photo management,
mailing list management and site management will be explained. We are also starting
to explore the options that RSS feeds offer and hope to demonstrate website
that use our news on their website as dynamic content.
---
Get in the Fast Lane to Editing and
Publishing Your Extension Web Sites!
The University of Wisconsin Extension – Cooperative Extension is now designing
web sites to use new web content editing software called Macromedia Contribute.
We have almost all of our 72 counties and several program area web sites using
the new Macromedia Contribute software. The benefits over using Microsoft FrontPage
or other web design software programs are proving to be numerous.
Benefits:
• Macromedia Contribute enables anyone to easily update and publish content
to existing websites in minutes without knowing HTML or how to FTP.
• Contribute use allows our web content editors/agents to get professional
results without needing web-design experience.
• A standardized UWEX Contribute interface empowers non-technical users
to begin updating and publishing website content right away.
• It also works with our web content editors/agents favorite software.
Agents simply cut and paste content directly from Microsoft Word or Excel into
their web pages.
• Macromedia Contribute even maintains text formatting and HTML code standards.
• Macromedia Contribute allows our agents to create professional web content
that automatically matches the look and feel of our UWEX standard design and
meets cross-browser compatibility standards.
• Our accessibility settings ensure each site complies with Section 508,
so people with disabilities can have full access to content.
• We are also able to maintain our websites integrity; lock-down site
design, permissions, and code to maintain both design standards and website
functionality, as well as supporting secure transfer protocol.
Take a look at the UW Extension Marathon County web site as an example of the
standard design that all of our counties will be using in the future.
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/marathon/
In the future, we are planning on implementing a content management system and
a master staff directory database that can be integrated into the Contribute
design. This part of the project is still in the research phase.
---
Implementing a Web Based Extension
Calendar
During 2003 leaders of Florida’s agriculture clientele shared a need with
the University of Florida IFAS Extension Director to have a single location
where they could find information on Extension educational activities, workshops,
seminars, field days and other training programs. These agricultural leaders
agreed to assist in marketing the information if the data could be web based,
in a single location, and be relevant to their needs.
The commercial, web-based calendar program called “PerlCal” was
selected for this project. This presentation will cover the topics of selecting
a web based calendar program, implementing the web-based calendar, encouraging
Extension professionals to use the calendars, and marketing the web-based calendar
to the public.
The software allows for HTML–based output, a user-friendly interface,
secure online restricted user updating from any of the 67 county office locations
and numerous campus departments.
---
Integrating
Extension Communication and Technology to Mitigate Natural Hazards and Security
Threats
When disaster strikes, Extension will respond at the community level with objective
educational messages, based on research, targeted to help society understand
the issues and cope with the problems. How Extension responds locally depends
on how well prepared the state and federal research and Extension partners are
to communicate with each other, to provide disaster education. The Extension
Disaster Education Network (EDEN) is working to ensure that Extension educators/agents
across the nation have access to an educational program and information delivery
system that helps them conduct and or facilitate local programs during all phases
of the disaster cycle. To establish itself (and Extension) as a popular choice
at the local level for objective disaster information, EDEN strives to become
more relevant to more people more often.
This requires taking a holistic approach to natural disaster and homeland security
education that addresses animal, plant and food biosecurity issues along with
other aspects of security: family and community preparedness and economic resilience;
human health and food safety, and the full array of natural hazards and physical
threats.
This presentation will put participants in touch with the resources available
through the EDEN Web site and communications network and describe some of the
challenges we face in developing the multi-state Web site and planning proper
educational responses for Extension in anticipation of the most likely threats.
---
Internet2 Applications
to Enhance the Management of Natural and Agro-ecosystems
This presentation will demonstrate how wireless networking and Internet2 applications
strengthen the ability of the agricultural community to conduct real-time research,
education and extension. Data is collected, transported and placed into Internet2
applications that organize and archive data, interpret it and present educational
products for use by student audiences.
