Purpose of this Site

1. This World Wide Web site is being developed during Phase II by Leber and EcoPlan specifically to support the AB2010 program and the Bilbao Access Forum over 2000 and beyond. Until now the greatest part of communciations between members of the group has ineveitably had a start and stop nature, as we have based our interactions on the periodic group meetings, email, and individual phone conversations and meetings. @AB2010 On-Line has been created to make it possible for the various members of the Forum, and their orgnaizations and colleagues who will in many cases wish to be able to follow progress more closely and eventually add their contributions and views, will now have the means to do so.

2. The site serves several goals and functions:
   • Meeting Support: It provides a highly efficient, state of the art, low cost set of organizing and communications tools to plan and support meetings and activities of the Bilbao Access Forum.
   • Shared Library & Database: As a collective library and database, providing a convenient way to store electronic documents both directly and via links, which can then be used by anyone in the group.
   • Group Communications Tools: As a multi-level communications tool which facilitates both private exchanges between members of the Forum and group messaging. The site also provides in addition to several easy to use alternative email tools, a capability for organizing on-line "chat sessions" between two or more members of the group (on-line data and text exchanges) and a voice conferencing capability. (Both of these can be used to involve participants outside of the Bilbao region, including internationally, all at the cost of a single local phone call).
   • Shared Celandar for Group Events and Planning: It also offers a group calendar function which can be handy for letting others now about events, meetings, or publications that may be of interest to others in the group.

3. @AB2010 On-Line is being closely linked to two major regional programs that have been initiated by the Forum over the last year: (a) the international Congress and Exposition on ITS in cities that is to take place in Bilbao in June 2001, and (b) the new "first-stop transportation portal" that is being developed as part of the work of the Forum. (Both these sites can be accessed directly through hot links on the main menu to your immediate left.)

4. Two earlier versions of this site were developed and put on-line privately over the last two years for review and testing purposes. The structure that you see here reflects the lessons that have been learned through this process.

5. Unlike the earlier trial versions, the final site has a specific target audience: (a) the membership of the AB2010 Forum and (b) others within the Bilbao area and the Basque Country more broadly who are interested and participating in the ITS planning and deployment efforts, including both those which are going on independently and those which are being coordinated via the AB2010 Forum.

6. The specific agencies and originations which are participating in the Forum are also identified toward the top of the menu bar.

7. The final working version of this site will of course be in Spanish, with an option of Basque translation to be consider3d and brought on line if demand and resources permit.

8. The development of this English language template for the final site is to be completed before the end of October 1999, and handed over at that time to Leber as the lead organization supporting the AB2010 program for final adaptation, translation and formal launching.

9. The finalization process should take into careful account the planned activities of the Phase III AB2010 program in all its parts(which is now in the process of being finalized to close out Phase II as well.)

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Organization of Work in Progress

• The version which appears here is being subjected to a process of critical in-house review and comment by Leber, and eventually by the Diputacion and a few others within Bilbao, subsequent to which the present English language working template will be turned over to Leber for further development and on-line use and deployment as part of Phase III.
• The adaptation process will of course involve the development of all base materials in Spanish, as well as the addition of additional source materials as appropriate (i.e., either through the sites built in
• An extremely important functionality of this site is its multi-level Help Desks and functions. These are sufficiently important (and complex) that we propose that careful attention be given to reviewing and possibly rewriting hem before getting on with the task of translation.
• At some point the group may wish to consider organizing both an open or public component of the site, as well as a password-protected entry for more confidential documentation, materials and exchanges. For now, however, any such decision seems a bit premature.

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Some technical points of detail

• This is a no-nonsense, communications-oriented, task-specific site that has here exactly the technology, layout and supporting tools that are needed to get the job done.
• Each page must load quickly (compact size, very compact graphics)
• Must be intuitive and clear to user in a single screenful
• Should make good use of icons and graphics to make best use of limited screen space and to reduce language dependence
• The help functions should be available at all times, never more than one easy to spot click away, and also, as possible, context sensitive.
• All specific sites (modes, etc.) must be no more than one click away (at all times)
• Should be laid out in a way such that the user always is able to come back to home site (one click) when they require additional information, communications help, etc.
• Site should be both generally managed (overall content) and specifically (real time loops) updated so that it is worth consulting on a daily or more basis.
• Conservative design philosophy
• Add additional functionality and sophistication each time only against firm tested base- with possibility of drawback if monitoring suggests
• Take advantage of web technologies (DHTML,XML, ....), in order to transmit that this is a leading technology page not only in its contents but in its appearance. (Perhaps work with a Basque student, user group, or independent to do this.)
• Open up the site (public inputs) so that it provides both individual insights and comments, as well as those of transport user and environment groups.

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AB2010 Entrada

Foro Electronico

Correo Electronico