Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri 2008 Taxonomy Boot Camp Organizing Information for...
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Transcript of Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri 2008 Taxonomy Boot Camp Organizing Information for...
Sept. 25-26, 2008
City of St. Louis, Missouri
2008 Taxonomy Boot Camp
Organizing Information for Search & Discovery
San Jose McEnery Convention Center
San Jose CA
Planning Made All The Difference: City of St. Louis Case Study
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Agenda
1. Background2. Research and Review of practices3. Information Architecture Expertise4. Metadata and Taxonomy Development
Process5. Taxonomy Testing6. Implementation7. Governance8. Conclusions
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Background
Started as a Community Information Network not a municipal website in 1995.
Focus was on general useful content (history, Neighborhoods, Education, Housing, Services, and Government). Municipal information came later.
By 2006 site had over 10,000 pages of content, 120+ stand-alone dynamic applications and no overall way to stitch everything together
Organizing and finding information was an exercise in faith and frustration. Complaints became increasingly common.
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Site Consolidation Goals
Decided to overhaul website and consolidate web presence using a content management solution.
Goals:1. Classification and organization of content
2. Integration of 120+ dynamic applications
3. Use standard metadata and create a Standardized Municipal Topic Classification
Challenge:1. How?
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Agenda
1. Background2. Research and Review of practices3. Information Architecture Expertise4. Metadata and Taxonomy Development
Process5. Taxonomy Testing6. Implementation7. Governance8. Conclusions
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Research & Review of Practices
No standardized US model for government available International models reviewed:
Australia: Thesaurus of Australian Government Subjects
http://www.naa.gov.au/records-management/create-capture-describe/describe/agls/index.aspx
Canada: Government of Canada Core Subject Thesaurushttp://en.thesaurus.gc.ca/intro_e.html
United Kingdom: Integrated Public Service Vocabulary (IPSV)http://www.esd.org.uk/standards/ipsv/
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
British IPSV as model
Top Terms
Deep Structure
http://www.esd.org.uk/standards/ipsv/viewer/
The British central government developed and promotes the Integrated Public Services Vocabulary as the standard for all British Governmental bodies.
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
How to Integrate Our Early Classification Effort
User Survey Services A to Z Random Site Topics Category Agreement Assessment
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Survey: Category Agreement Assessment (CAA)
400+ terms on site Random presentation of
20 terms User asked to type
primary and secondary category
Results generated list used for our A to Z pages
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Category Agreement Assessment:
A to Z Resulted in 45
categories Created A-Z list
Topics Categories
Beginning of a Folksonomy
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Tagged sample contents with IPSV
Mapped our A to Z topics and categories against British IPSV
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Findings Our Content topics mapped well to IPSV IPSV hierarchy was too deep and complex Content classification needed to expand beyond
topics Effort was beyond our team’s expertise Outside Information Architecture services was
needed to create a robust but simpler classification
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Agenda
1. Background2. Research and Review of practices3. Information Architecture Expertise4. Metadata and Taxonomy Development
Process5. Taxonomy Testing6. Implementation7. Governance8. Conclusions
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Retaining IA Expertise
Identified possible resources mentioned in reputable resources with a mandate toward standards and Dublin Core
Developed list of questions Interviewed contacts to identify good match and
clarify scope Selected Taxonomy Strategies to filter all
information and devise a well structured Information Architecture document to guide our CMS implementation
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Agenda
1. Background2. Research and Review of practices3. Information Architecture Expertise4. Metadata and Taxonomy Development
Process5. Taxonomy Testing6. Implementation7. Governance8. Conclusions
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Materials Used to Create Classification Schema
IPSV List and frequency of Search Terms User Survey Results:
Usability Assessment Results List of information people could not find on website Category Agreement Assessment (folksonomy)
A to Z content items and categories Audience/user scenarios CMS Application requirements list Site Architecture and Navigation Requirements
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Summary of St. Louis Metadata
Standard Text Fields:
• Title, Description, Date, Headline, Subhead, …
• Useful for search, and for linking from one page to another.
Typical Vocabulary-based Fields:
• Access, Audience, Content Type, Organization, Topic
• Content Type provides the basis for page templates.
• Organization and Topic provide basis for dynamic navigation.
