website development for flo meeting
TRANSCRIPT
Digital Wizardry
What do I do?
Clean data (constant struggle, boring but necessary to make search engine work)
Keep system running, fix overnight errors, monitor logs
Write new code
Streamline and rewrite old code (daily) as my skills are better now
The technology has to stay up-to-date for security
Fix your errors (performed ½ million edits since September)
Answer queries for the public, researchers
I only have limited time to create code, test it and deploy it.
Lecture and write talks on technology etc.
Perform roles of: Server admin, database admin, front end developer, back end
developer, software tester, web monkey.
How code generated
Developed on pc at work and
OSX at home, then tested locally
before pushing to
beta.finds.org.uk
If code works on
beta.finds.org.uk then
deployed to finds.org.uk. If
not, sent back to my desktop
You get to play with it
Code all placed on GitHub
All custom code, using Zend Framework
Unique visitors 2006
165,118 Volume of visitors has grown 3 fold since 2006. Same budget, different
technology.
Unique visitors 2011
463,160
Unique visitors 2012
519,180*
* 12% increase on previous year.
Indexed pages on Google
Budget
£4,727 per
annum High tech on a low budget. If this was a start up, we’d have died by now.
Which pays for?
@
FLO colleagues
Museum
professionals
Find advisers
Team treasure
Central Unit
Support networks for help
Support networks - me
Internet
No colleagues do the same
thing in the BM
Books
http://staceyburr.wordpress.com/2010/06/page/2/
Finds.org.uk
Consumer sees this
All this happens behind the scenes.
Beowulf Grendel Back up in the cloud I pay for this.
How are servers are arranged
This needs scaling soon as we are getting bigger
New features since July (Lots of serendipitous stuff)
Uptime
99% Automatic script restarts search index if it crashes
License change
Images and text can be used in Wikipedia, we’re
Opendata and mobile apps might get built.
New layout
Responsive design Desktop Tablet (Google Nexus 70
If you’re using IE, I am sorry I
cannot support old versions
Configuration for self recorders If you have not seen this go to: Database > People > Search person > Edit. When they log in, they see screen below. Instead of bugging me, ask your finder if they can see the lines in bold. If not, then just add them again. You don’t need me to intervene.
Search engine
If you don’t understand it, try topics here: http://finds.org.uk/help/database or ask!
Similar records
Compiled on the fly, using 3 matches against a whole list of fields.
Copy last record
I was told this was a big problem!
Only 9 of you have used the finds
function
Only 4 of you have used the find spots
function
Only 5 of you have used the coins
function
If you don’t know where to configure this:
http://finds.org.uk/users/configuration
Configure image copyright
If you don’t know where to configure this: http://finds.org.uk/users/account/edit
Self recorder contact form
Audited tables Finds Find spots People Publications User accounts Organisations Static content
I would like to make these public, like Wikipedia, but I can’t due to some of the data added. These audit tables are only available to FA, Flos, Treasure, Admin and are found at the bottom of a record.
Shared calendar
Was this really needed?
Only 3 people have used it to add events
Averages only 2 page views per day
If you can’t find it: http://finds.org.uk/users/calendar/
Database csv downloads
Compiled nightly
Stored on Amazon
Bypass download limits from
search
If you can’t find it:
http://finds.org.uk/database/data
Lego error pages (to make them less scary)
Errors trigger email and logging
Numismatic updates
522 coin types added for the medieval periods
23 new rulers
This is an extremely complex task with 6 different tables
involved; cross referencing of each for denomination, type,
period etc.
Foreign rulers aren’t my job to create
Jettons/tokens: I’ll do when I have time, there’s substantial
code rewrites to do first.
Twitter Cards
More map layers
Pleiades/ Pelagios integration
Domesday data integrated
If you haven’t seen this in action, go to NARC-8BEA01 for an example.
Yahoo geo-data
QR code – why, how, what?
Bar code
Print this off (click on qrcode at page foot)
Attach to record sheet
Scan with reader on smartphone
Takes you to record
Give it a go if you have the technology
Things to ponder
Think! Do you really
need to use known as? Prevents people parish searching. Majority of Suffolk cannot be
searched by parish.
Produces too many records with low res data eg:
We’d all prefer this:
Errors and bugs
Too many emails saying “doesn’t work”, it is as useful as
saying I have a headache.
What am I meant to do with that?
You all have different OS/ IS policies/ local network issues
Send me a screenshot and detailed descriptions of your
problem so I can try and help
Handling bugs
Might take 5 minutes
Might take a week
I cannot predict how
long it will take
Telling me to fix it right
this second is not
going to make it
happen
Sisyphus
Common problems
Low resolution images
Poorly edited images
Forgetting to change image labels when you change object
identification
Not filling in all the geo data fields
Entering denomination in the classification field
Not following the FA guidelines
Validation of records
Records on review
Records in quarantine
Enhancement of rubbish records
Correction of geo data
People moving on and leaving the
new person unfinished work
Medieval coin data enhancement
Quality vs Quantity (the former is now
imperative IMHO)
Unfinished Treasure records
Time Team
Problems that will not go away
