The SFD project - A successful failure

One of the starting points for Dina was a database project. In the late 1980's, databases had become a buzz-word in agricultural research project applications, and the Ministry of Agriculture wanted professional computer scientists to be involved, in order to secure the future. Despite difficulties, a project was established in collaboration between DJF (SP+SH), KVL and A.P. Ravn at DTU. The purpose was to create a formalism that allowed for a system to handle datasets along with the specification of the data structure. Input and output could then be automatically organized, in turn allowing for individual datasets to be stored in ASCII format in a self-explicatory way.
Such a system was in fact constructed and, in connection with the EU project ADDA, tested in relation to a study of field trial datasets. Also, facilities to automatically present the system and the data on the internet were developed.
Unfortunately, it turned out that nobody wanted to use the system in practise. But the many discussions about the project built up awareness of data discipline and created good and fruitful contacts between agricultural research and computer science environments, in particular at DTU. The ministry was ready to further develop these contacts when AI - artificial intelligence - became the new buzz-word. This initiated the Expert System Project, and before long Dina was established by the Danish Research Councils.
Thus, a seemingly failed project has had a quite useful outcome.