Special Vocabulary-based Fields:
• Event Type, Neighborhood, Procurement Type, Ward
• These are key to improving the dynamic navigation.
Vocabulary Name
Vocabulary Purpose and Description
Access Groups
List of group names for different access control groups. Currently only contains "Public" until we understand the various access control groups better.
Audience
Describes a small number of target audiences for content. This list may grow in the future but the amount of content on the site now does not justify it, esp. since this is likely to be highly correlated with Topic and Organization.
Content Type
List of genres of content produced by the City of St. Louis, such as press releases, RFPs, meeting agendas and minutes, etc. Page templates are based on Content Type, and many queries will look for specific content types.
Event Types
List of types of events, such as public meetings, alderman meetings, exhibitions, etc. Used to categorize calendar events so that more tailored calendar listings can be shown.
NeighborhoodSimple list of Neighborhoods within City of St. Louis. Used for geographic tagging.
OrganizationHierarchical list of entities within the government of the City of St. Louis, or affiliated with the government.
Organization Type
Simple list of different type of organizations that provide content which may be linked to from the site.
Procurement Types
Sub-content types for "RFPs, Bids and Notices."
TopicHierarchical list of topics relevant to city and county governments within the United States. This is the main subject categorization scheme.
Ward Simple list of Wards within City of St. Louis. Used for geographic tagging.
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Summary of St. Louis Content Types.CVLabel Synonyms
A-Z PagesCalendars and Schedules Event Calendar, Events, Public MeetingsContact Info and Biographies Bios, DirectoryFacts, Figures, and Demographics Charts, Graphs, Population, Data, StatisticsGallery pages Video, Audio, ImagesGroup Home PagesHelp pagesInformational Pages
Job OpeningsJobs, Help wanted, job annoucements, employment opportunities
Laws, Bills, and PoliciesRegulations, Ordinances, Procedures, Rules, Laws, Legislation, Bills, Board Bills
News and Annoucements Newsletters, BulletinsMaps and GISMeeting Materials Agendas, Minutes, HandoutsOnline Forms and Applications Online Surveys, Find an Elected Official, Permits
Plans and ReportsCAFR, Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports, Budget reports, Departmental status reports, Program performance reports
Printed Forms and Templates Surveys, Permits, Tax Forms, Records Request
RFPs, Bids, and NoticesRFP, RFI, RFQ, Proposals, Bids, Contract Awards, Procurement
Subscriptions
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Business & IndustryBusiness Assistance, Incentives and PromotionBusiness Regulation and LicensingBusiness TaxationLabor Market Facts & FiguresLocal EconomySmall BusinessWorkforce Training and Development
CommunityBirths, Deaths, Weddings, and other Life EventsBeautification and Nuisance ReductionCommunity FacilitiesFacts, Figures & Community SpiritHistoryNeighborhoodsNeighborhood AssociationsNeighborhood Programs & EventsSocial and Support GroupsVolunteeringNon-Governmental OrganizationsImmigration and Nationality
Education & Skills TrainingAdult and Community EducationFurther and Higher educationHomeschoolingPublic and Private SchoolsSpecial Educational Needs and Additional Support
Employment, Jobs & CareersEmployment Rights and RegulationsLocal Government Employment OpportunitiesSelf employmentUnemployment and jobseekingYouth Employment
EnvironmentEnvironmental ProtectionHazardous MaterialsWaste Management & RecyclingClimate
GovernmentLocal Government RecordsLocal Governmental UnitsComplaints and Service RequestsElections & VotingElected OfficialsFederal and State Government ServicesFees & Payment InformationLocal Government ServicesPermits, Inspections & CertificationsPolicy MakingProcurementTaxation & RevenueWards and NeighborhoodsAccount & Annual Budget & Operating PlanEmployees
HealthAnimal ControlImmunizations and Public HealthFood SafetyNutrition and Preventative Care
Housing & Community Development
Home OwnershipHome RentalHousing Financial ProgramsHome Repairs and RenovationRelocationTemporary HousingHomelessness
Leisure & CultureArts and Entertainment EventsChildren's and Teens ActivitiesLibraries, Museums & Cultural VenuesGambling and LotteriesParks and GardensPets and AnimalsShopping & DiningSports and RecreationTourism
Planning & Urban Development
Land AcquisitionPreservationPlanningProperty AssessmentZoning
