Background
AESO, the Alberta Electric System Operator, is a not for profit organization tasked with managing the province of Alberta’s power grid. AESO works ceaselessly to ensure consistent, reliable power distribution, while balancing the needs of energy consumers, power producers and the government.
The Challenge
With over 20,000 documents and updates housed in a 10-year old website, AESO needed a refreshed digital presence. Their new site had to be a tool to clearly communicate their mandate to the public, while providing a more accessible and user-friendly experience for internal teams and industry stakeholders.
Evans Hunt’s Solution
Effectively sharing and organizing AESO’s huge (and ever growing) library of essential documents and resources was the primary objective of the re-design. Using SilverStripe we created an object-oriented data model for all the document types on the site. This resulted in an authoring experience that hides the complexity behind managing documents and an easier to maintain codebase for developers.
Evans Hunt also recognized AESO needed a robust internal content governance and workflow to help them manage their enormous archive. SilverStripe reports were created to ensure that important content stayed visible and well managed.
The Benefits
Vital resources on the AESO website have become far more accessible for industry stakeholders thanks to the improve search, navigation and content taxonomy. Industry stakeholders, potential investors in the Alberta electricity market, and the general public can now also quickly find relevant information on current initiatives and noteworthy energy market facts, including the real time market pool price and current transmission projects.
Additionally, key regulatory documentation is now organized and versioned in an easy to manage system, all while keeping the site audience informed through an up-to-date calendar of stakeholder engagements, news and updates, education sessions, and links to our social media platforms.
“Initial response from our stakeholders has been very positive. The new site overall is so much easier to navigate. The regulatory section in particular has streamlined how people find current stakeholder engagement activities, applicable rules, and upcoming relevant sessions so they can do their jobs and interact with the AESO in a more effective way. The new aeso.ca really reflects the professional reputation that we need to portray and allows us to communicate to our myriad audiences more easily.”
- AESO
