MedCosm DataLogger Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q)  What is this?
A)  The MedCosm DataLogger is the web-enabled version of the "Track" PDA applications.  It allows users to record/view/import/export time-series data in a convenient and simple manner.  There is no charge for the service.  Users may choose to share their data publicly with others or may keep it private.  No attempt will be made to correlate data with personally indentifiable information.  You may use the service for any time-series data you wish. 

Some examples include monitoring:

Q)  Why is this here?
A)  A shared, publicly accessible data repository seems like an important service for just about everyone.  After all, that's what a library is.  In an age where information (software, DVD's, CD's, etc) is increasingly "licensed" to eliminate individual ownership and public-domain use, services such as this seem doubly important.

Q)  Who can see my data?
A)  If you choose to "share" your data, then anyone can see it.  Otherwise, no-one.

Q)  Do I need to create a MedCosm account?
A)  No, you do not need to create a MedCosm account to view shared data, simply login using the "Guest" button.  However an account is necessary if you wish to save data on the system.  The account ensures that you alone are able to edit your data, and to change the status of whether your data is "shared".

Q)  How do I import/export data?
A)  Run the program and try the import/export feature. This provides a convenient mechanism (cut&paste or file load/save) for getting data in and out of the application in both comma-separated-value (CSV) and XML formats.

Q)  Who can use the data stored here? Can I use the data for my own purposes?
A)  Users storing data on the MedCosm DataLogger agree to do so under a Creative Commons License. Creative Commons License
When you read the license, you will see that it is designed to grant you rights, not take them away! That is, it acknowledges the source of the data, but allows people to use the data in almost any way they please including distribution and derivative works.

Note that this site is not intended to be a repository for proprietary copyrighted royalty-based data/media/information... find some place else to store that!

Q)  What are the terms of use or quality of service for this?
A)  There are almost none!  Log/View/Share whatever data you like.  Share it with others or keep it to yourself.  Import it if you have old data, export it and use it in another application anytime you want.  Just please don't abuse the system, or it will change.  Also note that this service is provided without any guarantee of fitness for a particular use.

Q) Is the DataLogger Application source code available?
A) Not yet, but I'm glad that you asked. Like other MedCosm projects, the MedCosm DataLogger will probably be made available under the GPL (Gnu Public License) at some point after tune-ups.

Q)  The application won't run, what should I do? What is Java?
A)  If you can't get the application to run at all, then the problem is almost certainly that you don't have a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) on your machine. If you are using a Microsoft operating system, then this is almost certainly the case. The JRE is a Virtual Machine which is available for almost all computer platforms (Linux, Unix, Mac, Windows, etc.) and allows execution of any program written in Java. Don't fret, just go here (java.sun.com) and download and install the 1.4.2 JRE then return back to this site and run the application. And please look into using Linux on your machine at some point!

Note about the download: You only need the J2SE v 1.4.2_03 JRE (Java Runtime Environment) for your machine. Don't waste your time or hard-disk space downloading the SDK (Software Development Kit) or the NetBeans-Cobundle unless you are a programmer.

Q)  I am on a dialup line and the program takes too long to load, is there any way to make it run faster?
A)  Yes. Download the application (right click and "save to disk" if necessary) and save somewhere on your machine. You can then double-click the file or run with the command line:

java -jar DataLogger.jar
and the program will run instantly. Please note that the program still requires a web-connection to the MedCosm data-server to store/restore data..

Q)  Can I use the program without Internet access?
A)  The desktop version requires Internet access since the data may be shared. Please drop us an email if you would like to see a standalone version of the application. Note that there is a standalone PDA version available at www.medcosm.com

Q)  Can I upload data automatically? How?
A)  Yes! The standalone version includes a very flexible programmable mechanism for importing any data of your choosing as well as a convenient timed upload function to automate datalogging. To set-up automatic data logging, you must do the following:
  1. Download the application (see elsewhere in this FAQ).
  2. Login via the GUI and create a new (empty) database.
  3. Write a custom Java class to import your data into the MedCosm DataLogger. Don't be intimidated. This is straightforward and does not require an extensive programming background or even a compiler!
  4. Execute the program from the command-line (automatic data-logging does not use the GUI or require user-input) with appropriate command-line properties.

Your custom Java class must implement the following interface: 

public interface com.medcosm.datalogger.ImporterInterface 
{ 
  com.medcosm.primitives.GraphData readData(String fileName); 
}

That is, your class must contain a method called "readData" which builds and returns a GraphData object containing your data. For a sample class which reads a CSV file and uploads data, see here. For a simple class to log hard-drive free space, see here.

To execute the standalone program is for datalogging, use something like the following::

java -Duser=username -Dpass=password -Daction=append -Dfile=mydata -Dimporter=ImporterClass -Drepeat=24 -jar DataLogger.jar

where the properties are explained as:

Q) This looks neat, but I still don't get the point. How does this work?
A) Just try it and see if that clears up some confusion:

or, to experience the thrill of uploading your own data

Now your hard-drive available disk space will be logged to the server each day. The data is shared for anyone to see, and easily imported/exported for use with other applications. Get the point?


Have Questions or Comments? Please send them to: track(at)medcosm.com