IOTA Country and DXCC errors

[G4POP]

Following the discovery by users of a couple of errors in the IOTA file that we download from RSGB/IOTA I wrote to the leader of IOTA Roger Ballister G3KMA as follows:

Dear Roger,

There are some anomalies in the xml file we download from IOTA for our software which causes incorrect logging of the data

As an example

Conway Reef OC-112 should be DXCC Country: Conway Reef DXCC Ref: 489 ---- Your xml file records it as Fiji DXCC ref: 176

<IotaGroup>
<Islands>
<IotaIsland>
<SubGroup />
<IsExcluded>false</IsExcluded>
<IsSubGroupIsland>false</IsSubGroupIsland>
<IsComment />
<IslandName>Conway Reef</IslandName>
<IslandId>00006396</IslandId>
</IotaIsland>
</Islands>
<Region />
<Dxcc>FIJI</Dxcc>
<Status />
<DxccId>176</DxccId>
<PcCredited>51.9</PcCredited>
<Prefixes>3D2</Prefixes>
<GrpComment />
<GrpName>Conway Reef</GrpName>
<GrpRef>OC-112</GrpRef>
<ExcludedIslands />
<IslandsSubGroups />
<ExcludedIslandsSubGroups />
</IotaGroup>

There are other examples of this type of problem, all of which make life difficult for the developers that attempt to support IOTA

I look forward to hearing from you


73

Terry G4POP
Log4OM Development Team


After several further emails and a two week delay I finally received this response this morning:

Hi Terry

I am sorry that you and your colleagues feel so strongly that we should have responded earlier. We mentioned to you a while back that maintenance of the xml list is not one that has any priority here, given higher priority jobs designed to keep IOTA running. This was not because of a lack of commitment but rather a lack of anyone to do the necessary work despite constant requests for volunteer help with our IT. There is only so much that one can do and if the programme is not of sufficient worth to users to generate a wish by any of them to help, then all will suffer. We have been beset by this problem for more than 5 years. It is very depressing.

Major IT development is now under way to introduce electronic confirmation of contacts by QSO matching with logs on Club Log. In the absence of volunteers we are carrying out this work on a commercial basis, the cost of which is being reflected in increased charges to users combined with an open funding request by Friends of IOTA to meet significant loan payments (see the new Directory). It is however hugely overloading the time of the volunteers whose main job is involvement with day to day management. Added to this I have a serious health problem that has taken much of my time since last November and is continuing so. This explains why we cannot reply to enquiries that require us to make this or that alteration to the IT within a week.

One of the team has now amended the xml file for Conway Reef, Kingman Reef and in several other areas. You should now find it OK. Please note that our attention is now focused on seeing the new IOTA project through to completion and, in a continuing situation of no volunteer IT support, it is unlikely that we will make further changes until the new system is launched in early 2017.

I hope that you can now understand.

73 Roger, G3KMA


I have now responded as follows:

Roger,

I think that we were justified in expecting some sort of response rather quicker than two weeks and only then after repeated requests, even if it was just a couple of words like 'Thanks for the heads up we will look into it' that's just common courtesy!.

However thank you for having the error in your data corrected and now that we more clearly understand that IOTA will not fix any errors in their data for the next year or so, until the new system is launched we will not request you do so, we will inform our users accordingly.

I am sorry to hear of your health issues and wish you well.

73

Terry G4POP
Log4OM Development Team


So if there are further issues with the IOTA database please don't blame Log4OM as we have done as much as we can do and clearly until the protracted update of the IOTA system is complete they are not interested in rectifying issues.