Public SafetyPoliceFire Dept.Ambulance and Emergency ServicesBuilding Inspections & PermitsCourts and Justice SystemLegal AssistanceReporting & Operation Planning
Transport & infrastructureAirportsConstruction, Maintenance & ImprovementsElectric, Gas, Sewer & Water UtilitiesTelephone, Cable TV & Internet UtilitiesMotor VehiclesPublic TransportationParkingRail and Water TransportationStreets, Sidewalks & Streetlighting
St. Louis Topics.CV Before Usability Testing
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Dublin Core Metadata Standard
http://www.dublincore.org Followed the Dublin Core Metadata Element, a vocabulary of fifteen properties for use in resource description
Mapped Dublin Core properties to corresponding metadata fields in the proprietary CMS
Coded to output DC metadata in source code Examples:
DC.Term Description CMS Equivalent
dc.coverage.ward
Location related to content custom metadata perhaps attached to the base template
dc.terms.audience
Audience content is geared toward
request.page.audiencecategory
dc.type Type of content (e.g. Press Release, Fiscal Report, Meeting Minutes, etc
request.Page.CategoryID
dc.subject Relevant terms from Topics.CV
Page.CategoryID
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Agenda
1. Background2. Research and Review of practices3. Information Architecture Expertise4. Metadata and Taxonomy Development
Process5. Taxonomy Testing6. Implementation7. Governance8. Conclusions
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Taxonomy Testing
3 testing approaches used:
Tagging representative content Card-sorting and use-based scenario testing with
focus groups Benchmarks and metrics to evaluate usability test
results, identify coverage gaps, and provide guidance for changes.
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Tagging Representative Content
Test Cases: A to Z topics Random URLs Human Services
content pages
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Card Sorting and Use-based Scenarios with Focus Groups
22 representative questions were selected 42 participants were tested Testers were asked “where would you look for …” Testers were asked to “think aloud” Pre- and post questions were asked Initial findings indicated that 8 of the 22 scenarios
may require revisions Governance Team agreed on revisions 8 of the original scenarios were re-tested using 8
new participants Modifications to the proposed taxonomy were
based on the findings and approved by Governance Group.
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Task-based Card SortRepresentative Question Example: You are planning to build a new deck on your house. You want to know if you need a permit for this. Which topic would you select to get started?
Topics1. Business & Industry2. Community3. Education & Skills Training4. Employment, Jobs & Careers5. Environment6. Government7. Health8. Housing & Community Dev9. Leisure & Culture10. Planning & Urban Development11. Public Safety12. Transport & infrastructure
6. GovernmentLocal Government RecordsLocal Governmental UnitsComplaints and Service RequestsElections & VotingElected OfficialsFederal and State Government ServicesFees & Payment InformationLocal Government ServicesPermits, Inspections & CertificationsPolicy MakingProcurementTaxation & RevenueWards and NeighborhoodsAccount & Annual Budget Employees
1.Topics2.Content Types
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Analysis of Task-based Card Sort
Scenario
1. Business
and Industry
2. Communi
ty
3. Education and
Training
4. Employment, Jobs, and
Careers
5. Environment
6. Government
7. Health
8. Housi
ng
9. Leisure and Culture
10. Urba
n Developme
nt and
Planning
11. Law,
Safety, and
Justice
12. Transportation,
Infrastructure, and
Utilities
1. Historic development requirements 1 1 6
2. Lead Remediation Initiatives 1 1 3 2 1
3. Jury Duty 3 5
4. Permits 1 2 2 3
5. Street light 3 5
6. Complaints 1 2 1 4
7. Assess Property 1 4 2 1
8. Census Data 2 6
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Summary Usability Testing Process
Card Sorting and Use-based Scenarios Governance Team Members Involvement Re-testing and Validation Changes to Taxonomy and Metadata based
on resultsFor Example: ‘Public Safety’ became ‘Law, Safety, and Justice’ Words like “Development” and “Community”
repeated in different terms were eliminated Identified additional ‘See Also’ association
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Business & IndustryBusiness Assistance, Incentives and PromotionBusiness Regulation and LicensingBusiness TaxationLabor Market Facts & FiguresLocal EconomySmall BusinessWorkforce Training and Development
