Background :

Site specifications

Below is an outline of the site from the users perspective. As you suggested, I focus on database functionality.

General Notes:

We’ll want to use this same database for multiple locations (i.e., one national and many states and city/county locations). I assume that the subset of the overall database would be determined by the user at login either by manually identifying themselves (which you had suggested) or else by which web site they log into (e.g., they are using the New Jersey CORPSnet web site and therefore every entry automatically includes New Jersey in the database search).
We will want the user to be able to jump between their local or state searches over to the national information (e.g., cross over from state welfare proposed legislation to federal/national proposed legislation). This may be an interface issue rather than a database issue.
As you know, we’ll want separate data entry (the adminstrator access you called it) so that folks from various locations around the country can be inputting data into this system (either national or their own state or local information).

Sections:

I. Home

II. News

may want to present with news titles sorted by category (e.g., final regulations, available funds, grants awarded, etc.) rather than just by date as is done with the news on the Home page

by type (value list of options: final regulations, available funds, grants awarded, miscellaneous actions, court rulings, proposed legislation, proposed regulations, publications, meetings)
by date
by department
by issue area
by goal (value list of goals/solutions)

news items should be linked to databases of current programs, public laws, solutions, contacts, and organizations (e.g., a final regulation is related to one or more programs, each of which is related to a public law)
these links are created during the data entry process (e.g., when the data input is made on a final regulation, the relationship is made to the one or more programs that the regulation)

III. Solutions

selecting title may link to manually created pages or to database generated pages (we’ll need to talk this the best approach)
the “planning tree” will be presented as both a graphic (preferably with embedded hot links) as well as in outline form
the branches of the planning tree represent “policy options” (similar to the news story titles above) with the detail on each policy option available when you drill down

the “policy option” detail pages will contain links to current and proposed news items (e.g., available funds, proposed legislation) and other databases (e.g., current programs, public laws)
we will include PDF files of graphic presentation of planning trees

IV. Issue Overviews

by issue area (value list of available issue overviews)
detail overview pages will pull from several database (i.e., scope of the problem, past policy milestones, current policy summary, solutions, contacts, organizations, and glosary)

updated: 11/22/05