The applications are organized in six learning modules focusing on 1) Improved Efficiencies of Nitrogen and Irrigation Management; 2) Grazing Behavior of Cattle in the Nebraska Sandhills; and 3) Carbon Sequestration and Global Climate Change. The project was funded in part through an Agricultural Telecommunications grant and is associated with the ADEC Advanced Internet Satellite Extension Project.
---
Internet-to-Go: Transportable
Satellite Internet System for Extension Programming
This presentation will be a discussion and demonstration of the Transportable
Satellite Internet System, a complete networking solution developed by The Ohio
State University and OARNet. The Transportable Satellite Internet System, or
TSIS trailer, is a small self-contained unit that can be towed by automobile
and used virtually anywhere with exposure to the southern sky. The unit is currently
used to provide temporary broadband Internet access, IP Video, Wireless LAN,
Voice over IP and wireless phone service to remote locations during Extension
and University events.
---
Is freeware worth the price?
Budget cuts have made it increasingly important to find computer applications
that are cost-effective. Management is reluctant to trust and use what is free.
Commercial products may not have all the features desired and usually carry
high prices. To address these issues, a variety of free products will be reviewed
that deserve serious consideration as useful replacements, add-ons or supplements
to higher cost products.
While there appears to be a vast number of products that are advertised as free,
sorting through them can be time consuming. Vendors use a liberal definition
of the term "free" to get your attention. This session will present
applications that have been used and do not require any monetary payment and
allow continuous use either at home, in education, or for business.
---
Learning
Environmental Science through computer games
An exhibit detailing information about water and waste was developed along with
a computer game entitled "What's Your E-IQ". This game has 3 levels
(beginners, intermediate and advanced) so that players of different ages and
experience can play the game. Utilizing touch screens, several thousand individuals
played the game at the 2003 Indiana State Fair and we have utilized it at several
smaller venues since then.
Each level of the game has different questions and leads the player to accomplish different tasks (e.g. get across a stream by use of rocks earned by correct answers). All players are told what the correct answers are to enable greater learning and at the conclusion of the game, all players are informed how many they correctly answered.
---
Let
your Fingers Do the Clicking:Using a Web-based Approach to Reach Childcare Providers
and Parents
How can Extension reach parents with timely and research-based information?
Hold a parenting class? Maybe...but what if nobody comes? Purdue Extension can
direct parents instead to the Provider-Parent Partnerships (PPP) website, http://www.extension.purdue.edu/providerparent
This presentation will focus on how Purdue Extension created a user-friendly
website designed to delivering educational information to two important underserved
populations—childcare providers and parents. The Provider-Parent Partnerships
(PPP) website links childcare providers to over 200 pages (as of March 2004)
of important information on topics such as parent-provider relationships, child
development, and guidance and discipline issues. Providers are able to search
the site, read information and hints for themselves, and print documents designed
for parents to use in newsletters or parenting programs, or to give directly
to the parents in their programs.
Because parenting issues remain on the forefront of many Extension programs,
PPP provides a powerful method of relaying important information to childcare
providers on how they can work with parents and talk to them about a variety
of issues. The session will describe the development and delivery of the Web
site. The evaluation strategy for gathering both process and outcome data from
parents and childcare providers also will be shared.
---
Make
Your Web Content Accessible to Everyone
Your web pages need to be accessible to anyone, anywhere, anytime, anyhow; this
means accommodating (1) readers who have disabilities, (2) readers with the
newest gadgets with very small screens, (3) readers with slow connections and
older equipment, and (4) readers use English as a secondary language. In this
session you will learn about the guidelines you should follow, take a look at
good and bad examples, and learn of the best resources to use to help in evaluating
your website and to use for quick tips and tutorials.
---
Needs Assessment:
Technology assists in discovering clients priorities
In 2003, we developed a short questionnaire to determine the needs for educational
programming in the water quality area. At a stand-alone space, utilizing a touch
screen computer, at the Indiana State Fair, we asked fair goers to prioritize
various water quality problems in Indiana We then compared this with the same
survey given to extension specialists and educators. This is an easy, flexible
and inexpensive method for acquiring public input into Extension decisions concerning
areas of emphasis and allocation of resources.
