TRA - No Longer Just A Rumor

[BandChick]

Please please PLEASE let me design you a website that's as sleek and useable as the TBA site?

PM me - I won't have free time until mid-August, but I think we can get something that's both useable, intuitive, and well-designed ready before the 2010 build season.

[Mr. Pockets]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

Information for such a large number of teams/robots is near impossible to collect and organize. if you have an idea of which select teams to have databased feel free to post it up

If you are referring to FLL teams then consider that a significant number of FLL teams have connections or are assisted by FRC teams (warning: don't actually know this for a fact, basing my comment of how things worked in our area). But if that is the fact then what if the teams who have connections to the local FLL teams simply collect the information from those teams. That way each team collects the data for maybe a handful of teams, and if enough teams do that then you've got a lot of FLL teams accounted for. As long as enough teams are interested collecting the data might not be so bad (though organizing the data would probably still be a pain). Just an idea...

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Mr. Pockets

If you are referring to FLL teams then consider that a significant number of FLL teams have connections or are assisted by FRC teams (warning: don't actually know this for a fact, basing my comment of how things worked in our area). But if that is the fact then what if the teams who have connections to the local FLL teams simply collect the information from those teams. That way each team collects the data for maybe a handful of teams, and if enough teams do that then you've got a lot of FLL teams accounted for. As long as enough teams are interested collecting the data might not be so bad (though organizing the data would probably still be a pain). Just an idea...

My point is still that a match database for FLL teams is a little useless because FLL requires no scouting in competition. I just don't see the benefits of an FLL database of all teams. Somebody just explain it to me.


And yes, please do let Sarah design your website, her work is awesome.

[Mr. Pockets]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

My point is still that a match database for FLL teams is a little useless because FLL requires no scouting in competition. I just don't see the benefits of an FLL database of all teams. Somebody just explain it to me.

I see...but even without a need for scouting an FLL database might be worthwhile. The simple idea of having records of FLL matches might be useful. That's one of TBA's uses, isn't it?

[Chris is me]

There's a lot of FLL teams, and not a lot of following teams and robots year after year. I mean, the numbers change every year as do a lot of team names, so it's pretty difficult to get teams logged based on that... I just wouldn't even touch FLL.

FTC there's a significant need for a database. Or any match filming. Or any webcasting. If you want a lower level competition to analyze, do FTC.

[ttldomination]

Originally Posted by Mr. Pockets

I see...but even without a need for scouting an FLL database might be worthwhile. The simple idea of having records of FLL matches might be useful. That's one of TBA's uses, isn't it?

Not just FLL mate, FTC also.

But I mean...we have one for FRC, and it's the hottest thing out there. If you imagine one place where FTC and FLL teams can go for match results, video, pictures, support documents, then why in the world is it useless?

I see thousands of teams who potentially have a website now to go to for all of their support, for all of their media. I think FRC has been squeezed to its full potential. A media website such as TBA is amazing and all of the video is right there for us, but for FTC, I generally spend hours on youtube trying to hunt down videos and seeing all that I can.

And the expansion for FLL growth is amazing. There is NOTHING out there like this for FLL and FTC, so simply saying that this website will fail because it bases itself off FLL and FTC is a fallacy because there's nothing to base the conjecture on.

I know that people are saying that one day FTC and FLL will have their own central sites, but I mean...one day we're going to have to START those websites. If we keep looking for places to put our FRC pictures and what not...then I mean, we keep on delaying what the community really NEEDS.

[Mr. Pockets]

Is there any reason that a FTC database would be fundamentally harder to put together than a FRC database? Apologies I don't know a whole lot about FTC.

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by Mr. Pockets

Is there any reason that a FTC database would be fundamentally harder to put together than a FRC database? Apologies I don't know a whole lot about FTC.

There's no reason a single database wouldn't work for any robotics program where the team number is persistent from year to year. If you created a permanent ID number for FLL teams (separate from their changing FIRST ID numbers), you could create a single resource that would include FRC, FTC, VRC, FLL, and (presumably) BEST, Botball, NURC, college VRC, or ???.

The database design is a cinch. If you need some help, PM or email me.

[carpenma]

Ok, due to some disputes between me, my domain name provider and my hosting company I do not have theredalliance.net pointing to the correct place yet. However, you can view anything that I have done so far at this address: http://174.120.41.59/~carpenma/. Right now there is merely a page there to prevent the page not found error from appearing. I will upload the dummy profile page later today. Please feel free to provide feedback on what you do and don't like in this thread so that can be considered before the final design is created.

NOTE: Due to my lack of image editing skills the backgrounds and other graphics on the dummy page will be incredibly basic or non-existent.

Thank you and stay tuned!

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by Mr. Pockets

I see...but even without a need for scouting an FLL database might be worthwhile. The simple idea of having records of FLL matches might be useful. That's one of TBA's uses, isn't it?

I think there would be some interest in a FLL database (see this thread on the FLL forums http://forums.usfirst.org/showthread.php?t=10572). However, getting scores may be very hard or impossible. http://forums.usfirst.org/showthread.php?t=10761 http://forums.usfirst.org/showthread.php?t=10695