A database can be thought of as a box but not just any box. It is a highly organized, structured box designed to contain multiple smaller boxes. Each small box contains its own contents and is stacked in rows and columns to be viewed and retrieved.

Almost all of my clients can utilize a database in one way or another. If they want to administer their site’s content, they need a database. If they want to collect registration data, a database could do this. Survey responses will also require one.

A simple database can be an excel spreadsheet. Think of the rows of information that are organized by columns. Each column has a particular heading, each row consists of information that corresponds to the column header.

For example, I have a collection of historic properties. Each property has an address, architectural style, and date built.

My database would look like this:

You will need to make the database interactive if you want to perform a search to narrow down all the properties that were built between 1900 and 1920 or if you want to retrieve all the properties that are Art Nouveau in style.

This is easily accomplished online. We can take your table of information and transform it into a web site. A web site can display each property on a page with images and descriptions. You can search and return the results on a map and manage the content to add and edit entries.

Behind the Scenes

Here is an example of what I do with your data when I build you a database. I will use the Illinois ResourceNet project I am working on as an example.

We began by collecting funding resources in a spreadsheet. The longer the list grows, the more clunky it is to manage. It needs to be transformed into an online database to make it much easier to manage and access by multiple users simultaneously.

The first thing is to create a web based database. The web version matches the order of the columns in our spreadsheet.

Next, we will import the spreadsheet into the web database. As you can see, it already appears in a much more manageable context. Notice how each row is numbered. That number will become the unique identifier for that row of information. This will enable us to easily dip into our box and pull out the relevant smaller boxes on the web site.

This looks much cleaner than the Excel spreadsheet but I am not done. This is my “behind the scenes” tool to get started. It is not user-friendly or intuitive so I create a custom content management system for my clients to manage the data.

Now our database can be accessed on our web site for editing. By logging into you site administration, you can enter new information into the system and manage the data that was stored in the excel spreadsheet.

When I click on Edit next to the row I want to review, I am taken to the editing page as shown below.

Here I can pull the content out of the box change it, and put it back.

On the public web site, I plug the database into the page. It might look like ordinary text on the page and it is! Now, we can manipulate the text and links, print the entries in a particular order, and search them.

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Wikipedia defines a mashup as a web application that combines data from more than one source into a single integrated tool; an example is the use of cartographic data from Google Maps to add location information to real-estate data, thereby creating a new and distinct web service that was not originally provided by either source.

There seems to be a misconception about what a Google Maps mashup is versus mapping a location on Google Maps. A mashup is seamlessly integrated into your web site by pulling your data from a database and placing it on a Google Map. It mixes your content with a base technology such as Google Maps, Google Earth, or MapQuest. Wheras a “show on Google Maps” link (such as “map this location” seen on Craigslist displays one or two locations on a map. The link leaves your site or opens Google Maps.

There are endless possibilities for Google mashups, especially for professionals who promote and plan built environment projects.  For instance, your portfolio of projects or condos for sale in a neighborhood, city, or region can be featured as a map based gallery. Pushpins for each location with images and details can be featured on your web site.

I first realized the unlimited capabilities of linking information to a simple map when the first mashup was created here in Chicago. A programmer took the Chicago police department’s crime reports and mapped them to Google maps on-the-fly. The map is automatically updated when recent crime information becomes publicly available.

There are several ways to get a mashup on your site. Find a company that specializes in the development of custom mashups. Or find a product that has already been developed to add to your site. Or hire a programmer to develop one for you from scratch. It can be expensive and time consuming to develop your own mashup tool because you have to develop the software first before you can start adding your content to it.

PlaceVision developed Neighborhood Maps, a Google maps mashup tool, for urban planning and historic preservation use. I envisioned turning a firm’s projects into a map based portfolio, or for community organizations, to map historic properties and key places of interest.  I integrated it with Image Gallery to link images from the map to a larger view with more detailed information.

While our mashup tools are not the only products available, we are committed to using these tools for community building and raising awareness of economic or preservation opportunities. I don’t see a lot of web companies specializing in these fields or excited about being a pioneer in industries that are very slow to adopt or change the way they work.

My hope is that urban planners can learn how easy it is to communicate and collaborate with the right tools to create more livable communities. 

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