An Interview with Bryan Ockert

 Manager of Information Systems, Web Manager

Bat Conservation International, Inc.

Reprinted with Permission

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askSam: Would you tell us about your organization and your job at BCI?

BRYAN OCKERT:  Bat Conservation International (BCI) is not your typical conservation organization.  To begin with, our cause is a much harder "sell" than pandas, whales, or other high-profile animals.  Even in the scientific and conservation communities, bats are often ignored.  They are among the least studied of all mammals, and they have traditionally lost the glamour contests for research and conservation funding, despite their contributions to our ecological and economic well-being.

BCI addresses this uniquely challenging and neglected area of conservation by changing attitudes, not by confrontation.  We work cooperatively with all sectors of society and emphasize broad ecosystem health rather than individual species.  Our partnership with government and private agencies greatly expand the potential of every dollar.  And our exceptionally dedicated members do the same by assisting with bat research and using BCI products to teach about bats.

Since 1982 we've accomplished much.  I've been with BCI now for over 8 years.  I started out doing data-entry, fulfilling almost 1,500 requests a month for more information about bats. When I started, there were only 6 people on staff, and 4 computers.  And on one of those computers sat, you guessed, askSam for DOS V1. It contained our earliest attempt to track the meager amounts of research that was being done on bats.  Now, we are a staff of thirty and up to our eyeballs in technology, with all the resources and efficiencies of companies much larger.  My job has changed much since the early days of BCI, and it has seldom been boring. What is generating excitement right now, is the power and opportunities the Internet offers to educate people around the world.

Our web site has been up for almost two years, and we have now outgrown it's simple (and inexpensive) beginnings.  We currently have a 486 computer, with a LINUX operating system. Because of ongoing partnerships with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and four other federal agencies, our need to share databases has become critical. Maintaining these databases on a LINUX machine would quickly become cost prohibitive.

askSam: Which askSam product(s) do you use?

BRYAN OCKERT:  We have used askSam from its earliest incarnation of DOS. We've moved up with every upgrade, and are currently using askSam Pro 3.0f.  We are currently purchasing askSam Web Publisher.

askSam:  Can you tell us how you use askSam, and how askSam has made your job any easier, faster or more efficient?

BRYAN OCKERT:   Right now we maintain two major databases.  One database contains bibliographies and abstracts of over 10,000 reprints, books, articles, and research studies written about bats.

The other database is an archive of over fifteen years of our magazine called BATS Magazine.  With this electronic archive of these back issues, we no longer need to store or overprint issues of our magazine.  We now maintain the storage in a clean database environment, with the added benefit of easily searching for articles that were written 10 years ago!  The archive contains not only all the articles, but is linked to over 1,000 images that were originally printed in the magazine.  As most people know from working in a company of a larger size or duration, keeping track of what was once said or done can be a difficult task.  askSam allows us to easily track all our progress.

askSam:   Can you tell me about what kind of customer support you have received as a user?

BRYAN OCKERT:  I've never had to wait long for tech support when I've called in.  The fact that askSam Systems is not some huge nameless conglomerate shows in their ability to take the time to help out immediately.  I feel like as our company grew, askSam grew, and kept pace with us.

askSam: Would you recommend askSam and why?

BRYAN OCKERT:  I recommend askSam to anyone who needs to keep track of large amounts of unstructured text data.  I've never seen anything else that works the way it does. Period.

askSam:  What applications do you plan for askSam in the future?

After struggling with the mind-numbing thought of converting our current database records to HTML and then creating a CGI program to index and search these records, I finally gave up on our old LINUX server.  I specifically have purchased a new P200 server and Windows NT Server, in order to run the askSam Web Publisher.  I'm planning to get our databases online by the end of March, 1997.

Since this interview was published, Bryan Ockert reports that two askSam databases, a large bibliographic reference database and a contact database of  bat biologists, are up and running n the Internet using the askSam Web Publisher.  BCI is also using the askSam Web Publisher to collect requests for information about BCI and bats.  

Bryan Ockert

Bat Conservation International, Inc.

Post Office Box 162603

Austin, TX 78716

Phone: 512-327-9721

Email: bryan@batcon.org

URL: http://www.batcon.org

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