IRIS DMC Knowledge
Base
Finding Answers Fast
A knowledge base
is a special type of database for knowledge management, providing the means
for the collection, organization, and retrieval of information. These
custom databases often store troubleshooting information, articles, tutorials,
user manuals, or answers to frequently asked questions.
The IRIS DMC Knowledge Base is a central archive of information
for seismologists and other scientists.
View the IRIS Knowledge
Base »
The
resource provides a self-service center for technical support - making
it easy for users to find answers to common questions.
The Knowledge Base is organized into major
categories, including: Data, Products, Software and FAQs.
The main page highlights
Featured Articles and Recent News - including information about software releases.
The DMC managers and technical staff are adding content
to the database to help users access and view data. Links to related
articles, tutorials and user manuals enhance the online information.
Examples
To give you an idea of how the system works, here are
examples of user questions with steps to finding the answers.
How do I request waveform
data?
Using the Knowledge Base, the user can click the "Data" category,
then choose a topic - Earthquakes, Requests or Waveforms. By
selecting the "Requests" category
they should be able to find an answer to their question.
Tip: New users
should read the Data
Access Tutorial
What is restricted data?
This is a common question, so the phase "restricted
data" is listed under the Most
Popular Searches.
After clicking on restricted data, you will see the following
search results:
How do I post a job announcement?
This question is listed as one of the Most
Popular Articles
Click on the link and you will be provided with the
following answer:
Q: I want to post a job on the IRIS employment page. Where do I send
the job announcement?
A: Fill out the IRIS
Bulkmail form.
Please include the following information:
Your Name (first and last name)
Your Institution (complete name of institution)
E-mail Address (email from the institution)
If your message is in regards to a job, would you like us to post it
on our jobs page, as well?
Yes <-- select the Yes button
Subject: This text is what will appear in the subject of the bulkmail.
Message: paste your message here.
- Keep it short.
- Remember to include contact information, email and closing date.
- Provide a link to the institution's website.
Submit
a request »
What software should I use to access real-time
data?
To find the answer, a user can search the Knowledge Base
by category or keyword. For example, a search using the keywords "real-time
data" gives
the following results:
In this case, the first article provided the answer to the question,
but you might have a question that is not covered in the Knowledge Base.
You can use the contact
form to ask a question.
Do you still need help?
If you do not find an answer in the Knowledge Base, then you can
submit a question to irisdmc-help
irisdmc-help is a forum for IRIS DMC users
to exchange ideas and ask questions about data access, software use,
etc. Members of the mailing list are ready to answer your questions.
DMC web pages, manuals and tutorials also provide a good source
of information.
Try the custom Google search tool
IRIS Knowledge Base Website: www.iris.edu/KB/
Data and seismology terms are defined in the Glossary
vol13
no2 | Next article
Submitted by Tim Knight, IRIS DMC
|
