Site:

http://www.unpan.org

Situation:

The UN contacted AppTheory to re-architect the UNPAN -- an online resource for developing nations. The site was almost 7 years old and was a classic example of distributed content mayhem.

Requirements:

1. Open source and BSD style licensed (very liberal licensing).
2. The open source project had to be active (consistent bug fix and feature releases).
3. Proven and secure.
4. Consistent releases (bug fixes and features) / Upgrade process.
5. Site must support "sub-brands" for the 7 major regions and regional partners world wide.
6. Site must integrate with Stellant Document Management System.
7. Site must address current challenges with respect to usability and future advancements.
8. Site must support events.
9. Site must support news.
10. Site must support integration of advanced knowledge management requirements with newer social media concepts (such as taxonomy and folksonomy).

Solution:

1. DotNetNuke is BSD (Style) Licensed and gives complete latitude to develop, modify and distribute as the developer sees fit. There are no encumbrances as some other Open Source licenses have.
2. The DotNetNuke Project releases quarterly, has an active roadmap, and a large international development team. The DotNetNuke Corporation (the official project owner and maintainer of the DotNetNuke Web Application Framework) works to keep the development roadmap on course and the developer ecosystem thriving.  Professional Support Services are available for end users, consultancies, and organizations using the platform.
3. The DotNetNuke Core is a time tested secure platform that passes security reviews with flying colors. Security is a top priority and there are clear processes for reporting of security flaws and a mandate to patch and release whenever the flaws are reported. A review of any popular security advisory site (such as www.secunia.com) will confirm the commitment to security.
4. The DotNetNuke Platform releases quarterly (historically) but this timing may vary. Every release since the beginning of the project can be upgraded through the built in DNN installer process.
5. Recognizing the need for "Sub-branding" (basically sub-sites that carry the same overall look of the organization, but have some autonomy with respect to promotional imagery, content and structure), AppTheory created a Navigation Paradigm and visual design that allowed the specific region and the regional partners to more effectively address its users. 
   
   The main subsites that were created include: Global, Africa, Arab States, Asia & Pacific, Europe, Latin America & Carribean, North America.
6. AppTheory created a new module specifically for accessing the Stellant Document Repository. Each representation of a document has the contributor's (partner's) logo, has the ability to attach data such as categories, user tags, etc. Documents can be rated and commented on by users.
7. The Navigation Paradigm, the specific "dashboards" that were created for each region, and the taxonomy and tagging system couple with rich search functionality to provide new clear paths to requested information.
8. The AppTheory Events module is used extensively through the site.
9. The AppTheory Articles module helps to eliminate unnecessary pages while giving the users an easy and consistent way to publish information.
10. All data types on the site such as news, articles, events, documents, and resource items all have the UN created taxonomy, tagging, viewed count, ratings, and comments available to the user.

Significant Modules Used:

Treeview Navigation, CMS, Document Management (customized to pull from Stellant Document Management), Event Calendars, Articles, Resource Directories, Forums, Custom Profile (Registration), Ratings and Comments, Tagging and Categories.

Note: The client has internal users that drive creative and content management, so both creative and information design has "evolved" since the original design and implementation by AppTheory.