| The CLUI has recently upgraded the
system that operates the Land Use Database, the core element of
the Center’s resources, and the repository for information
about the built landscape of America. The database is now housed
in a new server, automatically backed up by a RAID system and
duplicated on an off-site server in the Bay Area. This redundancy
was essential, and a great relief given the ephemerality of electronic
media.
Ryan McKinley, who developed the new database system for in house
use also developed the new online interface, which includes new
features such as a list that shows users what other users have
been looking at. His upgrades have also enabled the content of
the publicly available portion of the database to be visible to
search engines like Google, dramatically increasing the number
of visitors to the Center’s online resources.
One unintended and sometimes amusing result has been an increase
in confused inquiries. Certain word combinations, like “walmart”
and “headquarters” are scarce enough on the web that
we get a lot of messages, even on the phone, from people who don’t
seem to read very carefully. They think they have gotten to the
home office, and complain about the disappearance of their favorite
catfood, poor service, and things like that.
McKinley has also been working on the online mapping portion
of the Land Use Database, which now uses the nationwide scalable
map and satellite coverage provided by Google’s new mapping
service.
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