---
PlantFacts revised. An example of
integrating Factsheets, Movies, FAQ's, and media resources
Over the years, Factsheet Database, initiated in 1996, has been a special
feature of the OSU WebGarden website hosted by Ohio State University's
Department of Horticulture and Crop Science.
Factsheet Database enabled academic and industry users to search the entire collection of plant-related Extension fact sheets and bulletins from across the United States and Canada. It also included a separate database of information covering all academic departments offering a B.S. degree in horticulture.
As more multimedia resources were added to WebGarden, users were directed to multiple sections of the website to access these resources. To find photos and descriptions of plants, one would go to Plant Dictionary. If you wanted to watch a garden video, then you would go to Buckeye Gardener Videos.
Unfortunately, there was no common way to access information from all the collections at the same time. Searching each individual section can be time consuming. Our solution to this problem was to merge these resources into one consolidated tool keeping the name of PlantFacts. Improvements in processing power of servers, open-source software like HTDIG, and better server side scripting software have made this possible.
In this presentation, we will discuss the history, tools, and techniques used to produce this powerful information resource.
---
Putting Extension On the
Map: Letting Them Know Where You Are and What You Are Doing
As the extension service of each state struggles to get its fair share of the
shrinking budgetary pie, letting customers know where you are and what you have
been doing becomes more important than ever. Even those on the frontline (i.e.,
county agents) doubt the effectiveness of their reports as the narratives and
numbers get distilled going up the administrative ladder and then down again
to the legislators and targeted constituents.
Consequently, final reports end up with abstracted ownership associated with generic location. One of the most effective ways of driving home the impacts any extension program to administrators, colleagues, and customers, without losing the sense of "ownership", is associating any of your activities with geography.
This presentation describes the development of a pilot Texas Cooperative Extension (TCE) MapBuilder that goes beyond the differential coloring of county boundaries. Some of its features include monochromatic and thematic color set option, mapping type options (choropleth (2-D), prism (3-D), and block (bar graphs)), customizable titles, legends, and footnotes, transparency option, data entry interface for "response" data, and more. This is NOT a GIS system but could be complementary to it. It could be considered as a “poor man's” GIS. The objective of this project is to provide TCE county agents, faculty, and staff with a simple and interactive tool to generate maps that can be used for web sites, presentation, and reports without going through the agony of learning and using a complicated GIS system.
---
Responsive
Educational Technology: Using the Internet in a Time of Need
This presentation will focus on the development and maintenance of the “Children
and Terrorism” website, http://www.extension.purdue.edu/terrorism . Created
on September 11, 2001 hours after the terrorist attacks, this website provided
much needed information for parents, child care providers, youth workers, and
anyone who works with children and families on how to appropriately respond
to children’s questions and concerns.
With a global audience of over 30,000 in its first two weeks, the website has
continued to grow and expand its audience. It continues to get 100 to 200 visitors
a day and is linked to approximately 200 other web sites. This workshop will
discuss the methods and characteristics that contributed to the success of this
venture, including the extensive network of collaborators within Purdue University
and beyond. In addition, participants will learn how an outreach effort created
in response to a critical emergency has been transformed to an ongoing source
of educational information.
Participants will share approaches to linking electronic educational materials
to spin-off programs. Suggestions for evaluating web pages, including WebTrends,
and usage stats will also being explored.
---
Supporting Multiple Operating Systems with
Microsoft’s Virtual PC 2004
As if supporting end users at remote locations over dial-up isn’t maddening
enough, supporting users with four or five different operating systems can drive
your support staff insane.
This presentation will show how OSUE Computer Support is using MS Virtual PC
2004 to help telephone support personnel assist users running MS Windows 95, 98,
2000, Me, XP Home and XP Pro in over 90 county and district offices without
breaking the bank. The presenters will even describe how they are reducing
'server administration anxiety' by running a 'virtual terminal server' with
Virtual PC.
