Web Design & Construction
Moving From Paper Pages To Web Pages
Reconnecting America, Urban Habitat and the Great Communities Collaborative wrote a series of briefs in 2013 designed to increase the regional knowledge of the intersection of workforce development, economic development, and equitable transit-oriented development. But what to do with the data and maps that didn't fit within the margins of the paper?
Moving2work.org was created as a stand-alone website to expand the reach of the original documents and to increase access to the data on which this applied-research project was founded.
Website design was taken from the printed brief and extended with the use of tabbed content and accordions that allow grouping of content. The website is built upon the Zurb Foundation framework and is functional on all devices.
Nesting Websites
Content management systems make it easy to add content. At least it is easy to put words and photos in a box. But what if you need to create something that doesn't fit in the box?
In 2012, Reconnecting America released Are We There Yet?, a report more than a year in the making. The ambitious project highlighted the benefits that complete communities offer all Americans, told stories about the work being done across the country to create complete communities, and measured progress in every region with a population of more than 55,000. The printed report filled nearly 100 pages.
Reconnecting America wanted something more than a PDF copy of the report on their website. They wanted visitors to quickly find data for their regions, to explore the meaning of complete communities and to learn how their area measures up.
A website within a website was created to provide access to the data behind the report. Tabular material was organized in tabbed structures that made navigating data easier. Tables utilized client-side sorting.
Making Data Accessible
Reconnecting America did a number of nationwide projects, gathering data from every major metropolitan region. This data was summarized and reported but Reconnecting America wanted to make the data available in a manner that went beyond a simple table. The map above is from the 2013 Transit Space Race, which listed every under construction and planned fixed-guideway transit project in the United States. Click on the image above to visit the web page
Another example of this technology was used on Reconnecting America's report on state, regional and local programs that fund transit-oriented development at ReconnectingAmerica.org/inventory.
Custom Databases
Forms & Databases
JoMaRiworks creates custom forms with input validation and CAPTCHA testing to limit spam. Form data can be emailed or stored in mySQL databases. JoMaRiworks creates custom admin interfaces, allowing data input, update and output.
Since 2009, JoMaRiworks has been involved with the Sacramento Area Aninimal Coalition. Here's what the organization's president has to say about this work:
"SAAC provides low-cost spay/neuter services for pets belonging to low-income families. We hired John to build an online application and database to manage our Voucher Program, the primary vehicle through which we serve pet owners in need. Prior to John building the database, we managed this program manually, taking applications over the phone, keeping track of clients in a spreadsheet, and writing vouchers by hand. This was time consuming and inefficient.
"The database has changed our entire program: it enables us to issue more vouchers more quickly. The program is now so efficient that several animal control agencies have chosen to use our program to serve their own residents, rather than create their own programs. Our Voucher Program is continually changing to accommodate these new partnerships, and John has helped us every step of the way by updating the database and problem-solving for new contingencies that come up when we bring a new animal control partner on board. ... We were so happy with John’s work on the Voucher Program database that we hired him to design two other databases for our other programs. John is smart, conscientious, patient, intuitive, compassionate, and responsive. He would be an asset to any organization lucky enough to hire him."
Alexis Raymond President, Sacramento Area Animal Coalition
Read original letter
