The underlying structure is a simple outline, which we can start with as our on-screen display. For example:

• Option 1
• Option 1a
• Option 1b
• Option 2
• Option 2a
• Option 2b
• Option 2b1
• Option 2b2
• Option 3
• Option 3a
• Option 3b

What's tricky here is that some of these options will be descriptive rather than a specific policy option, so we'll need to have that data entry option available.

Later we can work on displaying the outline in graphical form.

When we get to this option, we could try to program a more graphical display for data entry. We could have the page pre-formatted in a planning tree layout. The top box would be the Goal Statement. It would have three branches underneath it for Options 1, 2, and 3. Each of these options would have a Title and Description text (max 100 characters). There would be a + sign inside the box which the user would click in order to get the data entry window (which would ideally be a pop-up window).

Each of the major options would begin with one or two + signs underneath to allow the next branch/level of the planning tree to be added. This third level pop-up window would either allow for direct data entry of a Title and Description field or else it would allow the user to search the database for an existing policy options or it would allow the user to Add a policy options right there. The fields for the policy options are

I'm guessing that we might handle this by:

• defining a topic (using a title and goal statement)
• then linking in specific entries under each of the major sections:
• scope of the problem
• past policy
• current policy
• proposed solutions (the planning tree)
• glossary
• key organizations
• individual experts

You can see this more clearly in the PolicyOptions.org Database diagram below. The blue boxes represent the primary sections (listed above) gathered together under the green box.

But, we'll also need the option of a straight descriptive entry for current policy, for instance. I suppose that option ought to be available for all of these sections just in case, but I'm not sure until we discuss it further.