CommunityBirths, Deaths, Weddings, and other Life EventsBeautification and Nuisance ReductionCommunity FacilitiesFacts, Figures & Community SpiritHistoryNeighborhoodsNeighborhood AssociationsNeighborhood Programs & EventsSocial and Support GroupsVolunteeringNon-Governmental OrganizationsImmigration and Nationality
Education & Skills TrainingAdult and Community EducationFurther and Higher educationHomeschoolingPublic and Private SchoolsSpecial Educational Needs and Additional Support
Employment, Jobs & CareersEmployment Rights and RegulationsLocal Government Employment OpportunitiesSelf employmentUnemployment and jobseekingYouth Employment
EnvironmentEnvironmental ProtectionHazardous MaterialsWaste Management & RecyclingClimate
GovernmentLocal Government RecordsLocal Governmental UnitsComplaints and Service RequestsElections & VotingElected OfficialsFederal and State Government ServicesFees & Payment InformationLocal Government ServicesPermits, Inspections & CertificationsPolicy MakingProcurementTaxation & RevenueWards and NeighborhoodsAccount & Annual Budget & Operating PlanEmployees
HealthAnimal ControlImmunizations and Public HealthFood SafetyNutrition and Preventative Care
Housing & Community Development
Home OwnershipHome RentalHousing Financial ProgramsHome Repairs and RenovationRelocationTemporary HousingHomelessness
Leisure & CultureArts and Entertainment EventsChildren's and Teens ActivitiesLibraries, Museums & Cultural VenuesGambling and LotteriesParks and GardensPets and AnimalsShopping & DiningSports and RecreationTourism
Planning & Urban Development
Land AcquisitionPreservationPlanningProperty AssessmentZoning
Public SafetyPoliceFire Dept.Ambulance and Emergency ServicesBuilding Inspections & PermitsCourts and Justice SystemLegal AssistanceReporting & Operation Planning
Transport & infrastructureAirportsConstruction, Maintenance & ImprovementsElectric, Gas, Sewer & Water UtilitiesTelephone, Cable TV & Internet UtilitiesMotor VehiclesPublic TransportationParkingRail and Water TransportationStreets, Sidewalks & Streetlighting
Topics.CV Before Usability Testing
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Finalized Topics.CV After Usability Testing
Business and IndustryBusiness Assistance, Incentives, and PromotionBusiness Regulation and LicensingBusiness TaxationLabor Market Facts and FiguresLocal EconomySmall BusinessWorkforce Training and Development
CommunityBirths, Deaths, Weddings, and other Life EventsBeautification and Nuisance ReductionCommunity FacilitiesFacts and FiguresHistoryNeighborhoodsNeighborhood AssociationsNeighborhood Programs and EventsSocial and Support GroupsVolunteeringNon-Governmental OrganizationsImmigration and Nationality
Education and Skills TrainingAdult and Community EducationFurther and Higher educationHomeschoolingPublic and Private SchoolsSpecial Educational Needs and Additional Support
Employment, Jobs, and CareersEmployment Rights and RegulationsLocal Government Employment OpportunitiesSelf employmentUnemployment and JobseekingYouth Employment
EnvironmentEnvironmental ProtectionHazardous MaterialsWaste Management and RecyclingClimate
GovernmentLocal Government RecordsLocal Government Offices, Agencies, and DepartmentsComplaints and Service RequestsElections and VotingElected OfficialsFederal and State Government ServicesFees and Payment InformationLocal Government ServicesPermits, Inspections, and CertificationsPolicy MakingProcurementTaxation and RevenueWards and NeighborhoodsAccount and Annual Budget and Operating PlanEmployees
HealthAnimal ControlImmunizations and Public HealthFood SafetyNutrition and Preventative Care
HousingHome OwnershipHome RentalHousing Financial ProgramsHome Repairs and RenovationRelocationTemporary HousingHomelessness
Law, Safety, and JusticePoliceFire DepartmentAmbulance and Emergency ServicesCourts and Justice SystemLegal AssistanceTourism
Leisure and CultureArts and Entertainment EventsChildren and Teens ActivitiesLibraries, Museums, and Cultural VenuesGambling and LotteriesParks and GardensPets and AnimalsShopping and DiningSports and Recreation
Transportation, Infrastructure, and Utilities
AirportsConstruction, Maintenance, and ImprovementsElectric, Gas, Sewer, and Water UtilitiesTelephone, Cable TV, and Internet UtilitiesMotor VehiclesPublic TransportationParkingRail and Water TransportationStreets, Sidewalks, and Streetlighting
Urban Development and PlanningLand Acquisition, Reutilization, and DevelopmentPreservationPlanningZoning
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Process Summary
Review and filtering of all relevant documentation (A to Z classification, International Best Practices, search terms and frequency, use scenarios, requirements, etc.)
