WMRO: regional public information site
- Services Used: content management, e-commerce, e-directories, web application development, maintenance & support
- Technologies Used: ASP.NET 1.1, IPSV, AJAX, JavaScript, MS SQL Server
- Web: www.wmro.org
- Site design: WebXpress
Solution
Xibis has been working with the West Midlands Regional Observatory (WMRO) for the past two and a half years, initially working alongside WebXpress, WMRO's web design company, to build a new website. Xibis was responsible for the architecture of the site and databases and WebXpress for the site's visual design and user interface.
WMRO's initial needs, as explained by Stewart Meikle, Web and Data Manager were for "a scalable website, built on modern standardised technologies that would comply with Government standards for interoperability." A site to "deliver the range of quite complex information services we provide and allow content submission by users and partners."
The site went live in May 2005 and then fully interoperable with the West Midlands Public Health Observatory's site in December 2005. The WMRO saw a 300% increase in site traffic during its first year and subsequently contracted Xibis on a maintenance and support agreement.
Based in Birmingham, the WMRO provides information about the region to the public, private and voluntary sectors with the aim of enhancing an understanding of the area to improve the quality of strategy formulation, policy making and service provision.
Now we have been working with WMRO for two and a half years and Stewart is full of praise for the help we have given (we always like to hear nice things about ourselves!), "Xibis has the right mix of client management skills backed up with solid technical competence that many larger web development companies could learn from. They continue to deliver solutions that meet our requirements and their customer-focused approach is excellent."