Picture BC
Web Design / Development
> The Client:
The Knowledge Network Corporation is BC's public educational media service. A provincial Crown agency, the Knowledge Network connects British Columbians with information and resources that make a difference in their lives and communities with an emphasis on BC and its world view. The Knowledge Network was selected by the province of British Columbia to spearhead the Picture BC project in co-operation with the Union of BC Municipalities and the Ministry of Tourism, Sports, and the Arts.
> The Challenge:
In 2008, the Knowledge Network Corporation (KNC) selected Backbone Technology to develop Picture BC, an online gateway to the beauty and diversity of BC for its citizens and the rest of the world. The vision for the site was a province-wide, community-driven multimedia gallery featuring a drill-down map of the province. Visitors would be able to explore community profiles in geographical context using an interface that has a bold, compelling, and continuous design. Additionally, each of the 158 participating communities would need its own profile that could each be easily maintained by each community's selected representative.
> The Solution:
Backbone, working in conjunction with Burnkit Design, developed a unified interface centered around a topographical map of British Columbia. Media can be browsed by category or by geographical region either by clicking the map or selecting from a drop-down menu. Despite the fact that the interface was built entirely in Flash, Backbone's Expression website management framework allows every component of the website to be updated without necessitating a rebuild of the Flash application. This empowered non-technical community representatives to maintain their profiles without outside assistance while still allowing the site to use an attractive Flash-driven interface.
> The Result:
The Picture BC site has not only become an invaluable resource for the tourism industry in British Columbia, but is also now a destination for agencies and enthusiasts looking for stock images distributed under the Creative Commons License. From an administrative standpoint, communities continue to actively update their galleries without assistance from The Knowledge Network, thereby minimizing costs. Meanwhile, Expression allows any part of the site to be scaled to growing needs: new media formats can be incorporated, additional profiles can be added, extra categories can be created, all without costly rebuilds.
The Knowledge Network Corporation is BC's public educational media service. A provincial Crown agency, the Knowledge Network connects British Columbians with information and resources that make a difference in their lives and communities with an emphasis on BC and its world view. The Knowledge Network was selected by the province of British Columbia to spearhead the Picture BC project in co-operation with the Union of BC Municipalities and the Ministry of Tourism, Sports, and the Arts.
> The Challenge:
In 2008, the Knowledge Network Corporation (KNC) selected Backbone Technology to develop Picture BC, an online gateway to the beauty and diversity of BC for its citizens and the rest of the world. The vision for the site was a province-wide, community-driven multimedia gallery featuring a drill-down map of the province. Visitors would be able to explore community profiles in geographical context using an interface that has a bold, compelling, and continuous design. Additionally, each of the 158 participating communities would need its own profile that could each be easily maintained by each community's selected representative.
> The Solution:
Backbone, working in conjunction with Burnkit Design, developed a unified interface centered around a topographical map of British Columbia. Media can be browsed by category or by geographical region either by clicking the map or selecting from a drop-down menu. Despite the fact that the interface was built entirely in Flash, Backbone's Expression website management framework allows every component of the website to be updated without necessitating a rebuild of the Flash application. This empowered non-technical community representatives to maintain their profiles without outside assistance while still allowing the site to use an attractive Flash-driven interface.
> The Result:
The Picture BC site has not only become an invaluable resource for the tourism industry in British Columbia, but is also now a destination for agencies and enthusiasts looking for stock images distributed under the Creative Commons License. From an administrative standpoint, communities continue to actively update their galleries without assistance from The Knowledge Network, thereby minimizing costs. Meanwhile, Expression allows any part of the site to be scaled to growing needs: new media formats can be incorporated, additional profiles can be added, extra categories can be created, all without costly rebuilds.
