2004 NYS Webmasters Guild "Best of the Web" Award Winners

2004 NYS Webmasters Guild Best of the Web Award WinnersThe Forum would like to recognize the outstanding work done with the innovative use of web technology. To be eligible, sites had to be functioning at the time of the nomination and had to be in compliance with the OFT Technical Policies 96-13 and 99-3 for Accessibility. A panel of judges reviewed each of the sites nominated. Evaluation criteria included Innovative Use of Technology, Value to the Client, and Cost Efficiency to the Agency.

The award was given to the Council on Children and Families within the Office of Children and Family Services for KWIC - Kids' Well-being Indicators Clearninghouse http://www.nyskwic.org (External Link)

Site Information

Date Launched: December 17, 2003
Approximate Monthly Visitors: 3,800
Site Developers:
CCF Project Members: Toni Lang - Project Manager, Robin Miller - Project Assistant;
Cogent Technologies Members: Paul Marano - Project Manager, Wing Leung - Lead Programmer and Mark Merrett - Information Architect, David Homsey - Web-designer;
EMC3 Members: Eric Mauviere - Lead Programmer and Isabelle Coulomb - Information Architect

Summary and Background

Photo of Toni Lang commenting on the Best of the Web AwardThe Kids' Well-being Indicators Clearinghouse (KWIC) website (www.nyskwic.org) is an interactive, web-based tool to gather, plot and monitor NYS children's health, education and well-being indicator data in order to improve outcomes for children and families. Until now, the type of data available in KWIC had only been available in the New York State Touchstones/Kids Count data books, also produced by the Council with funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count Initiative. The Internet versus print media proves to be a superior means for disseminating NYS Touchstones/KIDS COUNT data as web-based capabilities expand access to New York State children's indicator data; include data as they become available; expand the number of indicators presented; provide access to other data resources; allow users to chart, graph, and map data; and give users the ability to tailor data to fit their needs. KWIC's state-of-the-art technology was identified as one of New York State's top 75 e-Commerce/e-Government initiatives.

KWIC's behind-the-scene functionality is as impressive as the client-end, as it supports direct data submission, enhances data management and ensures accuracy. The administrative functionality of KWIC not only streamlines the data presentation of KWIC but also creates documents for data book publications. With KWIC's administrative area, this project is self-contained as data are directly submitted from the agency generating the data, program checked for accuracy, activated, manipulated and maintained in a single environment. With the administration area and access codes, KWIC can be maintained and updated from any location with Internet. User response has come from data users and data suppliers:

  • Per data users - in the past, the Council was inundated with data requests and data book requests but since the release of KWIC, the Council has been able to direct most requests to KWIC and the demand for data books has been practically eliminated. Feedback that has been received through the Contact Us form on KWIC, pilots, presentations and conversations has been positive, and the number of visits per month has exceeded expectations.
  • Per data suppliers - data supplying agencies have sought to increase the number of indicators available on KWIC and agencies that currently do not provide data have initiated conversations to determine the feasibility of supplying data.

KWIC establishes a framework for the easy dissemination of indicator data between agencies at a minimal cost and without delay and provides a cost-effective means of sharing and receiving State-agency data and responding to data requests. Of critical importance, the KWIC site meets New York State accessibility guidelines. Hence, agencies that have little or no budget for creation and maintenance of web-based data dissemination tools such as KWIC have the ability to share and retrieve data through a compliant mechanism.

The KWIC website was designed with accessibility in mind. The design team utilized W3C's "Checklist of Checkpoints for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0" as its governing document. All priority 1 checkpoints were adhered to. As a result, the KWIC website does not rely on color or images as the only means to convey information. The site does not require JavaScript to function. The NOSCRIPT tags were used as means of displaying information if JavaScript is not available. To make the site more compatible to screen readers frames were not used, the use of nested tables was minimized and a simple text based navigation scheme was adopted. Whenever data are displayed in tables, row and column headers are always identified.

Design Team

The KWIC project consisted of three teams: the Council's team, the systems integration contractor and the GIS subcontractor:

  • The Council's project team members include Toni Lang - Project Manager and Robin Miller - Project Assistant. Ms. Lang is the project manager and Ms. Miller is the project assistant for the NYS Touchstones/Kids Count initiative. The Touchstones/Kids Count framework was the building block for KWIC. The Council's team orchestrated each part of the project, from developing the project description to maintaining the site.
  • Cogent Technologies, a computer software company located in Troy, New York, was awarded the systems integration contract. Their mission is to help clients improve productivity through custom software solutions and their services include: database development, web site development and custom software design. Cogent Technologies' team members include: Project Manager Paul Marano, Lead Programmer Wing Leung, Information Architect Mark Merrett, and Web Designer David Homsey.
  • The GIS mapping component was subcontracted with EMC3, a company in France that uses Géoclip, a powerful Flash format that easily connects to databases and provides extra-compact, easy-to-view files. EMC3's team members include: Lead Programmer Eric Mauviere and Information Architect Isabelle Coulomb.

