Search support: data import

The last PI website rebuild was back in 2004 when we devised what felt like quite an innovative way of cross referencing content. But as is the way with our line of work, what seemed cool and groovy in 2004 had become pretty clunky and out-moded by 2010 (or probably even sooner for web fashionistas). And so the challenge 6 years on, was to refit the ship without losing any of its precious cargo and at the same time get that cargo out of the hold so that people could find it, read it and start taking action on it. And to do all that on very limited resources - of course.

After years of working with 100s of html coded pages on a static website, SGR managed to raise the funds to get their website rebuilt with Drupal. The budget was tight so we worked together to prioritise their requirements and make a plan that would meet their needs without overspilling. A bespoke page design was out but an automated (scripted) migration of all the old html pages into the Drupal database, and integration of their subscription form with a PayPal gateway was in. SGR took on the mammoth task of tidying up the imported data and categorising it with their new  index terms.

This project began life as an attempt to create a subsite for the Cornerhouse's Interventions work - a space to publish and organise the paper trails of legal documents, Freedom of Information requests, press reports etc... that emerge during investigations carried out by Cornerhouse researchers. But as the project plans unfolded, it became clear that new thinking for that content would also suit their legacy content as that was beginning to out-grow the ActionApps system that was built for it in 2003.