Nominations for New Media Awards 2006

North York Moors National Park

Imaginet has recently launched their second version of the current North York Moors National Park Website with improved navigation and accessibility. The site was a significant undertaking for the National Park, with a remit to provide key marketing information, create the main method of access to information on the National Park and its local government functions to the public, support the local education services, provide a fun and edutainment based area of the site to encourage kids to log on and learn, and also to provide a revenue stream for the Park by opening an on line shop. In this respect it was well ahead of its time and more advanced in scope that any other UK National Park website. The key requirements of the site were to: • Gain the trust of the customers, both potential visitors and local residents • Provide a successful marketing platform to encourage visitors to the national park. • Create an accessible way of providing key government services to residents to fulfil the National Parks service provision requirements. • Provide support to the local education services by making key environmental information and educational information available via the internet. • Accessibility • Following the recent structural overhaul: o The site fulfils the UK eGovernment frameworks, including full compliance with the e-Gif protocol. o The site complies fully with the Government requirements for XML interoperability for the purposes of content input/output and transformation o The site will be future proofed by the use of XML / CSS and is ready for instant delivery via the SKY TV OPEN/WAP digital TV access protocol to Digital teletext services. This will play an increasing important role when the Government “switches off” analogue broadcasting in 2010. Every UK household will then have access to this kind of web site service via their digital TV and digital teletext. o The site complies with the requirements of the government guidelines and will give full consideration to accessibility to users with disabilities as required by the DDA. • As part of the process, the site will be undergoing an Imaginet accessibility audit prior to a possible RNIB accessibility accreditation process. When this process is complete the site will be the first National Park site to be fully accessible to the RNIB standards. This is substantially in excess of the W3C AA standards. Paula Dauncey

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