An estimated 230,000 HTML pages. This is the impressive contribution made by the University of Groningen to the digital revolution since the arrival of the Internet.
Some 1.3 million elements from those pages are now stored in the database.
Content Management System
The RUG – one of the most active Dutch universities on the Internet – uses advanced technology in the form of a database-driven Content Management System (CMS) to manage all these pages. As the term suggests, the information is stored in a database. When needed, the information is transported to the various pages of the RUG website. The 1,300,000 objects are displayed at more than 150,000 locations within the website.
The website is like a bookcase
The system can best be compared to a large bookcase. When a visitor to the website requests a page with specific information, the relevant books are taken from the ‘shelf’ and displayed on screen. All information is stored just once in the database, but can be displayed at different locations on the website. This means that when information in the database is modified, all the different locations are updated simultaneously. When you request a RUG page, the system searches for the related ‘books’ and processes the information that indicates how they should be displayed, so that all information is shown in a recognisable RUG house style. This ensures that the 230,000 separate web pages form a single, uniform website.
Technology
In order to speed up the search process, similar pages are stored in a cache. A back-up system with static HTML pages is used when the dynamic database system is undergoing maintenance. This means that users can always access the website.
What we've done
In the year 2004, for example, the RUG signed a statement of intent in which it undertakes to ensure that the majority of the website will comply with the new accessibility guidelines by the beginning of 2005.These guidelines are designed to ensure that the website can also be used by people with a disability (e.g. a visual impairment). Other examples include enhanced interactivity in the form of an on-line reservation system and newsletters.
The future
The RUG website system is still being developed and we are working very hard to complete it. New facilities will continue to be added in the future.
