The Participatory Measurement, Reporting and Verification (PMRV) project collected social, health and forestry data and information from the field. The teams also gathered GPS points, and described and took photographs of each point during ground checks. The data forms from the field were then scanned and entered into a database along with relevant literature and a glossary of terminology used in the project. The data was collected from three regions of Indonesia, Papua, West Kalimantan and Central Java. Due to the amount and complexity of the data, a database system was necessary to centralize data storage, reduce data editing, and facilitate recall and use of the data in accordance with our needs such as for writing reports and articles. The project team chose to use Microsoft Access software (MS Access). The software is part of the Microsoft Office package based on Windows, and can be modified to be made more user-friendly. It accommodates the creation of tables, forms, queries and crosstabs, and the establishment of links between them. The entered data can be accessed according to location, type of data, specific parts of the data, or a combination of factors by creating a query. The software is also compatible with Microsoft Excel, which is useful for data exporting and importing, particularly for data analysis using programs such as SPSS.
