smith@mcclb0.med.nyu.edu (04/06/91)
SURVEY ====== For nearly a year now GenBank has been sending out updates to the sequence database via USENET into the "bionet.molbiol.genbank.updates" newsgroup. These sequence postings can be used to automatically maintain a local copy of GenBank which is no more than 1-4 days behind GenBank itself, depending on the speed of the USENET link. The USENET was selected for this type of distribution because data distribution is very efficient, much better than individual FTP downloads to multiple sites. GenBank has asked us to conduct a survey to find out the extent of the use of this data feed, and specifically how many sites are using the automatic GenBank update programs written at PHRI and NYUMC (for UNIX and VMS, respecitvely), derivatives of this code, code written for other platforms or independant of us. To facilitate the survey we would appreciate responses from the "GenBank Manager" at each site that uses the USENET nightly update feed in some fashion. A "site" is any institution or lab that maintains its own GenBank. We want to be able to count all the sites that are users of the data feed and the software, but my mailer will probably not deal with waves of negative responses. **So if you do not use it at all, please do not respond** ------------ Clip here and Return to <smith@mcclb0.med.nyu.edu> ----------- Do you use the USENET nightly GenBank update data feed at all? Yes, the sequences are read by each individual: ___ Yes, the sequences are processed by our computer: ___ Do you use the USENET feed to maintain a local up-to-date GenBank? Yes, the local GenBank is updated automatically: ____ Yes, the local GenBank is updated by hand: ____ No, the local GenBank is updated from a quarterly distribution: ___ If you update automatically, what software do you use? UNIX software from PHRI: ___ VAX/VMS software from NYUMC: ___ Wrote our own for our: ________________ system. Purchased s/w from: ________________ vendor. Do you use the check-sequence mailings each week to verify that you got the week's postings? Yes: I check by hand: ___ Yes, I use the VAX/VMS program from NYUMC: ___ Yes, I wrote my own for my: ________________ system. Yes, Purchased s/w from: ________________ vendor. NO, the data feed is not checked: ___ Do you have or want automatic sequence 'alerting' s/w that will inform researchers of sequences newly arrived which would be of interest to them? Yes, I have s/w from: ________________________ Yes, I currently do this by hand: ___ Yes, I am developing such s/w: ___ Yes, our site would use such s/w: ___ NO, there is no need at our site: ___ COMMENTS: If you check one or other of the following statements, please provide a brief comment to flesh out the idea. 1) The USENET newsfeed is of no value: 2) The USENET newsfeed is just fine: 3) The USENET newsfeed should be enhanced to include more data (e.g. the emerging EMBL sequences as they arrive, protein sequences, etc.) Thanks... -- +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Ross Smith, Cell Biology, NYU Medical Center, 550 First Ave., NYC, 10016| |Phone: (212) 263-5356: FAX: (212) 263-8139 (Alternate NYUMC) (212) 263-7190| |E-Mail: SMITH@NYUMED.BITNET (BITNET), SMITH@MCCLB0.MED.NYU.EDU (Internet)| +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+