indyvoter.org functional spec

[revision history]

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Welcome to the Functional Spec

This document describes feature by feature how the software infrastructure behind indyvoter.org will
accomplish the goals set out in the Requirements Document, a pre-requisite for understanding 
this document.

This document does not cover:
How to market indyvoter.org to users to build communities
How to make stakeholders/activists aware of indyvoter.org's tools
Increasing awareness through leveraging participation of non-profits and campaigns 

Backend

Databases, Web Server, Source Control Administration
Tentative Platform: FreeBSD, MySql or Postgres, Apache, mod_perl, cvs
handle what transaction load? what user load? what server farm architecture?
what hardware requirements?
Site Security Model/Policy
how can users stay safe
how can the system retain integrity
public key exchange built in
State of the Network Admin Module
how do we know what the system is doing
how much are different components being used
why is the system doing what it's doing- slowing down, speeding up
Tracking and Stats
tracking typical user usage
tracking meme introduction and listing activity
Login Module
authentication realms
reset passwords by email address
areas that require login
External Datasource Interfaces
voterfiles, etc
how to hook into our databases
User FrontEnd

Personal Profile
Schema

User Attributes
Description

First, Last Name

Text


Email Address

Text, Public?


Mailing Address

Text, Public?


Zip Code

Number, Public?


Contact Info

Text, Public?


Values, Interests, Movies, Music, Books

Text, Public?


Photos

BLOB urls


Anonymity

Degree


Visibility

Degree


Separation

Degree


Personal Details

Dropdowns, Text, Public?


Professional Details

Dropdowns, Text, Public?


Historical Details

Dropdowns, Text, Public?


Languages

English, Spanish, Etc- Read/Write/Speak


Link into Voterfile?

Optional, Requires Name, Address, "other info"


Interfaces to Set Attributes
Page: First Signup
Page: Modify Your Profile
Interfaces to Get Attributes
Page: View Your Profile
Page: View User's Profile
Friend of a Friend Relationship Network
Develop a method for storing a map of social networks
Interfaces to Set Maps
Update map with addition of new friend
Update map with new user preferences degree of separation, visibility, anonymity
Interfaces to Get Maps
Return path between two user ids
Return a user id's friends network with arbitrary radius
To Think About:
Advogato Certification of social networks
Setting communities as friends

Search Engine/Directory Listing
Develop a caching, indexed raw text search engine
Interfaces to Set Engine Search Data
Maintain keyword database
Rerun indices and update cache
Interfaces to Get Engine Search Data
Given name, email address, locale w/ radius, or raw text: return set of matching user ids.
Given a network of people, raw text, or a category: return set of documents that match.
Given a community, raw text, or category: return community asset documents that match.
Given a directory category, return related clusters of communities that match.
Common FrontEnd Modules

Indexable Blog Module
can create arbitrary blogs for personal/community- 
exportable optional "window" for FOAF's personal/community blogs
Calendar Module

Schema:

Event Attributes
Description

Event Title

Text


Event Description

Text


Event Owner

User or Community ID


When

Date & Time


Type

fundraising, rally, strategy, visibility, etc


Event Venue

Text


Event Location

Address


Private or Public?

Yes/No


Media Album

Link to media album for event pics, video, documents


Resources Needed

Resource Pool


Event Blog

Yes/No, link to Blog Document


Maximum Attendence

Number


Recurring Event

Yes/No


RSVP Functionality

Yes/No


RSVP Invitees

User Set


RSVP Status of Invitees

User Set


RSVP Invitation

Text


RSVP Reminders

Date & Time


RSVP Guest Counts

Number


RSVP Deadline

Date & Time


Interface to Set Calendar Data
Create Event Page
Modify Event Page
Create RSVP Page
Invite RSVP Page
Interface to Get Calendar Data
User, Community Profile Page listings:  3 or 4 entries with: date, title, owner, type, location
View Event Page
Big Calendar Page
2 months calendar display
20 or 30 next events listed chronologically
date, title, owner, type, location, venue, description, # of confirmed attendees
[sort by date, type, location, # of confirmed attendess (popularity)]
link to view/modify page
Things to Think About:
can create multiple calendars, special purposes for events, colorings
Meetup-style nationwide coordinated events
Listing Module
common listing areas, ability to make new listing areas within community
any listing can have user comments added to bottom
crossposting/propagation of listing to other areas
track memes with "repost count", color change of listing
option to only see or color comments from people in your network
Library Module
community and personal
media storage
librarian system
access control to non-community members
Tracking Module
user can track most reposted, most interesting issues
within degrees of separation or systemwide
Community Specific Tools

Tools Interface
architecture for plugging tool modules into community
access to non-community members
Email Portal
email portal for listings/digests
emailing campaign tools
maintaining email list for spam blasts
Shift Assignment Module
calendar for communities, events
community members sign up for shifts
Resource Pooling Module
Schema

Resource Attributes
Description
 

Resource Type
 
Skill, Time, Money, Resource

 
Description

Text


Pre-Requisite

Money, Time: (number), Skills, Resource: (text)

