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GrylTett Database

Links to the Tables from the GrylTett database (xlsx files)


Table Description Download File
tblRecordedSongs Database for tape recordings in the Walker Tape Library. tblrecordedsongs.xlsx
tblMain Database of records, added to SINA from 2003 to 2008, used to create distribution maps. tblmain.xlsx
tblSpecies List of species. tblspecies.xlsx
tblFieldNotes Tom Walker's field notes. tblfieldnotes.xlsx
tblAbbreviations Abbreviations used in these tables. tblabbreviations.xlsx
tblCommonNames Common names assigned to SINA genera. tblcommonnames.xlsx
tblFieldNoteSources November 2014 locations of hardcopies of fieldnotes. tblfieldnotessources.xlsx
tblGeographIDs List of numerical codes for states and counties in the US used to create county-level distribution maps for SINA species. tblgeographids.xlsx

The content below was created by Tom Walker in 2016 when he archived the eight tables associated with the GrylTett database.

For more detailed information about the tables visit the Tables from the GrylTett Database page, which was written by Tom Walker in 2019.




GrylTett Database, content by Tom Walker (2016)

The GrylTett database stores information on crickets and katydids accumulated by Thomas J. Walker, University of Florida, from 1955 to 2002.

Genesis

In 1988, a card catalog of tapes in the Walker Tape Library was converted to a table in a Paradox digital database. In May 1998, that table was made part of an Access 97 relational database (GrylTett.mdb) and tables for other types of data were established. In January 2003, the database was converted to Access 2000 and its structure simplified. The database now includes an index to field notes (1420 records) and more than 35,000 records (tblMain and tblRecordedSongs) used to establish the geographical distribution and seasonal distribution of each species.

Description

The Word document GTdbexp6.pdf lists the eight tables of the database and the fields within each. The 4 Jan 2016 versions of these tables are available here. Unzipped versions of the tables and updated versions of two of them are available here.

The final version of GrylTett.mdb, an Access 2000 database, is available in zipped compressed format at GTdb.zip, but an obsolete program and an obsolete computer would be required to run it.

Computer-generated maps

"Get Data for SAS Map," a Main Menu item of GrylTett.mdb, is explained in the Word document "Creating county distribution maps from records in GrylTett.mdb". The final steps in making such a map require the special-purpose SAS program SASmaps.sas.

Computer-generated maps have both advantages and disadvantages over manually generated "dot maps."

During 2003 and 2004, computer-generated maps were saved and posted for all species in the GrylTett database. A few years later, it seemed appropriate to update the computer-generated maps for species with noteworthy range extensions and to produce maps for species newly introduced or described. However, the map generating software required updating, causing that method of map making to be abandoned.

For details, click here!

Acknowledgments

Xi Sun set up the Access 97 database and Kelly Sweeney (1999-2000) and Cynthia Williams (2001) entered most of the records that are now in it. Terry L. Shaffer developed the SAS mapping program and helped Xi Sun implement it. Kelly Sweeney refined features of the database and the mapping program. Paula Dufort (2002-2003) assisted in converting the database from Access 97 to Access 2000. Carrie Newsom (2003-2004) improved the user interface and the capabilities of the Access 2000 database in many ways.