DinoBase

["M Sakamoto, Earth Sciences" <M.Sakamoto@bristol.ac.uk>]

Dear list members,

I've recently taken up responsibilities as the administrator of an on-line 
resource, DinoBase <http://dinobase.gly.bris.ac.uk> hosted at the 
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, UK.

DinoBase is basically an on-line encyclopedia of dinosaurs aimed mostly at 
children. Last month, we had an official launch complete with a media event 
and press release, but it unfortunately coincided with a tragic incident 
that dominated media coverage.

DinoBase has three features:
1. The database - obviously the core of DinoBase, this is an in-house 
developed relational database system that allows the user to search for 
information under different categories, such as general, genus, species, 
describer, and year of description. The search function will pick up 
partial keywords, so let's say you wanted to look up _Tyrannosaurus_, you 
only need to type in 'tyran' and DinoBase will display a list of close 
hits. The database also displays other information such as classification, 
size, location, diet, and a brief description.

2. The news - this feature is part of the Forum (below). Moderators will be 
posting any news related to dinosaurs including new 
descriptions/discoveries, scientific research, and general media coverage 
on dinosaurs.

3. The Forum - exactly as the name suggests, this is a public forum where 
visitors could leave comments, have discussions, or ask questions that will 
be answered by Bristol palaeontologists. This section also has some 
activity sheets for kids (part of the Bristol Dinosaur Project) that can be 
downloadable as pdfs.

If you have children enthusiastic about dinosaurs, or are curious 
yourselves, then please visit the site.

With regards,
Manabu Sakamoto
----------------------
M. Sakamoto
Department of Earth Sciences,
University of Bristol,
Wills Memorial Building, Queen's Road,
Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK
M.Sakamoto@bristol.ac.uk