 
Location

Zip Code


Interface to Set Resource
Adding a resource
Setting its type (Skill, Time, Money Resource
Setting its location if applicable
Classifying a resource against a category taxonomy
Adding to and altering the taxonomy itself (in initial stages, later only as an admin function?)
Attaching a resource to a person
Offering and attaching a resource to a community
Adding a need for a resource to a community
Adding a need for a resource to a person
Adding a need for a resource to an event
Adding prerequisites or dependencies (other resources, perhaps tasks having been completed, money) to a resource

Interface to Get Resource
Listing the resources provided by a person, a network of people, or a community
Browsing available resources (in a category, in a location)
Making a request for a resource
Being notified about resource requests that have just been fulfilled
Finding and fulfilling a community's need for a resource
Suggest matches and solutions based on who-wants, who-has
Analysing 'dependency paths' for resources in an attempt to suggest priorities

News Headline Module
searchable keywords input
approve/authorize publication of headline/url harvested from google
manual headline/url entry
Interactive Chat Module
hook up with IM chatrooms
Decision Support Module
Develop a tasks and tactics in a community
Interface to Get Tasks
Get outstanding tasks or 'action items' for the community, optionally filtered by status, priority or date
See 'bottom-lining' of tasks by different people in the network
Output of spatially-oriented tasks to pipe into mapping module
Interface to Set Tasks
Create new tasks for the members of a campaign, annotate them with properties like location
Allocate status and priority to tasks
Add 'bottom-lining' person to a task
Interface to Get Decisions
Get outstanding decisions needed to be taken to create potential tasks (maybe filtered by status) - dependency reporting
Suggest decision priorities based either on human input or simple reasoning - e.g. spatial prioritisation, similarity to previous decisions, planner algorithms
Interface to Set Decisions
Accept votes on carrying out tasks
Compute status of different tasks
Override status or priority of particular tasks
Setting dependencies on resources
Setting dependencies on other decisions
To Think About:
Connecting decision support to resource pooling/sharing
Tactical software? - e.g. poll purging, more mapping, suggesting priorities. 
Temporary communication groups like precinct captains + district captains

Map Visualization Module
Setting Map Parameters
Fetch points or shapes from community asset libraries or user-uploaded data (GPS tracks, etc)
Import raster bitmaps, ESRI shape files, CSV, or Excel from government or other sources
Mapping arbitrary community attributes (resource location, user location, other data)
Getting Maps and Map Data
Geocode street addresses with lat/long (census bureau data)
Plot various kinds of voter/demographic data for different shapes (e.g. zip codes, precinct boundaries)
Render maps to JPEG, SVG or Flash
To Think About
Visual map annotation with Flash

Walking List, Phone List Module
productivity, checkoffs, visualization maps
Fundraising Module
current fundraising info
email updates
link to paypal or other online payment

Feedback BLOG

Name:  Email: 

Affiliation:  Home page URL: 

Feedback/Comments:






  [67.124.119.123] at Fri Mar  5 12:31:40 2004 PST


  [65.54.188.20] at Mon Feb  9 06:49:37 2004 PST


  [69.22.154.75] at Fri Jan 16 15:46:42 2004 PST


marc from indyvoter  [68.165.173.24] at Thu Jan  8 13:09:18 2004 PST
cool adam thanks for that clarification we'll update spec to say that..


adam from indyvoter  [63.187.232.151] at Wed Jan  7 18:51:01 2004 PST
user front end schema - "link to voterfile?" says requires SSN - by which i assume you mean social security number, but voterfile matching doesn't require this (voterfile info is public info and doesn't include ssn.)  if i'm reading this wrong, let me know.   you can get a good voterfile match with just name and address, and a less than perfect match with name and some lesser info.


seth walker from indyvoter.org  [69.3.26.174] at Sat Jan  3 19:22:18 2004 PST
add text messaging to cell phone for RSS feeds with Schuyler's Matt Gonzalez code

Eddie from da League  [69.17.48.184] at Fri Jan  2 02:36:08 2004 PST
Backend/state of network admin:
  How are things breaking? Identify/follow up on potential problem areas.

Tracking & stats:
   Geographically how is the system being utilized? What pieces/listings/communities are most active where?
GIS/Map snapshopt of activity

User frontend/personal profile:
  Personal resources I can provide (car, venue, printing, free postage, time)
  Skills I've got (public speaking, fundraising, flyer making, design)
  Core issues I identify with or am passionate about

Search/directory:
  Search on tactics, campaigns, location

Common frontend modules/blog module:
  Trackback ?

Library module:
  Timelines for history of issues, campaigns ?

Tracking module:
  Track most interesting tactics, campaigns also
  Blog hits to issues, tactics, campaigns

Community specific tools/shift assignment:
  See what shifts are needed and who has filled shifts
  Check ivan@420.am code




Revision History

2004.01.02.1500 - marc powell   - added schema charts to calendar, resource pooling features, clarified arbitrary datafor mapping feature
2004.01.02.0200 - eddie codel   - calendar/event feature
2004.01.02.0100 - schuyler erle - map visualization feature
2004.01.02.0100 - jo walsh        - resource pooling, decision support features
2004.01.01.1900 - marc powell   - dev platform, personal profile, FOAF, search engine features
2003.12.29.0000 - marc powell   - skeletal version