Development of an intranet website

Established in 1 990, Logical Design Solutions Incorporated (LDS) was among the first to recognize the World Wide Web (Web) as a platform for deploying serious enterprise solutions. LDS provides Global 2000 companies, such as AT&T Corporation (AT&T), with Internet, extranet, and intranet applications that solve real-world business problems. A leader in Web consulting, LDS offers a comprehensive set of solutions and services, from design to development, tailored to organizations with complex enterprise technology needs. In late 1997, AT&T requested LDS to begin developing an intranet strategy that would support AT&T\u27s Cash Balance Pension Plan. AT&T, formerly known as the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is the largest telecommunications company in the United States, and a worldwide leader in communications services. The objective of this thesis project was for the author to learn, create, and document the Analysis and Design, Development and Implementation, and Quality Assurance Testing phases of AT&T\u27s Pension Update Information Center Intranet Website. The author, the HTML developer, was a key team member of LDS\u27s project team. The LDS project team acted as an extension of AT&T\u27s internal management team providing industry-specific knowledge and Web expertise throughout the development of Pension Update Information Center. While the primary business objective of Pension Update Information Center was to maximize internal communications and at the same time, reduce the rollout cost of AT&T\u27s pension benefit program that impacts 72,600 employees, the LDS project team also had to meet the following secondary business objectives: e To reduce call and work volume at AT&T\u27s Customer Care Center (CCC). e Support AT&T\u27s overall pension communication strategy. Establish the intranet Website as a credible, reliable, and engaging source of information. In order for the LDS project team to meet these business objectives, the following three evolutionary phases of Pension Update Information Center had to be achieved: 1 . Analysis and Design during this phase, the LDS project team worked closely with AT&T\u27s management team and formulated Web strategies and requirements that mirrored the business objectives. 2. Implementation and Development during this phase, the LDS project team integrated the formulated business requirements with leading edge technology, a usable interface design, creative look and feel design, and optimized content. 3. Quality Assurance Testing during this phase, the LDS project team thoroughly tested the implemented the Website until all erroneous information was fixed and business objectives were met. After the above three phases were implemented and approved, the LDS project team delivered a Website that contained a viable, successful Web strategy that balanced AT&T\u27s business and enterprise objectives for user needs and competitive market challenges. The documentation that follows discusses the lifecycle approach that the LDS project team used to meet AT&T\u27s objectives and that the author used to gain an understanding of intranet methodology

Transit-Oriented Development: The Quest for Sustainable Cities in the Age of the Automobile

During the early and mid-twentieth century the automobile captured the imagination of the American public. Superhighways, which were the vision, became the reality with the promise of speedy and safe travel. During this visioning, little attention was given to the impacts the highway system would have on urban America. Of course, by the end of the century the impacts were quite clear and distressing. Traffic congestion and air pollution became, and now are, among the most challenging aspects of life in American cities. In contemplating measures to alleviate the negative effects of these twin challenges, federal, state, and local agencies, encouraged by the environmental movement and transit advocacy, have promoted transit-oriented development (“TOD”) as a potential remedy. Paralleling efforts in foreign cities like Munich and Singapore, U.S. cities including Denver, Atlanta, Indianapolis, San Diego, and Somerville (MA) have all invested themselves in urban development projects built at public transit nodes aimed at building walkable, bikeable communities that provide mobility from home to work and recreational sites without the use of automobiles. In the process, TOD has had to deal with its own set of issues from funding and value capture to zoning and low-income housing. This Article provides an in-depth study of five American and two international TOD projects in an attempt to discover the variety among approaches to TOD and some of the issues TOD raises

