Aug 2014. EarthChem would like to thank all its users who recently responded to our survey about the use and utility of EarthChem data systems for their research and teaching. These comments (examples shown below) are critical to demonstrate the utility of these data resources to the community and to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and will inform future developments. If you would like to comment on how EarthChem tools have been useful in your own work or suggest ways they could be more useful, please send us an email at info@50.16.114.67.
For research
… The availability of the data [in PetDB] in a form that can quickly be used for graphing and comparison with other data is invaluable. It has made my research more efficient and has saved me many hours of typing in data.
...I find [PetDB] one of the most useful databases available.
...PetDB has been of considerable help and has enabled us to perform comparisons with well-spread geochemical data to oceanic basalts all around the world….
Both PetDB and EarthChem are very important in my petrologic/geochemical research as they provide “instant” access to a wealth of background data and information that would normally take lots of time and effort to build...
The PetDB is indispensable in this era of research. Where so much data exists, and in the spirit of open sourcing, we need a resource that allows all scientists to use collected data quickly, and efficiently. PetDB is doing a very good job at this.
As a retired scientist still interested in research problems, I find accessing information through a public library difficult to impossible. The EarthChem Library is an indispensable resource.
For teaching
...PetDB ... was a great tool to demonstrate the principles we discussed in class with actual data.
Our course had modules involving the systems that were easy to follow along with and I found the data-download process to be simple and user-friendly.
...PetDB is an especially good teaching tool for beginning graduate students that have now collected their first data. The database makes it much easier for them to put their data in a larger context.
I regularly use PetDB and EarthChem together with GeoMapApp during the laboratory work of my course ... I use these tools to make students aware of the enormous potential of the on line chemical resources and availability of petrologic tools. … Forcing the student to build up the map makes them more attentive to map details....Students answer very positively to this approach to describe petrologic processes because [it is] more akin to their "natural" propension of playing with computers and informatic tools and the possibility of imaging data by using plots and maps.