Consulting Services

SilverBiology exists to provide software tools for the Biological field but that is only the surface of what we do. Our main focus is to work with Universities and Faculty to develop tools and applications to simplify, automate, and/or provide a web presence for research and collected information.

We are a small company that prides ourselves with quality work and an experienced team that fits the needs of Biological departments that does not have the general technical staff. Our staff has degrees in Computer Science, Biology, Geographic Information Systems and years of experience in project management and software design.

Below are a list of services we wish to help you with. If you do not see the solution to your problem or looking for something more abstract and unique for your project please contact us and let us know what you have in mind. We pride ourselves in custom applications to cut down on any unnecessary man hours.

Biological Consulting Services:

Web 2.0 Applications
Real time Advanced Search Engines
Camera Setup and Stream lined Process for Archiving Specimen/ Specimen Sheets
Custom Software and Tools
Google Custom Maps
Google Earth Custom Feeds/Files
Distribution Maps
Database integration
Data Conversion

Costs and Fees: Our services are based hourly on the work requested. Every project is different and needs that special attention to detail, so we talk with you to find out your needs, goals, and timeframe for the project and then submit a proposal that is specific for you. We are aware that most University projects are grant based and we are happy to work in that environment. Please contact us with any question or inquiries.

Web 2.0 Applications

Web 2.0 is the second generation of web sites where you will find more client based applications.. Our team will focus on turning your website or portions of your website into an interactive real-time tool where visitors and yourself can interact with your data in a way that was previously not possible. We work to integrate your information with other 3rd party data to provide the most centergistic applications possible.

Real time Advanced Search Engines

Sometimes there are custom search engine solutions that Google does not provide. There are times when you need to find information in your data quickly and efficiently. We pride ourselves in advanced search engines that interact with your database to provide the most effective querying of your information.

View Real World Example: LSU Herbarium (Click Search Tab)

Camera Setup and Stream lined Process for Archiving Specimen/ Specimen Sheets

More and more Universities are in the process of digitally archiving their specimen sheets. There are techniques and methods for setting up a camera and a light box to photograph specimens sheets and process these digital images. The most important part is the process of getting those digital RAW images into something useful for your website and your database.

We provide consulting and custom software / processes that are selected to your needs. We will try and automate as much as possible to cut down on the human labor aspect. When dealing with thousands records,every second counts when you have days and possibly years of man hours to archive a complete library. We focus on the whole process as well as archiving your RAW data for unforeseen uses in the future. We have much experience in Photography as we do in software development. We understand what image formats are needed for different environments and which are good for archive purposes. To learn more about what we can do for you feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

Custom Software and Tools

We pride ourselves in the creativity of our software designers to create something unique and user friendly for your daily needs. We understand that software needs to work for you and not the other way around so we learn how you want to do your tasks and develop software around your needs. When developing custom software we take all your needs and daily tasks and remove all the unnecessary downtime from manual data entry or redundant/repetitive tasks.

Google Custom Maps

Google Maps are being found in more and more places thanks to the ability to integrate data with their maps. SilverBiology focuses on taking your data and interacting with maps to get the most out of your information. We will work with you to build unique applications to view and/or interact with maps to make your work go easier.

Example Ideas:

Show maps on your website with push pins of all your data and a summary of information
Interactively add Long/Lat points to your data by dragging a marker on a map
User real-time search fields to display relative data
View data related to what your map is showing
Build custom Google Maplets for overlaying data

Screenshot of LSU Herbarium Google Maplet

Live Example:

The LSU Herbarium Specimen Search Maplet is used at maps.google.com to interact directly with the Herbarium Database server to show place markers based on the information searched. Being directly overlayed on Google Maps there are benefits of getting driving directions, street views, traffic, and all the other normal features of Google maps.

See LSU Herbarium Maplet in Action

Google Earth Scripts

Ever wanted to see what your information would look like on a Globe? We can make this possible With Google Earth . We can take data that has Longitude / Latitude coordinates or State, City, County information and map it to Google Earth in forms of Distribution maps, Push Pins, Polygons, and Line data.

Example Ideas:

Show push pins of all your specimens with a summary of information
Show distribution maps related to information in your database

Distribution Maps

We create interactive flash based distribution maps that let you view your data in a graphical representation for better understanding the location of your data.

Database Integration

Database Integration implies the ability to access relational and non-relational data sources from a common framework using one tool or set of tools. We work on combining all the information that may exist over multiple data sources and present it together for your custom needs.

Examples:

View website information from local database and remote databases
Include 3rd party information into your website
Link your data with related data from other websites
Create Mashup from images and data that relate.

Data Conversion

We understand that over the years standards change and sometimes the information you have is not compatible for other programs or applications. With our data conversion services we find a solution for your needs. We will take your data and manipulate it in any way necessary to migrate it to your desired needs.