This project was initiated by a London based client to replace an existing subscription only website providing daily reports to an international blue chip client database on PPP (Public Private Partnerships) Infrastructure projects, news items and planned conference events. The original website utilised two data storage mediums, one being an access database, the second being data stored in text files online.
Create a sister site
The brief was to replace and upgrade the existing site targeting a global market and also create a sister site specifically focusing upon the "Americas Market" utilising the same data structure for each site, but with differing business rules applied.
Import Data from two different data formats
The brief by default required the retention of thousands of existing information records. This involved the capturing of the information on the two different information platforms, identifying the business rules associated with each and then subsequently creating a single platform replicating the two environments. Once the prototype data platform was ready and test migrations had been successfully completed, the development of the new platform to meet new business criteria and the dissemination of information to four separate websites could begin.
PDA Compliant Websites
In addition each of the two new websites would have an associated website catering for those using PDA's, blackberries, palm pilots and XDa's. The issue here was to deliver a feature rich fully searchable news database to those using desktop and laptop computers whilst delivering an easy to read and navigable format for PDA's where the need for information was catered for within the bandwidth constraints and screen size associated with mobile handheld appliances.
Examples of this format may be found at Google and the BBC.
Daily E-bulletin
The two websites had their own individual subscription database scheduled to receive an e-bulletin on a daily basis for one site and every other day for the second of the two sites. Working on these business rules we generated an email on demand capturing the top stories of the day and then sending it out using a spam compliant medium for the daily scheduled email.
For the second of the sites the email captured the top stories from Monday each Monday, the top stories from Tuesday and Wednesday on the Wednesday issue and the top stories from Thursday and Friday on the Friday issue automatically.
