http://www.caaaq.gouv.qc.ca 

Situation

The mandate of the Commission sur l’avenir de l’agriculture et de l’agroalimentaire québécois (CAAAQ) is to draw up a report on the issues and challenges facing agriculture and food production in Quebec. The commission gathers information through public hearings, consultations, panel discussions and exploratory meetings, as well as briefs.

The quantity of public information to be gathered and published was such that a Website was needed for the duration of the Commission’s tenure, that is, 18 months. The Website had to be set up so that experts involved in the project could submit their reports, dates of public hearings could be published, hearings could be broadcast live, and an informational newsletter could be produced.

Evolution

To set up the Website, we proposed a structured approach to information retrieval in order to optimize searching, navigation and accessibility of the Website. The information needed to be organized according to a clear and unambiguous architecture for users.

Documents submitted during the commission’s tenure are catalogued in alphabetical order and by administrative region to facilitate fast and efficient retrieval of information. So users can run a search according to the method that best suits their needs. Various document libraries are also part of the information available. These are classified according to subject matter (e.g. food distribution or farm production).

During public hearings, users can tune in to deliberations live or listen to recorded sessions, available in the archives section.

Also, people interested in the work of the commission can send in their comments at any time and receive up-to-date information in the newsletter.