The Universal Locator Project was originally designed to provide a more flexible interface and functionality to Web-based address and business location services. The original prototype consisted of an Access Database that contained roughly 6,000 business listings for the City of Berkeley, California. In addition to that, this database was web enabled through the Cold Fusion Application environment and Microsoft's Internet Informaiton Server. For interface functionality outside of HTML and CFML java applets were used, specifically the "Mapper" applet and the "CFTREE" applet.

Benefits

After the protoyping and testing phase was complete ULP demonstrated the following benefits:

• Multiple domain based searching (i.e. by street, by industry category, by name, by address)
• Map interface that dynamically plotted several listings as from the user's selection
• Expandable tree structure interface for browsing listings without the aid of a map.

Drawbacks

In addition to benefits the testing and protoyping phase also revealed the following drawback to ULP:

• Transaction times were to slow.
• Queries were too complex.
• Users are unfamiliar with SIC codes.
• After initial system optimization functionality seemed to drop to the extent that did not comply 100% with the projects mission.
• Map preparation hard to streamline. Should be outsourced.
• Data access and integration was too rigid and should be outsourced.

 

These setback, however, do not mean that this project should be discontinued, but rather that the implementation process should be revisited. One major revision should be with data access to maps and business listings. If a subscription to a service that provided this type of data were established then ULP could focus more on the interface and its functions and less on the process in which data is collected and prepared for use in the applciation. If this were achieved ULP could be implemented in a way much more in line with its mission of providing better use and functionality with business listings.