In the time I’ve been doing my research work at the Univ. of IL, I’ve come across a number of graphs from various past researchers, older papers, stuck on the side of machines (calibration curves), and even hand-drawn or chart-recorder graphs in my numerous projects. The only major problem with those graphs I’ve found is that they aren’t in a digital form for further use with other data (instrument response functions) or to include in your own work as a reference. So, what to do?
Well, there’s an easy solution. It’s not the perfect solution, as it’s a bit slow, I’ll get to that in a second, but it’s a great solution to the problem, and has worked for me a number of times now. To top it off, it’s open-source, donation-ware, and cross-platform: Engauge Digitizer (see post at LifeHacker.com). Don’t let the website and lack of recent updates deter you. Tools that can do what Engauge does are few and far between. So, it is definitely worth a try. Here’s an example of how I’ve used it just the other day (prompting this post- I’ve used it for years now, but the recent use reminded me I should share it with others). [click "More" to see an example use and learn more]
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By Allen
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Also posted in DataVisualization, Materials Science and Engineering, Matlab, OpenSource, Research Work, Software, Work
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Tagged Cross Platform, Data Mining, How To, Linux, Mac OsX, Materials Science and Engineering, Open Source, Software, Thesis Writing, Windows
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For those friends of mine currently attempting to work in LaTeX to code Materials Science and Engineering related tidbits…
Here’s a quick tip. Tired of typing all those crazy math commands for your material’s name? Simply use a new command. Here’s are a couple examples…
%Simpler way of writing CUINSE2:
\newcommand{\cis}{CuInSe$_{2}$}
%Simpler way of writing CUINGASE2:
\newcommand{\cigs}{CuIn$_{(1-x)}$Ga$_{x}$Se$_{2}$}
%Simpler way of writing CUGASE2:
\newcommand{\cgs}{CuGaSe$_{2}$}
To see how this looks in compiled LaTeX output and another example, click “More”…
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I could not decide exactly how to post this… searching high and low, I couldn’t find the answer to my problem. I felt, in the very least, it needed to be posted here. So, I’ve decided to focus on the problem only. Then, in a future post, I’ll describe in more detail how I go about doing my research writing using LaTeX [wikipedia]. So, my basic comment is: I write in LaTeX, BibTeX, etc., and the following will help only a few people doing the same, and doesn’t actually offer a solution right now. 
[Boy, aren't I helpful?] (click through to read more…)
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