NATURE-BASED SOLUTION AS FLOOD PROTECTION STRATEGIES: THE CASE OF CARAHÁ RIVER PARK, BRAZIL

Following the road paradigm, many cities, at the beginning of the 20th century, experienced a reckless increase in the number of vehicles on the road causing an unsustainable urban and environmental situation. The origin of the problem surely lies in the occupation of the preserved areas. In many South American states, for example, highways generally ignore the presence of environmental obstacles (such as rivers) as they may cause a “delay in modernization”. As a result, riparian forests are invaded and turned into highways, water beds are channeled and most rivers are contaminated with wastewater. Due to the occupation of green and riparian areas, urban floods have become more and more and consequently urban spaces have been disqualified. This situation also involved the Carahá River that crosses the city of Lages in southern Brazil, in fact the river embankment has become completely impermeable due to the construction of an urban road. Proposing urban spaces with an emphasis on improving environmental quality and integrating forms of public transport are basic points that could lead to the sustainable development of our cities. In this context, the aim of this research is to propose a sustainable river project for the Carahá River, with the aim of presenting nature-based solutions to prevent floods and improve the environmental, functional and aesthetic quality of the city. To develop this research, first theoretical studies were carried out on the relationship between rivers and cities, secondly three international case studies and related literature were analyzed with the aim of deepening the knowledge of the connection between rivers and population. Finally, an intensive study of the territory was carried out and a social analysis was conducted through a semi-structured interview in which the population of Lages participated. The result of this study contributed to effectively defining the intervention guidelines for the Carahá river park project considering, as an added value, also the main needs of citizens

Nature Based Solution As Flood Protection Strategies: The Case Of Caraha River Park, Brazil

Following the road paradigm, many cities, at the beginning of the 20th century, experienced a reckless increase in the number of vehicles on the road causing an unsustainable urban and environmental situation. The origin of the problem surely lies in the occupation of the preserved areas. In many South American states, for example, highways generally ignore the presence of environmental obstacles (such as rivers) as they may cause a “delay in modernization”. As a result, riparian forests are invaded and turned into highways, water beds are channeled and most rivers are contaminated with wastewater. Due to the occupation of green and riparian areas, urban floods have become more and more and consequently urban spaces have been disqualified. This situation also involved the Carahá River that crosses the city of Lages in southern Brazil, in fact the river embankment has become completely impermeable due to the construction of an urban road. Proposing urban spaces with an emphasis on improving environmental quality and integrating forms of public transport are basic points that could lead to the sustainable development of our cities. In this context, the aim of this research is to propose a sustainable river project for the Carahá River, with the aim of presenting nature-based solutions to prevent floods and improve the environmental, functional and aesthetic quality of the city. To develop this research, first theoretical studies were carried out on the relationship between rivers and cities, secondly three international case studies and related literature were analyzed with the aim of deepening the knowledge of the connection between rivers and population. Finally, an intensive study of the territory was carried out and a social analysis was conducted through a semi-structured interview in which the population of Lages participated. The result of this study contributed to effectively defining the intervention guidelines for the Carahá river park project considering, as an added value, also the main needs of citizens

Living Lab Experience in Turin: Lifestyles and Exposure to Black Carbon

State-of-the-art, continuous personal monitoring is a reference point for assessing exposure to air pollution. European air-quality standards for particulate matter (PM) use mass concentration of PM (PM with aerodynamic diameters ≤ 10 µm (PM10) or ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5)) as the metric. It would be desirable to determine whether black carbon (BC) can be used as a better, newer indicator than PM10 and PM2.5. This article discusses the preliminary results of one of the three living laboratories developed in the project “Combination of traditional air quality indicators with an additional traffic proxy: Black Carbon (BC)”. The Living Lab#1 (LL#1) involved 15 users in the city of Turin, Italy. Three portable aethalometers (AE51) were used to detect personal equivalent black carbon (eBC) concentrations in the respiratory area of volunteers at 10-s intervals as they went about their normal daily activities. The Geo-Tracker App and a longitudinal temporal activity diary were used to track users’ movements. The sampling campaign was performed in November for one week. and each user was investigated for 24 h. A total of 8640 eBC measurements were obtained with an average daily personal exposure of 3.1 µg/m3 (±SD 1.3). The change in movement patterns and the variability of microenvironments were decisive determinants of exposure. Preliminary results highlight the potential utility of Living Labs to promote innovative approaches to design an urban-scale air-quality management plan which also includes BC as a new indicator