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SuriaLink
Site Organisation & Philosophy
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This
is a no-glitz site |
We
minimise the use of frames, Javascript, Flash,
streaming-video, animations and other devices that tend
to bog down connections in much of the world where seaplant people
live. |
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| The heart of SuriaLink is the developing
database that comprises all of the useful seaplant information that it
is possible for SuriaLink to accumulate and organise. As with any database we have three
major challenges:
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Acquiring
the massive amount of seaplant information available form
the Internet and from "legacy" sources and rendering
information into forms that can be utilised in our database. |
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Providing a
two dimensional interface to a complex multidimensional body
of knowledge and information - while keeping this interface
simple, intuitive and easily navigable |
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Producing
and distributing infomedia - data products - that make our
repository of knowledge and information available on a timely
basis, useful to seaplant communities and cost effective for our
users. |
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The approach that we have taken is to provide
three "gateway portals" to our
resources of knowledge and information and to provide a
"take-away portal" in the form of our developing
inventory of products and services. Therefore the SuriaLink website is
organised into four segments as shown below. Click on the
images to go to section index pages>>> |
| People |
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We have so far defined ten "communities of interest" within the overall seaplant
community in addition to the SuriaLink Community as such. |
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| Most serious seaplant people will belong to more than one
such community. Within each community there are several (or many)
subunits designed to organise information in a way that we hope is
logical and easy to find. For example the "Carragar"
community is being set up with subunits such as "Cultivated
carrageenan seaweeds", "Wild harvested carrageenan
seaweeds", "Cultivated agar seaweeds", "Further-processed
carrageenan seaweeds" and several more as necessary and as
requested by our users. |
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| Plants |
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We organise all of our information, to the
maximum extent possible, with respect to the seaplant genera and species
involved. |
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| We are developing handbook pages for every genus of seaplant
that is commercially utilised according to reliable information that we
collect. The handbook also deal with processes, products, uses and
applications of these genera. In some cases where a single species has
extensive usage the handbook "seaplant pages" will get down to
the species level. |
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| Places |
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Our GIS is set up by country or territory and also
by water body. |
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| We have 42 "country pages" in place and more
coming. As our database builds these pages will lead to ever richer
sources of information about places where seaplants have the most
significance. |
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| Products |
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We
integrate the content and facilities of the Communities,
Handbook and GIS sections to provide products tailored
to specific seaplant community needs. |
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| We
have an exciting array of products in the works for
SuriaLink members, subscribers and clients. We will be
introducing these over the next several months as the
project moves from "beta" to
"alpha". The InfoStore will sell (and
sometimes give away!)... electronic documents -
books - reprints - technical manuals - videos - CDs
SuriaLink has a considerable mass of material in
preparation for members, subscribers and clients. As
with our other products we will be introducing these
over the next several months and will constantly be
adding relevant, useful new information products. |
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| Example
Under this form of organisation
any given cluster of products or information can be accessed
through any or all of the four portals described above. For
example a person interested in buying semi-refined kappa
carrageenan (SRCK) from Kappaphycus (cottonii) might want
to check out the Carragar
community for an overview; the Biopolymer
Community for issues related to carrageenan; the Farming
Community for information about producing the crop; the Kappaphycus
Factsheet for genus-specific information; the Malaysia
Factsheet for country-specific information; or might go directly
to infomedia sections to check out recent news, monographs
and other infomedia products. |
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| The
"W-5" and the "How" of SuriaLink |
The
"W-5" of SuriaLink
In its capacity as an information source SuriaLink adheres to the
time-tested journalistic principle that for each subject area we should
cover the "W-5" questions of "who, what, when, where and
why?". With respect to the interests of each community we strive to
do this and the site organisation deals with this need as follows: |
| Who? |
The "who" is the members of
this SuriaLink community; the SuriaLink Associates, users and members
and the related communities to which we have links. These are identified
in our links, and events
sections. |
| What? |
The "what" is the seaplant
genera that we utilise and the products that are made from them and what
is done with them. These are covered with respect to the interests of
each community in the Seaplant Handbook and in the documents
linked to the handbook. |
| When? |
The "when" of the past is covered by the materials we are making available through the
InfoStore. The "when" of the present and the
future is covered in the News and Events
sections of the site and in newsletters of individual communities. |
| Where? |
"Where" issues are covered in
our Geographical Information Systems
(G.I.S.) |
| Why? |
The "why" issues comprise much
of the content of SuriaLink. |
The
"How" of SuriaLink
As a "metamediary" (as opposed to "infomediary")
site SuriaLink is developing means to facilitate commercial transactions
between and among users. We are therefore going beyond the
"W-5" of information provision to provide the answer to the
question of "how do I take action?". |
| How? |
'How" issues are dealt
with by our Products and Advisors sections. |
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