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Web Development and Mapping Services

Web Development : Website Design

Web Development: the Foundations of your website. Robust, reliable, future proof solutions depend on the core techniques and technologies applied.

Value, Flexibility and Longevity will be built in as standard.

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Web Design

Design is more than the surface Aesthetic appeal. I consider the Usability and the Effectiveness of the site at every stage. Clear controls and Calls to Action. Help your Customers achieve their goals - usually meaning buy your product.

I can design your website or I can work with your designer of choice. Recently I've completed projects working with London based designers Laurence Lassalle (FeONIC website) and Martin Sharrocks (Verdant Consulting website)

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Content Management Systems (CMS)

Your Site - You need to have Control

I will select the appropriate CMS for your needs. And ensure you have the necessary Skills through training and long term support. You will not be left with a website you can't update. I'll make it easy for you and hopefully fun.

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Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Your Site on the Web

Careful Development, Design and Content provide the foundation for your Customers to find your website. I can also upgrade your current website to help you generate greater Value from your asset.

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eCommerce Solutions

Selling online? I can set up your website to Sell Effectively and Profitably. Also integration with the Content Management System will ensure you can keep Control of your shop. Add new Products, Discounts etc. Improve your Conversion Rate by good Design and careful attention to Visitor actions.

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Mapping and Geographic Information Science (GIS)

Additional Services include Mapping.

  • Add Google Maps, Bing Maps, Ordnance Survey to your website. With Database Interaction.
  • GIS Analysis and Development.
  • Cartographic Services. I can make a custom map of your location.

 

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Virtual Visits with Town Explorer

Town (Woodland) Explorer is a prototype system built to demonstrate a range of web mapping features. It allows the user to interact with a map of a local community. The aim is to encourage the user to explore their local environment in a virtual sense by using a linked network of photographs. Look at Mapping Services for more information

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Web Development and Geographic Information Systems Services

Parthian Systems is a Web Development and Web Mapping business run by me - Stuart McMartin. I'm based in Bo'ness, near Falkirk in Central Scotland. I focus on getting your business online with an effective website that is built using quality tools and techniques.

Skills Development

A key component of the service I provide is onsite training and email/phone technical support in the use and editing of your website. You won't be left with a website you cannot update.

Customer Conversion

Communication is key. The website is simply a tool to persuade your potential clients to get in touch via email or ideally on the telephone. And also to help maintain an ongoing relationship with your current clients by keeping them informed of your latest services or products.

Foundation

Great care is taken in the selection of the Tools and Techniques (see the other tabs for more details). Drag'n'Drop tools like Frontpage or Dreamweaver are not used. Your site will be carefully handbuilt.

Get in touch and find out more about me by visiting About - Contact. See my previous work here.

HTML and Site Design

  • Your website will be generated using HTML5 (structure of a page) & CSS3 (styling or how the structural elments like buttons, fonts, boxes etc look). This helps create standards compliant pages which are easier to re-style, update and maintain. This ensures your website is as futureproof as possible.
  • Your site can be made more captivating by using Javascript, Animation Libraries (usually using jQuery) and AJAX. The latter allows a page to become interactive, much like a normal desktop PC application.
  • Latest Approaches. I spend a great deal of time researching the latests techniques for best practice. One such approach is Responsive Web Design (RWD). An approach to site structure and styling which changes the layout depending on the size of your browser window. So if you view the website on a Smartphone, a Tablet, a netbook or a Desktop with a 24" screen you see a website designed for your convenience. Basically, on smartphones the site becomes a single column with chunky buttons in place of links.

Dynamic Data

  • In order to make your site more Dynamic, which generally means to store and retrieve information from a Database or other locations on the Web, I use PHP and Python for Server Side programming; XML & JSON for data interchange and PostGreSQL and MySQL Databases for storage and queries.
  • A Query is a question about the data in a database that returns a result; which may be some data such as your latest News or map locations of your events together with text and dates.

Your Site - Your Edits - You're in Control

  • To enable you to update your own website I can build your site using the MODx Web Framework. This is a Content Management System (CMS).
  • For more complex Database Applications I use the Django Web Development Framework. A Web Framework facilitates the creation of complex Web Applications by helping to build high-performing, elegant Web Applications.

eCommerce Solutions

eCommerce provided via the following tools: -

  • Foxycart - This is a hosted solution. Meaning that the Credit Card handling doesn't take place on your website. Attractive Cart and Checkout with an easy to use administration panel.

  • PayPal - For simple eCommerce, I can add simple PayPal "Add to Cart" and "Buy Now" buttons to your site. This is an ideal introduction to eCommerce. Particularly useful for solutions with small numbers of products, simple pricing, none VAT registered businesses (or only selling to UK-EU).
  • ZenCart - This is a Self Hosted Solution. An open source and highly complex system which is installed on your server account. Very much for the dedicated shop owner who wishes to tinker or who is happy to pay for adjustments.

SEO and Social Media

  • Search Engine Optimisation and Social Media. The final stage is to ensure people find your site. This requires careful use of text (keywords) and HTML constructs such as Headings, Titles etc. There may also be scope to use Facebook, YouTube etc to help publicise your product or service.

Mapping Services

  • Development of Web Pages with specialism in mapping. Add Google Maps, Live Maps links to your web page.
  • GIS Analysis and Development - e.g. ESRI, ArcObjects, MapServer, PostGIS Spatial Databases, GoogleMaps - VirtualEarth API, OpenLayers API etc.
  • Is your location hard to find? Consider a custom built Virtual Tour. Your customers can actually see the landmarks that help identify that tricky hidden turning etc
  • Cartographic Services. We can make a custom map of your location. Perhaps a local event needs a map of parking, toilets, First Aid etc.

Featured Product - Town Explorer

Virtual Visits

Woodland Explorer is a prototype system built to demonstrate a range of web mapping features. It allows the user to interact with a map of a local community. The aim is to encourage the user to explore their local environment in a virtual sense by using a linked network of photographs. Look at Mapping Services for more information

News

Recent activities include :-

Images

  • I use images provided by Fotolia.
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Hosting and Email Services

  • For UK Web Hosting I recommend Heart Internet.

  • For Worldwide Hosting or heavyweight applications like Django - the US based host Webfaction may be more appropriate. Hosting with Webfaction for about £7.5 per month is like owning your own server. WebFaction
I will assist you in setting up your eMail, Domain Name and Hosting arrangements. For example, show a more professional aspect to your business by ditching jim123@hotmail.co.uk to info@companyname.co.uk