Worldwide web presence (websites in USA, Europe, Asia/Pacific) for Earthwatch, a world leading not for profit environmental support organisation.
The Challenge
Earthwatch needed a dedicated and flexible web development partner to help create their worldwide web presence. A robust and flexible content management platform was required to support separately published but centrally managed websites in the USA, the UK/Europe, and the Asia/Pacific region.
The Solution
The Earthwatch worldwide web presence is built upon cm3 Acora CMS. DDSN worked closely with internal developersin the Earthwatch UK office to design and construct a centralised platform for Earthwatch's three key regional presences in the USA, Europe, and Asia/Pacific.
Some unique technical requirements for the project were identified in planning workshops, then - due to their usefulness to other CMS customers - delivered to Earthwatch free of charge as part of DDSN's product development strategy. DDSN constructed the websites (including the design and layout of a number of different templates for the sites), consulted in the analysis and design of the hosting and backup systems, and assisted with populating the websites with content. In later stages of the project, the CMS was further heavily customised by the Earthwatch developers. The highly savvy development team at Earthwatch appreciated the underlying power and flexibility of cm3 Acora CMS.
Highlighted Features
Some notable features of the Earthwatch web presence are:
- A robust, flexible, beautifully presented worldwide web presence
- Rich multimedia content throughout all the websites
- Secure online donations and e-gift giving
- Expeditions database with browse and search capabilities by region, date, research type
- A series of Web 2.0 modules including integration with cloud services such as Google Maps
- Email newsletter and subscription management
- Integration with other Earthwatch customer and supporter relationship management systems
The Result
The Earthwatch web presence - previously a series of static websites - now consists of a beautifully presented, interactive set of sites that actively engage communities and individuals to donate, join Earthwatch expeditions, and participate in environmental support programs. Separate websites in each major region of the world enable flexibility and sensitivity of communications for local audiences, but are maintained centrally to assure robustness, cost effectiveness, and efficiency for the current websites and future developments.
DDSN also works with Earthwatch on other projects, such as the ClimateWatch website.