= Draft Information Architecture Document
+ Sample Tagging of pages
+ Wireframes
= Proposed Information Architecture Volume 1.0
+ Taxonomy Testing
= Adopted Information Architecture Volume 1.0
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Agenda
1. Background2. Research and Review of practices3. Information Architecture Expertise4. Metadata and Taxonomy Development
Process5. Taxonomy Testing6. Implementation7. Governance8. Conclusions
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Wireframe Tagging of Page
Populated by querying calendar system with
Org =“Cultural Resources Office” ORTopic= ”Planning & Urban Development/Preservation” OR Topic=“Community/History”
WHERE Date > Today
ASCENDING ORDER BY Date
Related folders box dynamically populated from queryAROUND(“Planning & Urban Development/Preservation”, “Community/History”).
Same as See also references
Spotlights and other sidebars can be manually filled at page creation/edit time. Alternatively, they can be dynamically filled with queries like:
SELECT (Title, URL, Description,
Thumbnail) WHERETopic = AROUND
(”Planning & Urban Development/Preserv
ation”, “Community/History) AND Thumbnail not
null.
Page Index with Metadata for content placement
Office contact info dynamically populated from contacts database WHERE Org = Planning&UrbanDesign Agency/CulturalResourcesOffice
Tagging of Page:Type=Group Home PagesOrg=Planning & Urban Design Agency / Cultural Resources OfficeTopic=“Planning & Urban Development/Preservation”, “Community/History”Coverage.Wards=“MANY_WARDS”Coverage.Neighborhoods=“City Wide”
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Taxonomy & Applications Integration
Challenge: How to leverage Information Architecture for outside applications (120+)?Solution: Create homepage in CMS Login Permissions managed by CMS Re-coded to have one single page output Select Metadata and taxonomy during page creationExample: Gatewood Cemetery Application data outside of CMS tables Permissions set inside CMS Display page is tagged using CMS metadata. Topic relationships visible in “Browse by Topic” and “ See Also…”
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Browse by, See Also…
Tagged Content Page
Topic association with other facets
External Application Integrated in CMS
using Metadata and Taxonomy
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Agenda
1. Background2. Research and Review of practices3. Information Architecture Expertise4. Metadata and Taxonomy Development
Process5. Taxonomy Testing6. Implementation 7. Governance8. Conclusions
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Governance Information Architecture Governance Team (IAGT)
created to institute a process for changes. 9 members, representatives of major sections of
government (Public Safety, Community Services, Parks, Health) and Web Team Manager as Lead
IAGT Responsible for Policies Governing Process Change. Policy Documents to-date: Process Guide Editorial Rules
IAGT Responsible for Testing and Validation
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Agenda
1. Background2. Research and Review of practices3. Information Architecture Expertise4. Metadata and Taxonomy Development
Process5. Taxonomy Testing6. Implementation 7. Governance8. Conclusions
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Conclusions Goal to standardize Metadata and Taxonomy for
Municipal Government proved difficult. Taxonomy Testing was critical Testing with user groups forced customization of
taxonomy that reflected local flavor Process helped identified areas of missing content
and classification. (i.e. Included audience facet for human services type classifications)
Benefits Created: Strengthened Relationships between content Extensible to other section of city government Improved ability to find information and search More discreet filtering Established process for future site/content growth.
Sept. 25-26, 2008 City of St. Louis, Missouri
Thank you!
For more information contact:
Sonya PelliInternet Services Manager
Information Technology Services AgencyCity of St. Louis, Missouri
[email protected]://stlouis.missouri.org
314 622-3400 x258