Pacific Southwest Research Station

Research Interests/Duties

Database Manager and Data Processing

Computer Assistant career spans 22 years of professional experience mainly in the area of Data Managment and Data Processing.

I am responsible for data management and processing resource research data using personal computers COTS software. I am supporting efforts to better understand forest ecology, aquatic ecology, forest health, fire effects, landscape ecology, climate changes and invasive species effects. (Data types I have been responsible for include: terrestrial systems, aquatic environment structures, wildlife, herpetofauna, invertebrates, fish, vegetation, effects to threatened & endangered species, bats, watershed forest inventory, diseases, raptors, sea birds, land birds, forest carnivores, small mammals, invasive species, fungi and soils, and more).

Working alongside the principal investigators and biologists, I am responsible for the majority of data that comes through our department. I am responsible for the data from the beginning of a project until it is handed over to the statistician for advanced data analysis. I construct the overall design – from concept to reality, therefore it is important for me to understand the protocol for each study and the overall needs of the principal investigator. I must organize, plan, and design all of the data collection field forms, create, plan and design a proper database application appropriate for each scientific research project. This includes using proper relational database development and design structures in order to get the data into a normalized database structure establishing the overall conceptual design of the database and then I create ERD, Entity Relationship Diagram. I also manage the data as it comes in from the field from entry to QA/QC and finally, I am also responsible for creating complex queries and macros to give to the scientists and biologists for further analysis.

I work alongside scientists, biologists, graduate students and outside agencies (DFG, Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service, California Native Plant Society, TEAMS Enterprise, NRIS, universities, as well as other collaborators).

Duties Include:

• Creating and Designing Professional Field Data Collection Forms
• Advanced Database Design using Entity-Relationship Modeling
• Microsoft Access, Paradox, Dbase, Excel, and some Oracle
• Complex Application Development
• Designing & Creating Complex Database Tables
• Designing & Creating Complex Data-Entry Forms
• Creation of Macros and Events
• Integrating old data files/datasets into standard normalized structures (data mining)
• Manipulate data from existing database systems to prepare data reports, queries, and summary statistics as requested by scientists and biologists creating simple to advanced Queries in SQL and QBE( Aggregate Queries, Action Queries, Crosstab Queries, Transformation Data Tasks, Calculation Queries, Conditional Analysis Queries, Subqueries and Domain Aggregate Functions, Descriptive Statistics)
• Designing & Creating Custom Database Switchboards
• Creating Simple to Advanced Reports, Pivot Tables, Crosstab Tables, Charts
• Data Cleansing, Integrity, Quality, Quality Assurance
• Creation and use of Operators, Functions, Expressions, OLE Objects, Graphs, Charts
• Visual Basic in Access
• Creation of tools for scientists/biologists/cooperators to standardize data storage, make web accessible, and track data collection
• Publisher (Professional looking forms, brochures, bulletins, etc)
• PowerPoint (Professional advanced presentations for Scientists/Biologists/Cooperators)
• Some use of ArcGIS v.9.3
• Provide support to scientists, biologists, grad-students by performing data entry, proofing, and correcting errors
• Documenting and maintaining data storage, backup and retrieval systems
• Provide training for the use of Microsoft Access
• 2 years experience using NED-1, NED-2, and NEDLite Forest Service Programs
• Mail Merge and Label Reports