Permaculture Information Web
Project Plan

Phase I: 9/04-9/05
Stage 1 – 6 months
Tasks
•	Organization and Management
1.	Finalize project and domain names
2.	Evaluate possible platforms, choose software environment 
3.	Produce a formal technical spec 
•	Development
1.	Build website (located at www.permaculture.info)
2.	Install working database 
3.	Create issue tracker
4.	Devise information architecture and database schema
5.	Discuss (with users) and determine:
o	criteria to report
o	labeling protocol
o	reporting protocol
o	search protocol
•	Communication
1.	Create mission and vision statements, post them on website
2.	Announce PIW through sustainable agriculture-related listservs and other media outlets
3.	Create contacts with informational content providers (i.e. Paula Westmoreland, Heide Hermary)
4.	Solicit volunteer participation 
5.	Continue valuable group discussions on information architecture and design issues, engage in participatory design with users

Stage 2 – 4 months 
Tasks
•	Organization and Management
1.	create/employ an issue tracker (or some other system) to efficiently prioritize and assign tasks
•	Development
1.	version 1.0 of core database engine and user interface 
2.	Create ability for user input
3.	incorporate information from other datasets
4.	perform user testing
5.	teach users how to use issue tracker 
6.	research additional technical components (i.e. Resource Description Framework)
7.	research tools/methodologies for ‘biomimicking’ database structure (i.e. Ecosystem Information Engineering)
•	User Experience Design
1.	Research web application software conducive to presenting/interacting with informational web (i.e. Graph Based Interfaces)
2.	Storyboard and create a mock-up of ideal user interface/experience
•	Communication
1.	Create relationships with professional agriculture community (i.e. extension agents)
2.	create relationships with developers of relevant web application software (i.e. Graph Based Interfaces)
3.	Continue creating relationships with informational content providers (i.e. Paula Westmoreland, Heide)
4.	Continue creating relationships with professional agriculture community (i.e. extension agents)
5.	Continue soliciting volunteer participation
6.	Continue valuable group discussions on information architecture and design issues, engage interested parties in participatory design

Stage 3 – 2 months
Tasks
•	Development
1.	general site maintenance
2.	moderate user input, growth of database content
3.	incorporate user feedback
4.	continue user testing
5.	incorporate additional technical components (i.e. RDF, principles of EIE)
6.	release version 2.0
•	Communication
1.	Continue Stage 2 Communication tasks
•	User Experience Design
1.	embellish user interface using Research user interfaces conducive to presenting/interacting with webs of information (i.e. Graph Based Interfaces)

Phase I Deliverables
•	Development
•	optimization for dial-up users
•	accessible by all browsers/internet devices
•	Growing database of information about plants and their interrelationships
•	Intelligent search that queries database from a single text box
•	Schema design 
•	Normalization 
•	self-registration for users
•	user security/authorization mechanism
•	ability for authorized users to: 
o	create plant entities
o	add information to existing plant entities in various forms (string, text field, numeric, date, list, image, etc.)
o	edit plant entity data in various forms (string, text field, numeric, date, list, image, etc.)
o	add discrete information to plant entities (narrative comments, additions/suggestions, etc.)
•	ability for anonymous users to search for plants or plant-related information using a variety of search fields, such as:
o	name(s) of plant(s)
o	botanical characteristics of plants
o	functional characteristics of plants
o	location
o	climate 
o	more verbose search form, with individual fields displayed
•	User Experience Design
o	Relationship-oriented information displayed in a web-like format
•	Communication
o	Strong relationships with user base – including Permaculture, broader sustainable agriculture, and professional agriculture communities/extension agents

Phase II: 9/05-9/06
Stage 1 
•	Development
1.	general site maintenance
2.	continue incorporating user feedback
3.	incorporate GIS (Geographic Information Systems) capabilities
4.	advertise database/interface structure to other initiatives seeking to represent/interact with informational webs; embed different informational content
•	Communication
1.	Continue Stage 2 Communication tasks
2.	Use database/interface structure to create a web of Permaculture initiatives worldwide