Re: Question from someone who is not trained in computer sciences

["Basques, Bob (CI-StPaul)" <bob.basques@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Judith,

Might be more than you are looking for, but . . . We’ve done something like this with a portable mapping system installed on a Raspberry Pi.  Really!!, it works with Postgres and a webserver to serve out a replicated open software stack based mappint interface. 

Our focus was on using the approach to take large amounts of constantly changing mapping data into the field without the dependence on a network.  Since the RPis are so small, it’s easy to take them into the field as well as sync them in the office.

We used a whole service infrastructure with a postgres backend, web server and the GeoMoose product to display maps.  Our next iteration is to build some editing tools, but since the software stack is the same as a our in office version, the development works for both.

You can do some interesting tricks at the database level in order to pull things together from various edit users.  More info on request for this.  :c)

Here is our project from earlier this year:

https://github.com/klassenjs/rpi-workshop

https://github.com/klassenjs/rpi-workshop/blob/master/Workshop.org

We put on a Workshop with a slightly older version of the Raspberry Pi.  The newest version is even faster.  It can be operated in the field, in your pocket with a battery running all day, or plugged into a car charger, or both, for non-stop operation.  Just turn it on in the morning, and off at night.  We did some special database syncing processes with ours, but I’ll leave that as an exercise for you.  Basically you can use the RPi as a mobile Server stack, complete with Web FORMs and database connectivity.  you can also use them in a team approach where more than one wifi connection can be made to the RPi, because in the end, it’s just a web server advertising over it’s own broacast Wifi.

Glad to answer any questions.

bobb

On Sep 5, 2019, at 4:00 PM, Judith Lacoste <jlacoste@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Think Before You Click: This email originated outside our organization.

Hi,

I think PostgreSQL is the solution for my needs, but I am not a programmer/coder.  If I can confirm PostgreSQL does what I need, I will have to hire someone to assist, I am willing to give the effort to learn myself but it may be difficult, my specialities are biology and microscopy.  Or perhaps the use of PostgreSQL is restricted to people highly trained in computer sciences?

I have been looking around a lot through the PostgreSQL website, searching the archives, and I even contacted PostgreSQL people locally but I still don’t have a clear answer to my first question.  So I am posting it here with the hope to move on with PostgreSQL, or abandon the project.

I plan to install the database on a server in the office. Me and my four colleagues will occasionally connect to this database when we are working in other locations (usually hospitals or universities). In such remote locations, we often do not have internet/network, yet we still need to access the database.  Currently, we use a system where a copy of the database lives on each of our laptops.  We can access all the information in the database despite being offline.  This local copy of the database is synchronized with the server once network becomes available again. 

My question is whether or not such set up is possible with PostgreSQL?  

Why am I interested in PostrgreSQL?  First, my work has made me aware of how precious open source tools are.  Our main tools for data analysis are open source.  Commercial equivalents are black boxes which we try to avoid in the name of science reproducibility and transparency.  Secondly, the commercial software we are currently using is apparently based on PostgreSQL, so I am hoping that using PostgreSQL will make migration less painful. 

Thank you in advance,

Judith