Lots of specialty databases have been updated or enhanced in the past week. Here are a few highlights from ResourceShelf (http://www.resourceshelf.com).
1) UK’s Resource Discovery Network Now Known as Intute
One of the great non-commercial web directories is relaunched with a new name and new look.
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2006/07/14/uks-resource-discovery-network-now-known-as-intute/
The also provide the useful Virtual Training Suite for web search trainers.
http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/
2) World Resources Institute Updates EarthTrends Dbase
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2006/07/14/world-resources-institute-updates-earthtrends-dbase/
3) SearchforVideo Brings Back Video Podcast Directory
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2006/07/12/searchforvideo-brings-back-video-podcast-directory/
4) New Look for The Gateway to Educational Materials Database
Excelent tool for teachers. Also a good demo of faceted searching.
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2006/07/14/databases-new-look-for-gateway-to-educational-materials/
5) ERIC Web Database Receives Update
ERIC is a database that focuses on educational materials.
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2006/07/17/eric-web-database-receives-update/
6) Two New Databases will Catalog Every College Course in the U.S.
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2006/07/17/new-databases-academyone-will-catalog-online-every-college-course/
7) Worth a Look: Don’t Use Maps, Try a Schmap
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2006/07/15/worth-a-look-dont-use-maps-try-a-schmap/
8) Compilation of Specialty Databases from Art Museums (# 1)
http://www.resourceshelf.com/category/arts/art-museums/
9) Real Time Database Compilation Continues to Grow
http://www.resourceshelf.com/category/real-time-information/
From tracking airplanes to forest fires.
In web search news:
new Smart Answer from Ask.com offers country stats directly at the top of results pages. Examples:
+ Internet Users Turkey
http://www.ask.com/web?q=Internet+Users+turkey&qsrc=1&o=0
+ Life Expectancy
http://www.ask.com/web?q=life+expectancy+norway&qsrc=0&o=0
+ GDP Kenya
http://www.ask.com/web?q=gdp+kenya&qsrc=1&o=0 |
The life expectancy at birth in
Russia
is 67.1 years (2004 est.)
Male life expectancy: 59.91 years
Female life expectancy: 73.27 years
Quite a big gap.
Gapminder has a good tool to visualize data about countries: http://tools.google.com/gapminder/ |
In the latest CIA World Factbook (2006 estimate), the numbers have changed, slightly.
total population: 67.08 years
male: 60.45 years
female: 74.1 years (2006 est.)
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Also, the PRB country pages:
http://www.prb.org//?Section=PRB_Country_Profiles&Template=/customsource/countryprofile/countryprofile.cfm#R
and
the U.S. Census International Database are excellent tools for this type of research. USID is excellent for historical info.
View results online or download into spreadsheet.
http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idbacc.html
Finally, NationMaster offers visualization tools for many statistics often with pie charts and/or bar graphs.
See:
http://www.nationmaster.com/statistics |
