We are
constantly striving to make the CDAT
software easier to use, learn, find documentation and to be
more
user friendly. Recently we posted the survey
on CDAT documentation
on the CDAT-discussion
list.(see CDAT
Support page to subscribe to the list.)
Thanks to
everyone who responded to the survey!
We do want to
make CDAT the best
possible software and we need user input, so that we can put our effort
into the part that user finds most useful.
Everyone can and is very welcomed to contribute in making the CDAT
documentation better. The CDAT plone software portal enables
anyone to develop their own pages within CDAT portal and we
would all greatly benefit from anyone who can pitch in to make
the documentation better. See Site
Contributors page to learn about 'Getting
started with PCMDI Software Portal' and the tutorials on 'Creating
a Tutorial' and 'Style
Guide' or go to 'Templates'
page.
What
we learned from this survey:
What
we are doing about it:
We need to provide better way of
finding the desired information.
We believe that most
of the desired information is already on the CDAT software plone page,
but we admit that it may still be hard to find the particular piece. We
were already aware of this issue and are workingon a solution - any suggestions are welcomed!
Most people learn by following
examples, tutorials and manuals.
To enhance and speed up learning from
examples, the current CDAT
release v4.1 provides the CDAT Demo,
that acts also as a hands on
tutorial.
Most people have troubles with the VCS.
We will develop specific exampleas and
tutorials on this subject, starting with this Newsletter's Tech Tips tutorial. We are also enhancing the
vcdat canvas to enable easy access to plot modification: titles,
axes and positioning among others.
We need more examples.
We are continually adding more
tutorials, examples and Tips and Tricks tidbits. Recently we
added Advanced
Tutorials section as
well as Gotchasand are adding more
tutorials on numerous CDAT and Python packages.
If
you would like to add something to the survey, or have any
comments/suggestions regarding CDAT documentation improvements or CDAT
software improvements - we do want to hear it. Please let us know by
emailing to Dean Williams.
Big thanks to Krishna AchutaRao for performing the survey! (The questionnaire
is listed at the end of this article.) Below are the survey results as
compiled by Krishna.
No.
Question
Responses
Summary
1
How
long have you
been a CDAT
user?
Length
of CDAT use ranges from
1 month - 8 years. Median - 3 years
2
Would you call
yourself a)
Beginnerb)
Experienced c) Advanced
3a,
1a+, 5b, 1b+, 5c
11
of 15 call themselves
Experienced or Advanced
3
In
general, how do you learn to
use new software a) By reading a manual b) By performing a
search on web browser. c) See a tutorial or take a class. d) Try
various things using the GUI of an application e) Look at examples.
10a,4b,
4c, 3d, 13e
Large
majority learn by looking
at examples/manuals
4
What do you use
CDAT
for?(scientific research and analysis, building applications, data
processing applications etc.)
2
people use it for building
applications, 11 people that use it for scientific data analysis., 8
people use it for data processing
5
What
of the
following have you
used in your experience with CDAT? (list all that apply) a) Manuals b)
Tutorials c) Quick Reference d) Tips and Tricks e) Training
Materials
(presentations and exercises) f) Posting to the cdat-discussion list g)
Getting Started h) Examples i) Other helpful web sites.
13a,
13b, 8c, 6d, 7e,9f, 11g,
10h, 8i
Most
people have used Manuals, tutorials, getting started doc, examples.
6
Which of the above
do you find
most useful?
7a,
5b,3c, 0d, 1e, 1f, 0g, 6h,3i
Most
people found Manuals,
tutorials and examples useful
7
Where
did you have
the most
difficulty trying to learn something in CDAT?
6
people were trying to do
something in vcs, 2 people had axis problems, 2 people were using cdms,
one has trouble with understanding when you get MV/MA/Numeric
Most
people are having trouble
with VCS.
8
What were you
trying to do
using CDAT when you had the difficulty?
Most
people were trying to
create plots (turning off max/min labels etc.). Some people have
trouble with axes (esp. time!). Mention was made of reading data that
spans across many files. One just reading/writing
9
Do
you think the
documentation
is easy to find?
10
yes 1 who specifically liked
the new layout. 3 people said No (2 people who specifically did not
like new layout and One person not sure what document will be helpful.)
10
Do you think the
documentation
is adequate?
6
No, 3 Getting Better, 1-2 OK,2
Yes
Most
people would like to see
improved documentation
11
What
(if any) do
you think
needs to be done to improve the documentation?
2
people suggested having some
place where you can find out where you can look - a meta document. 7
people asked for more, clear, searchable examples. 1 suggested: A
direct copy of 10 IDL and 10 GrADS scripts converted to CDAT would be
useful for users looking to change package.
More
Examples!
The questionnaire
on CDAT documentation:
1. How long have you been a CDAT user?
2. Would you call yourself a) Beginner b) Experienced c) Advanced
3. In general, how do you learn to use new software a) By reading a manual b) By performing a search on web browser. c) See a tutorial or take a class. d) Try various things using the GUI of an application e) Look at examples.
4. What do you use CDAT for? (scientific research and analysis, building applications, data processing applications etc.)
5. What of the following have you used in your experience with CDAT? (list all that apply) a) Manuals b) Tutorials c) Quick Reference d) Tips and Tricks e) Training Materials (presentations and exercises) f) Posting to the cdat-discussion list g) Getting Started h) Examples i) Other helpful web sites.
6. Which of the above do you find most useful?
7. Where did you have the most difficulty trying to learn something in CDAT?
8. What were you trying to do using CDAT when you had the difficulty?
9. Do you think the documentation is easy to find?
10. Do you think the documentation is adequate?
11. What (if any) do you think needs to be done to improve the documentation?
CDAT Newsletter, June 2007