---
The Art
of Videoconferencing Over a Hybrid Network
Have you ever tried to produce a videoconference with presenters coming in over
h.323 Internet2 video backhauls via backbone and satellite IP network connections,
some coming in over a phone connection, others seated in a nearby television
studio, all connected and managed through a television production switcher and
then broadcast over C-Band satellite, Internet2 and a phone bridge?
How about managing issues like audio feedback or producing slides to communicate effectively over television and video streaming technologies?
This presentation will share how ADEC successfully produces such videoconferences while focusing on lessons learned and pointers on how to communicate effectively using a variety of networks and technologies.
---
The development of
Melcast: a melon disease forecasting system
Foliar disease of muskmelon and watermelon threaten fruit yield and quality.
Under conventional pest management, fungicides are applied on a schedule of
7 to 10 days. Temperature and moisture conditions greatly affect the amount
of disease that occurs at any given time. To lower fungicide expenses, improve
the timing of fungicide applications and make melon production more sustainable,
a weather-based disease forecasting system was developed. Initial experiments
were conducted in growth chambers where combinations of temperature and moisture
conditions were compared. Each combination of conditions was given a number
on the 0 to 10 Environmental Favorability Index (EFI) with 0 being no disease
and 10 being the most severe disease observed. Field plots were managed for
foliar diseases by applying fungicides on calendar-based schedules compared
to EFI based applications. Disease thresholds were then determined as 20 EFIs
for muskmelon and 35 EFIs for watermelon.
The first Melcast computer model was developed in Excel. Air temperatures (C),
relative humidity (%) and the hours of leaf wetness were collected hourly using
on-site instruments or purchased from a weather data service sent as e-mail each
morning. 24 hours of data are input to compute the EFI values. A toll-free
number and web page make these values available to melon growers.
This process required manual data importing and processing to Excel, then posting
to the web. In 2003, this process was automated by using an application server,
a database, and a web server. The Excel forecasting models were re-coded onto
the application server. The e-mailed daily weather data is read and parsed by
the application server for each site into the database. The forecasting model
is triggered to calculate the EFI values and stored into the database. The web
server, application server, and database provide access to the current EFI values
and an online weekly newsletter.
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The Eyes Have It
The purpose of this study is to compare retinal imaging with current identification
methods used in 4-H beef and sheep projects. Retinal imaging captures a digital
photo of the vascular pattern on the back of the eye. The patterns are unique
between eyes in a single individual, as well as between animals including twins.
Current identification methods in the 4-H program include taking a nose print
and placing a county identification tag in the ear of the enrolled animal. The
retinal technology encrypts the GPS position, visual tag number, county of enrollment
and a variety of other identifying information into the image of the retinal
vascular pattern.
The objectives of the study are to: (1) determine the effectiveness of retinal
imaging as a means of identification for 4-H beef and sheep projects; and (2)
compare the timing rates of retinal image collection versus nose printing. The
OptiReader device, designed by Optibrand Ltd., LLC, is being used to capture
retinal images and the associated software tracks the 4-H beef and sheep projects
enrolled in the seven selected counties.
The time lapse between scans will be from three to seven months depending on the species and the county involved. Data collection will continue until July 2004, at which images taken at the initial enrollment day will be verified against images taken at the County Fair. The verification process can be conducted on a visual basis as well as being submitted to a database for electronic verification. At the conclusion of data collection, rates of verification will be calculated for all animals and by species, and the rate of collection will be calculated for nose printing and retinal imaging as a whole and by county.
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The Toolbox CD: Agricultural
Tools, Equipment, Machinery, and Buildings for Farmers and Ranchers with Physical
Disabilities
Purdue University’s Breaking New Ground (BNG) Resource Center has been
assisting farmers and ranchers with disabilities since 1979. The Center’s
services include the documentation of assistive technology products to aid this
population, and to that end BNG produced its first edition of Agricultural Tools,
Equipment, and Machinery & Buildings for Farmers and Ranchers with Physical
Disabilities in 1986. This manual, eventually known as The Toolbox, was followed
by two more updated print editions of the resource.
