Phase II of Your London goes live
January 6, 2006
Phase II of the Your London website is now live and features a new design, a wealth of new information, a user registration system, e-forms for incident reporting, 360° virtual photographic tours of London and a brand new Parks and Open Spaces database which provides information about 800 parks in and around London.
The information portal has been developed by London Connects with System Associates, a provider of internet technology, as lead development partner. It has been made possible through extensive co-operation of all 32 London borough councils, the Corporation of London, the ALG, the GLA, Transport for London, London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, London Development, Visit London, Business Link4London, NHS and the London Library Development Agency. This collaborative working is well-regarded across all stakeholders and more formally through nominations for awards, such as the e-government awards, in which Your London has recently been nominated as a finalist in two categories. Winners are to be announced 25th January 2006.
Visitors to the site will see a fresh new look and feel, re-designed to accommodate the growing volume of information available from the portal. A web-publishing team has been set up to provide topical news and items of interest for people living, working or visiting London and a clearly navigable home page makes it easy for visitors to access the information they require, within a few clicks.
An easy-to-use site registration system offers a personalised experience and greater integration with the various tools on the website. It allows regular site visitors to enter their details only once, so that information most relevant to their area is displayed in highest priority. This saves them time and is particularly useful when using the 'Find Your Nearest' search facility. This facility is powered by several databases, which provide information on the nearest hospitals, pharmacies, parks, recreation grounds, recycling centres and cash machines.
The most recent information to be integrated into Your London is a new Parks database, providing detailed information about 800 parks and open spaces in and around London. This is a brand new pan-London initiative and an online database of this kind has not previously been available. Obtaining essential data and images has involved considerable collaboration between various borough councils as well as the Royal Parks. Data required extensive cleaning and new information was included such as grid references, postcodes and images, to create an information resource unique to London. The parks database has been linked to the London Wildlife Trust and Wildweb websites to provide additional information about wildlife and fauna in London's parks, open spaces and areas of special scientific interest.
A pilot pan-London problem reporting system allows users to report problems via interactive forms and a mapping system, so that users type in the postcode or street where a problem exists and the form is automatically routed to the correct London Borough. Currently, this is relevant to streets and public spaces; rubbish and waste; buildings and properties; nuisance and pollution; vehicles and parking.
Included on Your London is a library of images from the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis from its 'Virtual London' project, depicting scenes from London's landmarks and buildings. The library contains 360º images that offer some breathtaking panoramic views of London by day and by night.
Further enhancements to Your London include a master services directory allowing users to browse or search for public services from the London Boroughs; more than 6000 links to authoritative and trusted public and community services; a comprehensive London Public Sector job search facility; news feeds from BBC London, Transport for London and the Met Office; a live traffic and roadworks tool, giving access to planned roadworks and CCTV cameras across the capital; and enhanced community tools that allow voluntary and community organisations to create a free web presence.
Peter Williams, Deputy CEO of London Connects comments: "We are seeing the next level of information being added to Your London and the foundations are being laid for a pan-London collaborative project that provides Information without boundaries. Your London will make information more accessible to London's communities and provides a holistic view of the city to anyone interested in living, working, studying or investing in it."
Related link
Visit the Your London website