“These government websites [are] the best for providing more interactive tools for the public and aiding the Obama Administration in their goal to increase Government transparency.”
Government Computer News
Background
The United States Government Publishing Office (GPO) is the official, digital, and secure resource for the Federal Government. It handles both digital and print formats of official U.S. government information products, including passports and White House documents.
The GPO undertook the task of building an easily manageable repository using digital preservation software. This repository would store over 60 million digitized government publications, terabytes of born-digital documents, and data tied to GPO’s federal publishing requirements. GPO needed a way to store every published federal document dating back to the late 1700s, including the Federalist Papers, and make them publicly accessible through a web portal. They envisioned a digital content system that would allow federal content creators to easily create, submit, and digitally preserve their work.
The end goal of this project was for the public to:
- Search, view, download, and print authenticated documents
- Access a wide range of media, including text, graphics, video, and audio
- Use a modern portal for conventional, on-demand, or digital dissemination
This project required vendor capabilities in specific library technologies and content management expertise.
Solution
GPO chose PTFS as the lead development contractor because of their library science, content management, and digitization experience. PTFS holds a current library contract with GPO to host their integrated library system (ILS) and has information system integration experience building large document repositories.
PTFS built federal document repository tools that parse and extract data to provide consistent sets of metadata across collections and allow users to search a document’s full-text content. Because it runs in a browser, the application remains accessible on major mobile platforms and WebKit-based browsers.
The GovInfo website complies with Section 508(c) and integrates with a Level 3 Content Delivery Network, which caches content for high availability. PTFS delivered full turn-key development and technical support for the GovInfo program. Currently, PTFS delivers Internet Service Provider (ISP) and hardware support for 100+ servers configured as an internal cloud in a VM environment.
All these unique capabilities combined to make PTFS a solid partner in making this project, GovInfo, a success.
Benefits
In a Snapshot:
- Increased efficiency thanks to a full staffing solution including librarians, subject matter experts, IT professionals, and digitization experts
- Streamlined process and system flows
- Knowvation Enterprise content management application cited as a best practice model in multiple government publications
PTFS began development in 2016 to transition to GovInfo and launched a beta solution in February of that year. Our digitization specialists collaborated with GPO’s PST team to design and implement all the public-facing web applications for GovInfo. PTFS performed UX/UI rapid prototyping and used user feedback to enhance the user experience. Just a few of the enhancements completed during the period of performance included a mobile-first responsive design and development that improved SEO.
The redesigned, mobile-friendly website delivers 60 improvements for an enhanced user experience, including a new modern GUI, improved navigation, linking of related content, two new ways to browse, and more options for easily sharing pages and content on social media.
PTFS installation and support efforts included:
- Configuring, administering, and maintaining all web components
- Integrating backend web services with user interfaces
- Performing IT security scanning
- Conducting automated and penetration testing
- Creating and maintaining GovInfo design documentation, configurations, administrative guides, and SOPs
On this program, PTFS followed industry standards for software testing and continuously improved test strategies to ensure that GovInfo keeps pace with technology and remains robust and reliable for its users.
Additionally, GovInfo earned an ISO 16363 certification as a trustworthy digital repository—the only U.S. Federal government repository with this certification.
govinfo named one of the “10 great Government websites”
Government Computer News
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