One difficulty I can identify: some vendors have multiple locations. 1. Does each location get a 'pin'? How is a location defined (do home offices count, or only the company office)? Do 'pins' have weight? Wouldn't that essentially give geographically diverse vendors more entries, and might that not be considered unfair to geographically-localized vendors? 2. Paul brings up a good point: geographic location is less important in a web-based environment. If a region doesn't have a 'pin' nearby, that doesn't mean it can't get a contract; nor is a library required to contract with the nearest vendor. I like the idea of a map, because it is less arbitrarily ordered than a list. If we can agree on a fair way to represent vendors on such a map, then great. Perhaps it makes more sense to encode the critical vendor info in a database table or XML document, and then provide multiple interfaces for viewing that data. That way, prospective customers can view the vendor list in terms that are relevant to them at the time. I'd be happy to help work on the data structure and interface design for that. Cheers, Ian Walls Systems Integration Librarian NYU Health Sciences Libraries 550 First Ave., New York, NY 10016 (212) 263-8687 -----Original Message----- From: koha-bounces@lists.katipo.co.nz [mailto:koha-bounces@lists.katipo.co.nz] On Behalf Of Irma Birchall Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2009 7:11 PM To: koha@lists.katipo.co.nz Subject: Re: [Koha] A map showing Koha "Pay for support" companies - Was subject: Re: Liblime, Koha, BibLibre and FLOSS Hi all, A map view of listed commercial support receives a + 1 from me. Some libraries will choose to work alone, others with a local Koha service provider, others will scan the global skills base. When looking for support, most clients look for a specific blend of: experience, languages spoken, rates, availability, packaged services, involvement with the Koha Project, the F/OSS Community, prior recommendations, etc to match their specific situation and needs with the offerings of a service provider. Listed vendors usually mention their physical geographical location and if they work with libraries located elsewhere. Perhaps even adding on their website a map showing the location of their clients .... I love maps! Yes, and used to love cataloguing maps of all types and projections! ... Best regards, Irma CALYX information essentials _______________________________________________ Koha mailing list Koha@lists.katipo.co.nz http://lists.katipo.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/koha ------------------------------------------------------------ This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain information that is proprietary, confidential, and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender by return email and delete the original message. Please note, the recipient should check this email and any attachments for the presence of viruses. The organization accepts no liability for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this email. =================================