During the initial phase, the Council, in conjunction with the Center for Technology in Government and Cornell University's College of Human Ecology, conducted statewide community assessments to get input from diverse stakeholders, including state and local government and non-government entities; educational institutions and students; not for profit agencies; advocacy groups; media and citizens. In addition, an advisory group representing stakeholders at all levels supported the development of the website on an ongoing basis. The information gathered during this stage provided the foundation and direction for the project. By receiving a New York State Technology Entrepreneurial Grant from the Office for Technology, the Council was able to hire a contractor and successfully release KWIC to the public before schedule.

During the development phase, a State-level pilot was conducted to determine if the primary design objectives (including easy to navigate; easy to find and retrieve data; quick data display; and has value to a wide audience of users) of the website had been accomplished as well as to solicit direct feedback from CCF Staff, Council Member Agencies and other State-level KWIC data providers and users. The pilot results clearly indicated that the primary objectives of the KWIC web site had been accomplished and enhancements were incorporated based on pilot recommendations. Once released, the Council again reached out to the community to identify what was working great, what needed fine-tuning and what additional features would be useful. Recognizing the diverse fields and expertise of colleagues participating in the Office of Children and Family Services' Integrated County Planning (ICP) initiative, the Council extended an invitation to the ICP community to participate in a hands-on assessment of the KWIC. Again, the findings were overwhelmingly positive and enhancements were incorporated per assessment recommendations.

The Touchstones Executive Team, comprised of senior level staff and data experts, acts as an advisory body and provides policy recommendations for New York State Touchstones projects, such as NYS Touchstones/Kids Count and KWIC. NYS Touchstones is a set of goals and objectives that represent expectations about the future, and a set of indicators that reflect the status of children and families that is a driving force for state planning and policy.

Technology Overview

Special attention was given to selecting cost effective technologies upon which to build the KWIC site. For this reason, it was decided to implement proven mainstream technologies that support a large user base. Mainstream technologies, due to their maturity and general acceptance, tend to be easier to use, maintain and support. The technologies chosen for KWIC are:

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server (Hardware platform)
  • Microsoft IIS 5.0 (web server software)
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2000 (Database)
  • Macromedia Cold Fusion (Application server)
  • Macromedia Dreamweaver MX (HTML editor)
  • Macromedia Flash MX

The web server and database server run on separate Windows 2000 PC's. An application server is utilized to interface with the database, as well as perform server side scripting functions. Macromedia's Cold Fusion MX was chosen to fulfill this function. The advantage of Cold Fusion over other technologies, such as ASP or JSP, is its robust development environment. Components of its development environment include an editor and hundreds of built-in functions and tags including the ability to chart, graph and plot data. All this makes for creating dynamic data rich websites relatively easy. As a result, the learning curve for non-programmers is not as steep compared to other technologies. Macromedia Dreamweaver's seamless integration with Cold Fusion and its built-in accessibility tools made it the preferred HTML editor.

To support the program's needs to create a website that is easy to maintain and at the same time provide the public with accessible, accurate and up-to-date indicator data, extensive content management tools were created. The tools allow for KWIC data providers, located across the state, to electronically submit data to KWIC for review by Council staff. To ensure data accuracy, the data submission routine includes a variety of data validity checks. In addition to data submission, the Council has access to an administrative area that contains an extensive set of tools that allow them to add, edit, delete, review, publish, un-publish, map and plot indicator data. The Council can also manage indicator meta data, data providers, the site's glossary of terms and life areas. Access to the content management tools for both Council staff and KWIC data providers is accomplished through a secure login process.

Some of the underlining principles incorporated into the design of the KWIC website are:

  • Data should be easy to find and quickly displayed.
  • Data should be displayed in a logical manor re-enforcing the Touchstones framework.
  • The site should be easy to use and navigate.

To accomplish the above, the design of the website allows users to retrieve and interact with data from various locations throughout the site. Users have the ability to display predetermined indicator profiles or create their own custom profiles using the Custom Query Builder. The MY KWIC feature allows users to store their custom profiles for quick retrieval at a later point in time.

Users have the ability to graph indicator data to help interpret results. KWIC allows users to create thematic maps of New York State for indicators. Thematic maps display rates and numbers as shaded backgrounds and circles, respectively with intervals based on the NYS median or equal quartiles. For those users who wish to use their own analytically tools to analyze data, indicator profiles and custom query results can be downloaded directly into MS Excel.

Instead of incurring the additional expense of implementing GIS software and hardware to create the thematic maps, the team chose instead to use Macromedia Flash solution. The map builder application, built in Flash, dynamically retrieves information from the KWIC database and builds the thematic map. As a result, the thematic maps are automatically updated as new data are added to KWIC. To accomplish this, the project team subcontracted with EMC3 of France, and had their Géoclip viewer modified to KWIC specifications.

