Overview.

CaveBase is program that allows you to create, query and use database data with your cave survey data. CaveBase can access any standard Windows database data including DBase, Paradox, FoxPro, InterBase, MS Access, ODBC and many others. It can also create new databases without any other data software. You can even incorporate photographs and drawing into the database to create a visual record of the features in a cave. Finally, CaveBase has its own specialized query builder that allows you select specific sets of data using sophisticated SQL query commands. The results of your queries can be immediately viewed as colored symbols in the Viewer. If the features in your database have numerical values associated with them, the symbols size can be used to reflect the magnitude of the value.

What Is A Database? A database is an organized collection of information. Database software allows you to selectively access and ask questions about this data. In cave surveying, databases are usually used to keep track of features in the cave. For example, your database could keep track of the minerals, water, life forms, leads, chemistry, temperature, wind drection, rock type, stratigraphy, passage size, etc. Click here for more information.

Using Cave Data. Once you have created a database of cave features, you can display the location where each of these items appears in the cave. You can also ask complicated questions about how different data items relate to each other. For example, you could look for combination of items like life forms near water.

Using CaveBase. You can run CaveBase in two different ways. If you are entering data and setting up a database, you can run CaveBase directly by clicking on it's icon. However, if you want to display the data in the Viewer, CaveBase can be run directly from the Viewer.