INFORMATION

Crowd sourcing has been growing substantially in popularity. More and more businesses and individuals are interested in gathering data from the general public for real-time data analysis and visualization. The concept is being adopted in several fields, including journalism, public health and safety, and business development. During this election year, for example, a journalist might be interested in learning what candidate his or her readers support, and the reasons why they support this candidate.

Google Forms, Fusion Tables, and Apps Script make both data collection and analysis super simple! Using Google Forms, a journalist can quickly create an HTML form for readers to submit their opinions and feedback. Fusion Tables make data analysis easy with several cool data visualization options. Apps Script acts as the glue between Google Forms and Fusion Tables, enabling the Form to send data directly to Fusion Tables.

Let’s take a look at how our journalist friend would use all these tools to collect her reader’s candidate preferences.

Google Forms

Google Forms provides a simple UI tool to develop forms perfect for collecting data from readers. Here’s an example of a simple form the journalist can create to get information from her readers:

Once the form has been created, it can be embedded directly into the journalist’s website or blog using the embeddable HTML code provided by Google Forms.

Google Fusion Tables

Google Fusion Tables makes data analysis simple with its visualization capabilities. Using Fusion Tables, the journalist can create maps and charts of the collected data with just a few clicks of the mouse!

Using some fake data as an example, here’s a pie chart that can be created using Fusion Tables to show the the results of the survey:

With Fusion Tables, it’s also easy to filter data and create a pie chart visualization showing why people like Mitt Romney:

These visualizations can also be embedded in the journalist’s website or blog, as Fusion Tables provides embeddable HTML code for all its visualizations. Now, any time someone visits the webpage with the embedded visualization, they will see the current poll result!

Apps Script

Finally, Apps Script acts as the glue between the Google Form and the Fusion Table, since there is currently no direct way to send Google Form submissions to a Fusion Table. During a hack event last year, I took some time to write an Apps Script script that submits the form data to Fusion Tables. The script uses the onFormSubmit Apps Script functionality as described in this blog post. The Fusion Tables code is based on the code described in this blog post.

To learn how to set up your own Google Form to collect data and save that data in a Fusion Table, please see these instructions.

Kathryn Hurley profile Kathryn is a Developer Programs Engineer for Fusion Tables at Google. In this role, she helps spread the word about Fusion Tables by presenting at conferences and developer events. Kathryn received an MS in Web Science from the University of San Francisco. Prior work experience includes database management, web production, and research in mobile and peer-to-peer computing.

• Corporate Learning: Trends and Innovations

WHAT?
Corporate Learning: Trends and Innovations is a FREE online conference, running from November 15-20, 2007. World renowned speakers will present live. It will provide a great opportunity for attendees (Corporate leaders, directors, CLOs, trainers, etc) to engage in dialog and discuss the directions and innovations in corporate learning through online forums - forming connections and exchanging ideas and visions on corporate learning. In addition, it will provide many opportunities for active participation for attendees who wish. All sessions will be recorded and available within a few minutes after the session for people who cannot attend at that time ...more

MASTERMIND?
George Siemens (hosted by Complexive Systems Inc., and supported by Duke Corporate Education, TechEmpower, Q2 Learning, and Elluminate)

JUICE?
World renowned speakers participating in this conference (Speakers List!), include Tony Karrer, Jay Cross, Gaurav Rastogi and Jai Ganesh and George Siemens. Also, it wouldnt surprise me if Stephen Downes drops by to participate or speak. In short, this free online conference provides us a wonderful free opportunity to learn, discuss and engage with great learning minds. So, hopefully we will not only register, but also actively participate to stimulate and inspire our own evolving learning minds. Even if you should discover this online conference after November 20th, it still has tremendous value, as you will be able to access and view all the recorded sessions.

Have fun learning and engaging with great learning minds, during and after the Corporate Learning: Trends and Innovations online conference :)

The pool

Molly captured on camera the split second when I totally, utterly cracked.

For each page of Abbott’s novel I have traced, by hand, a representation of each letter’s occurrence across every page of text. The generated result is a series of superimposed seismographic images which reduce the text in question into a  two-dimensional schematic reminiscent of EKG results or stock reports.

circle_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, drag);
square_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, drag);
stage.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, drop);

function drag(e:MouseEvent):void
{
     e.target.startDrag(false, new Rectangle(75,50,350,250));
}

function drop(e:MouseEvent):void
{
     stopDrag();
}

/*Use the AS3 startDrag() method of the MovieClip class in
order to let the user drag MovieClip instances all over the stage.

Example:
myMovieClip.startDrag();

You can call this method whenever the user presses on
a MovieClip instance, so that the user can start
dragging it once he or she presses on the MovieClip.
The event for that would be MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN.

To stop the user from being able to drag the MovieClip
instance, you use the AS3 stopDrag() method. You can call 
this whenever the user releases the mouse button so that 
the object being dragged will be released the same time 
the mouse button is released. The event for that would 
be MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP.

To summarize:
Call the AS3 startDrag() method whenever MOUSE_DOWN happens, and call
the AS3 stopDrag() method whenever MOUSE_UP happens. In other words,
enable dragging while the user is pressing on the movie
clip, and disable dragging when the user releases it. */

/*Add the MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN listeners to the MovieClip
instances that youd like the user to be able to drag.*/
circle_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, drag);
square_mc.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, drag);

/*Add the MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP listener to the stage.*/
stage.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, drop);

/*This is the event listener function for the MOUSE_DOWN
event, which enables dragging.*/
function drag(e:MouseEvent):void
{
     e.target.startDrag(false, new Rectangle(75,50,350,250));
     /*This will enable dragging for whichever object is
     currently being pressed.
 
