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Re: (meteorobs) Counting meteors with a Palm Handheld computer
This is an excellent idea that I very much hope becomes popular, as it will
vastly improve the value of observations. I have a few suggestions for you
to consider.
First, I urge you to provide only the most important data. Even though the
user may not have to look at the Palm, he still must devote some mental
attention to figuring out what buttons to push, and while doing so his
ability to see meteors plummets. So you want the interface to be so simple
that it can be handled instinctively. In truth, that can't be done, but it
is the ideal towards which you should strive. I would therefore urge you to
eliminate half-magnitude estimates.
The audio feedback is VERY important; make certain that each and every input
has its own distinctive feedback sound. Also, you should add an "Oops"
button so that an observer can invalidate an improperly entered datum.
Lastly, I'd suggest that you not throw away any data. I think that your
report should take the form of a list of entries with a standard code,
rather like this:
Dec 13 01 22:15:47 GEM +3
This would report a mag 3 Geminid appearing at UT 22:15:47. Cloud cover and
limiting magnitude reports could also coded into this system. I realize that
this is not the IMO standard format, but I would hope that the IMO would
create a new alternate format for reporting data. The old format was
optimized for ease of data entry with paper and pencil. Since we now have
technology that vastly simplifies this process, the IMO should make it
possible to accept such data. We wouldn't have to worry about bin sizes;
just report the real data.
What do others think of this idea of a new reporting standard?
Chris
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