In 2004, BNG produced its first CD edition of The Toolbox. In addition to updating
the most recent print edition with new products and contact information for
product suppliers, The Toolbox CD contained features only possible in an electronic
medium. These included video clips, hyperlinks to the web sites and email addresses
of product suppliers, and a system of interlinked fact sheets, bookmarks, and
indexes. The electronic format also allowed for the cost-effective use of full-color
product photos (which were cost-prohibitive in print) and enabled the overall
production and distribution costs of the resource to drop dramatically.
The Toolbox CD has already been distributed to professionals in several states,
and BNG plans to publish this resource to the Web. There is also a demand for
a version of The Toolbox CD that focuses on low-tech assistive devices for farmers
with disabilities in developing countries that have been impacted by land mines,
and BNG is exploring options for producing such a resource.
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University of Vermont
Live On-Line: The Perks, Pitfalls, and Possibilities
The University of Vermont’s Live On-Line program, powered by Horizon Live,
provides real-time, interactive web-communications regardless of geographic
location, bandwidth, operating system, or physical disability. Horizon Live
can deliver any content that can be viewed through a Web browser. It can also
deliver live audio and/or video presentations, enable application sharing, and
provide an interactive whiteboard.
Presenters have a robust set of tools including: slide lists and carousels; integrated quizzes, polling, and surveys; chat and instant messaging; breakout rooms; and session archives. Horizon Live provides cross platform support (Windows, Mac, and UNIX) and support for low bandwidth (28.8 kbps). It also has features that make it accessible to persons with disabilities. An automated wizard facilitates participant set-up. During this session, the presenters will demonstrate University of Vermont Live On-Line and describe how it has been used for Extension programming and administration during the past year. They will also share their insight on the perks, the pitfalls, and the possibilities of this particular product.
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Using CommunityZero for
Team Communications
Are members of your team located across the state or across the county? Is it
difficult to plan a face-to-face meeting because of schedules conflicts and/or
travel costs? CommunityZero is a private, interactive, user-friendly, and affordable
online community.
Your community is secure: it is only accessible by members who have joined
in response to an invitation and setup a secure password. Your team can securely
share information and communicate with each other in real-time. Team members
can store and share documents, hold online chats, conduct discussions via message/note
boards, store and share images, and keep a calendar of the team's events.
Join me for a discussion of our rationale for choosing CommunityZero as a resource
for efficient communication and our strategy for introducing, training, and
implementing CommunityZero. In addition, I will discuss the extent of use after
training and critical reflection of the use today.
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Using Desktop Video Publishing,
specifically MS Producer 2003 and PowerPoint 2003, to deliver education materials
to clientele and faculty and utilizing different media for delivery
The Texas Cooperative Extension - We will demonstrate how to use Microsoft PowerPoint
2003 and Microsoft Producer 2003 to create media-rich presentations for educational
programs that can be delivered via the web, CD, or DVD. Specifically, we will
use MS Producer, PowerPoint, and Windows XP Movie Maker to show you how to capture,
synchronize, edit and publish audio, video, slides, and images - resulting in
an engaging, professional presentation that intermediate users can master in
a short time.
The session will showcase the educational material both for clientele and TCE faculty that the Texas Cooperative Extension has produced and delivered. The session will also explore how this product could offer time savings to Extension professional in other areas and projects in the future.
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Using Extreme Programming
Techniques for Large Software Projects- Nebraska’s eARFA Faculty Reporting
System
Extreme Programming (XP) is a method of software development that emphasizes
high levels of communication between software developers, designers and clients.
The hallmarks of Extreme Programming are communication and simplicity.
When called upon to develop an online faculty reporting system for the Institute
of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR), a team of developers worked on
the project largely in parallel and attempted to employ several aspects of XP.
One aspect of note was the use of “sprint sessions” lasting for
several hours where all developers worked on the same aspect of the program.
Other techniques included early-and-often user feedback, fast prototyping, and
user stories.
The project is to be finished in October 2004. This session is an early assessment
of this effort and offers lessons learned so far