     It accepts 2 parameters (these are optional):
 
     1. lockCenter:Boolean - true or false
     If set to true, the objects registration point locks
     to the mouse pointer. If false, whatever part of the
     object that was clicked on locks to the pointer.
 
     2. Bounds:Rectangle
     Lets you create a rectangular boundary that restricts where
     the object can be dragged. You create a rectangle
     object that will serve as the boundary:

     new Rectangle (x,y,width,height)

     This rectangle will not be seen. The rectangle shape
     that you see on the stage of this exercise file is 
     just a drawing to help illustrate where the 
     boundary is. Also, its not the shape itself that
     stays inside the boundary, but the MovieClip instances
     registration point. So parts of the MovieClip instance
     can still move beyond the boundary.*/
}

/*This is the event listener function for the MOUSE_UP
event, which disables dragging.*/
function drop(e:MouseEvent):void
{
     stopDrag();
     /*Simply call the stopDrag() method, and whichever
     object is currently being dragged will then be
     dropped.*/
}

/*Why add the MOUSE_UP event listener to the stage instead
of to the MovieClip instances?

As long as the mouse pointer is within the stage, then
we can be sure that the MOUSE_UP event will be detected.
The problem with adding the MOUSE_UP event listener
to any of the MovieClip instances is that sometimes, 
the MovieClip instance gets left behind when the user
drags too fast. If the user releases the mouse button
and the mouse pointer is NOT on the actual MovieClip
instance, then the MOUSE_UP event wont get dispatched.
This will cause the MovieClip instance to get stuck
to the mouse pointer even though the mouse button has 
already been released. So it would be better to add the 
event listener to the stage instead.*/

1. On your XP computer, use the Set Up Sharing on Windows XP procedure below to share your XP Shared Documents folder with all network users.
2. On your Ubuntu computer, use the Set Up Sharing on Ubuntu procedure below to create a share point, which is a desktop icon through which you have read and write access to the Shared Documents folder on your XP computer.

1. On your Windows XP computer, click My Computer to display its window.
2. Right-click Shared Documents, click Properties to display its window, and then click Sharing to display its page.
3. In the "Network sharing and security" frame:
1. Select Share this folder on the network.
2. Write down the Share name, which is "SharedDocs" in this example. You will need the Share name when you perform the Set Up Sharing on Ubuntu procedure below.
3. Select Allow network users to change my files.
4. Click Apply to set folder permissions, and then click OK to close the window.
5. Click Start, click Settings, and then click Control Panel to display it.
6. Double-click System to display its window, and then click Computer Name to display its page.
7. Write down the contents of the Full-computer-name field, which is "alpha" in this example. You will need the Full computer name when you perform the Set Up Sharing on Ubuntu procedure below.

1. On your Ubuntu computer, click Applications, select Accessories, click Terminal to display its window, and then do the following:
1. Type sudo aptitude install smbfs, press Enter, type your password, press Enter again, follow the prompts, and then to install the smbfs packages, which you need for sharing files on the network.
2. Type sudo mkdir /media/ubuntusharename, and then press Enter to name the share icon that will be on the Ubuntu desktop. Use a meaningful name for the ubuntusharename. This example uses "betashare" because the Ubuntu computer name is beta.
3. Type sudo nano /etc/nsswitch.conf, and then press Enter to display the nsswitch configuration file through the nano editor.
4. On the Hosts line, use the arrow keys to move your cursor to the "d" in dns on the hosts line, type wins and a space immediately before dns so that the hosts line is
   hosts: files mdns4_minimal [NOTFOUND=return] wins dns mdns4.
5. Press Ctrl+X, type y, and then press Enter to save your edits and close the nano editor.
6. Type sudo aptitude install winbind, and then press Enter to install windbind.
2. Close the terminal window, and then turn off your Ubuntu computer completely.
3. Turn your Ubuntu computer back on, click Applications, select Accessories, click Terminal to display its window, and then do the following:
1. Type sudo cp /etc/fstab /etc/fstab_old, and then press Enter to back up your fstab file. Do not skip this step because fstab is an important system file. In case you need to recover fstab, use the following command: sudo mv /etc/fstab_old /etc/fstab.
2. Type sudo nano /root/.smbcredentials, and then press Enter to display your credentials file, which might be empty.
3. Add two lines to your credentials file:
   username=winusername
   password=winpassword
   Replace winusername with your user name on your Windows XP computer. Replace winpassword with your Windows XP password.
4. Press Ctrl+X, type y, and then press Enter to save your edits and close the nano editor.
5. Type sudo chmod 700 /root/.smbcredentials, and then press Enter so that only root can access your credentials file.
6. Type sudo nano /etc/fstab, and then press Enter to display your fstab file. At the bottom of the file, add the following line:
   //wincomputername/winsharename /media/ubuntusharename cifs guest,rw,iocharset=utf8,file_mode=0777 0 0
   Replace wincomputername with your Windows XP Full computer name, which is "alpha" in the Set Up Sharing on Windows XP procedure above. Replace winsharename with your Windows XP Share name, which is "SharedDocs" in the Set Up Sharing on Windows XP procedure above. Replace ubuntusharename with your Ubuntu share name, which is "betashare" in this example. Therefore, this line on the example Ubuntu computer is:
   //alpha/SharedDocs /media/betashare cifs guest,rw,iocharset=utf8,file_mode=0777 0 0
7. Press Ctrl+X, type y, and then press Enter to save your edits and close the nano editor.
8. Type sudo mount -a, and then press Enter to display your Ubuntu-share icon on your Ubuntu desktop.
4. Close the terminal window, and then double-click your Ubuntu-share icon to open it. It should contain the same folders and files as the Shared Documents folder on your Windows XP computer.