The Wild Dolphin Project
Florida
The Wild Dolphin Project (WDP) is a small nonprofit that researches the life history, genetics, vocalizations, behavior and social structure of wild spotted (Stenella frontalis) and bottlenose (Tursiops truncatus) dolphins. We have over 20 years of data to store, organize and update on a yearly basis.
Years ago our research director, Dr. Denise Herzing, was looking for a relational database that would fit the needs of WDP, and be able to grow with the project as our dataset became increasingly larger. Luckily, she found Helix and we have been happy ever since.
We have used Helix RADE to create, maintain and update our database. The features make it easy to combine fields and abacuses into templates with a graphic interface that is intuitive and easy to put together. The ability to create different relations, and the ease with which you can work between them/combine information, has enabled us to keep track of our individual dolphins, their life history information, as well as the basic information on encounters and sightings. We have different areas of research that often require different subsets of the data to analyze. Helix has enabled us to create a database that has the ease and flexibility that we need to be able to query data specific to the question at hand. The versatility we gain by using Helix RADE is invaluable to our work.
As the person who works with Helix on a daily basis, I cannot be happier with the product. I enjoy all the features and the ease to which I can access almost any combination of data I want quickly. Helix has proven itself not only in the business sector, but also as a valuable tool in the research world. I would recommend it to anyone, from private, public, business to research.
We now eagerly await Helix RADE for OS X – so we can continue to work with Helix for years to come!