Functionality and Service to Customers

KWIC provides timely access to New York State Touchstones/KIDS COUNT data through an interactive, publicly accessible website. As a result, users have an enhanced tool to gather and use indicator data to assess needs, design and improve programs, and sharpen their focus on outcomes. With growing recognition of the superiority and long-term efficiency of the Internet for publishing data, this web-based system impacts current practices at a number of levels by:

  • Providing Easy Access to Data: State agency staff are deluged with requests for data from the public and private sectors. Directing the requests to KWIC minimizes the amount of time state agency staff spend filling data requests.
  • Expanding Access: A wider range of individuals has access to KWIC data, and more individuals have the opportunity to become aware of the existence and availability of New York State children's health, education and well-being data.
  • Providing More Current Data: Compared to the costly and time-consuming paper publication process, KWIC allows the Council to update and distribute data as soon as it becomes available at a minimal cost.
  • Expanding the Number of Indicators: KWIC provides the flexibility to increase the type and number of indicators in a more timely fashion.
  • Providing Access to Other Resources: Organizations often require information beyond what is available through the data book publications and KWIC. KWIC provides links to other valuable data sources and expands the tools available to them.
  • Providing Charting, Graphing and Mapping Capabilities: Users have the ability to display data in numerous formats, i.e., tables, bar graphs and line charts, maps, as well as tailor comparisons between New York State, New York City, Rest of State and county data.
  • Providing Data Tailoring Capabilities: KWIC, being interactive, gives users the ability to select the year(s), region(s) and indicator(s) they want to use and to determine the displayed format, i.e., tables, charts or maps. To accomplish this using only data books, a user would have to sift through multiple publications and manually display the data.

To ensure compliance with NYS Accessibility Standards, members of the design team attended a number of accessibility seminars sponsored by OFT and NYSFIRM. In addition, accessibility questions were sent to OFT for clarification. Throughout various phases of the project the site was tested for color blindness issues, screen reader compatibility, and Bobby checks.

The original plan for the GIS component was determined to be too costly and time-consuming for the project. Investigating alternate options, the project team discovered and adapted an applicable solution that far exceeded the functionality of the project description. This solution minimized ongoing expenses and maximized our ability to maintain and enhance the GIS component. Implementing a Flash application that easily connects to databases and provides extra-compact, easy-to-view files to present thematic maps, instead of server dependent software, eliminated costly annual operating expenses (e.g., dedicated GIS server and license fees).

Associated Efficiencies

KWIC offers numerous savings and efficiencies for the Council, including the mainstreaming of data collection, data requests and data dissemination.

  • Initially the Council collected data from member agencies in a variety of formats including paper, word documents and excel spreadsheets. KWIC's direct data submission eliminates the manipulation of data by modernizing and streamlining data collection. This timesaving feature benefits both the data submitting agency and the Council. The administrative functionality of KWIC not only streamlines the data collection and presentation but also creates the documents for data book publications. Again, this is a timesaving element for Council staff and a more efficient manner of working with data.
  • State agency staff, including the Council, are deluged with requests for data from the public and private sectors. Directing the requests to KWIC minimizes the amount of time state agency staff spend filling data requests. The Council was also inundated with requests for data books but since the release of KWIC, the demand for data books has been practically eliminated.
  • The hard-copy publication process tends to be costly and time consuming. KWIC provides the means to update and distribute data as soon as they become available at a minimal cost. As seen by dwindling demand for data books and the increasing demand for KWIC, fewer data books will be produced in the future.

The original plan for the GIS component was determined to be too costly and time-consuming for the project. Investigating alternate options, the project team discovered and adapted an applicable solution that far exceeded the functionality of the project description. This solution minimized ongoing expenses and maximized our ability to maintain and enhance the GIS component. Implementing a Flash application that easily connects to databases and provides extra-compact, easy-to-view files to present thematic maps, instead of server dependent software, eliminated costly annual operating expenses (e.g., dedicated GIS server and license fees). By outsourcing KWIC, the Council saves considerable resources - including person-hours, hardware and software, and money - since the need for a database server and web server, security software and staff skills and time to monitor and maintain the system are eliminated.

While KWIC's primary function is to present health, education and well-being indicator data, there are two types of transaction processes in the administrative area. First, the administrative area allows state agencies secure access to a direct data submission application where they can add, review, delete or modify data and meta data. This data submission process contains extensive error-checking features that previously required considerable manual man-hours. This automated process electronically notifies Council staff of submissions and allows Council staff to review data before activating. Second, through the administrative area, state agencies also have access to a clearinghouse that includes all of the data within KWIC's database.

KWIC has a wide audience, including state and local government and non-government entities, educational institutions and students, not for profit agencies, advocacy groups, media and citizens. KWIC is designed for novice and expert data users and web-surfers. KWIC's Feedback and Contact Us form provide an ongoing mechanism to monitor users needs and to ensure those needs are met.

Contact:

Toni Lang
Council on Children and Families within the Office of Children and Family Services
5 Empire State Plaza, Suite 2810
Albany, NY 12223
(518) 486-9153
toni.lang@ccf.state.ny.us