We are currently working with a collection of geological samples and have successfully installed Specify 6 with MariaDB and Amazon Corretto in a Windows environment.
Now we would like to implement GeoSpecify, but we are not sure if it’s possible to do this within Specify 6 (adding the needed tables, forms, trees, etc.), or if we should migrate directly to Specify 7 where GeoSpecify might already be integrated.
At this point, we don’t have many records in the database, so we are flexible. We also have a virtual machine ready with Ubuntu in case we need to test Specify 7.
We would really appreciate any advice, experience, or documentation on how to proceed to include geological-specific structures into our current installation.
My opinion would be that it would be best to jump right into Specify 7 if your situation allows for it[1]. Specify 7.10 introduced Geology as a discipline, which would have many features that you are looking for. The documentation for Geology related features should all be accessible from the 7.10 release notes
The biggest question is if setting up Specify 7 is possible, as it has slightly different requirements (it runs as a web application rather than a local app). With docker, Specify 7 is quite easy to get setup, but may take some compliance work to make the leap from a development version up and running to production. There is also specify cloud if you would prefer the Specify team manage the infrastructure for you.
My advice would be to experiment around with Specify 7 in the virtual machine to explore the features on 7.10.1 and get a sense of how the geology improvements would impact day to day operations, and let that inform your decision. If you have any questions, always happy to assist (and the Specify team is wonderful as always).
EDIT: Also, welcome to the community! Glad to have you here!
Usually when just starting off with a project, it is best to use the newest version available if possible, so that you don’t incur any tech debt right off the start. Specify 6 is still supported, but will be transitioned away from eventually. ↩︎
For the most part, Specify6 and Specify7 are just different ways to get to the same backend database. I don’t think you can go wrong jumping into Specify7 right away. I think you will find a lot more flexibility, and a lot of features easier to use. If relevant, you could still use Specify6 when needed. In my mind, 9/10 features and functions are better in S7, and it is a nicer interface for most users. Then, if required, for admin/management, occasionally someone may still use S6. (this if from herbarium (not geology) perspective, but I think for overall use, the difference doesn’t matter here)