Within HM Treasury, the Infrastructure & Financing Exchange (IFX) was established to foster the UK’s engagement in infrastructure development across emerging markets. The IFX aims to create multi-year engagement strategies to support UK investments in global infrastructure projects.
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HM Treasury (HMT) required the development of an Emerging Market Infrastructure (EMI) Platform, an interactive Drupal-powered web application.
This platform allows HMT and partner organisations worldwide to upload and share project information on infrastructure projects, promoting UK Government investment overseas.
Key objectives
Enhance data accessibility and sharing
Improve efficiency and reduce errors
Facilitate global collaboration
Enhance user experience
Integrate advanced search and mapping features
Ensure security and reliability
Support continuous improvement
Approach
The project began with an agile and comprehensive discovery phase, which included workshops and user research to engage key stakeholders and define project goals. By analyzing web analytics and conducting further user research, the team developed a deep understanding of the diverse users and the issues they faced. This understanding informed the development of a clear and logical information architecture and design, aimed at improving navigation and accessibility.
A multidisciplinary team of web professionals, encompassing expertise in architecture, design, Drupal development, project management, marketing, and operations, spearheaded the project. Throughout the process, they adhered strictly to the Government Digital Service (GDS) guidelines and the GOV.UK Technology Code of Practice, ensuring that the project met the highest standards of quality and compliance.
Technologies
The new EMI platform was developed using tried and tested open-source technologies:
Our design team ensured that the service would provide users with a consistent experience from start to finish, as well as being consistent with the design of GOV.UK
User-centric design
Developed an intuitive interface to ensure ease of use.
Responsive design
Ensured optimal viewing experiences across all devices.
Accessibility compliance
Designed to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards, ensuring it is accessible to all users.
Technical Implementation
Drupal
Used with the Lightning Distribution for an enterprise-grade authoring experience and robust workflows.
Apache Solr search
Implemented for fast and easy-to-use search functionality.
Leaflet maps and geocoder
Powered the geolocation and mapping elements.
Key Features
Faceted Search and geolocation
Enhanced data discovery and access.
Interactive mapping solutions
Improved user engagement and data visualisation.
Ensured security and reliability
Content Delivery Network, Web Application Firewall, and Intrusion Detection System.
Results
The EMI Platform successfully transformed HM Treasury's and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy's (BEIS) manual, offline process into an efficient end-to-end digital service. This new platform enables quick information discovery and dissemination through automatic geolocation and faceted search, significantly improving operational efficiency. It also supports real-time updates, allowing key parties to stay informed via individual favourite lists and email subscription alerts.
Additionally, the platform received ministerial approval, underscoring its effectiveness and reliability. Now live, the EMI Platform represents HM Treasury on a global scale, promoting the UK Government's investment initiatives in emerging markets and enhancing collaboration with international stakeholders.
Notably, when tested using Google PageSpeed Insights, the EMI platform, has achieved a 100% rating for Accessibility Best Practices and SEO.
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Accessibility
100
Best practices
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SEO
Key achievements
Efficiency Improvements
Replaced manual, offline processes with a streamlined digital service.
Enhanced Information Discovery and Dissemination
Implemented automatic geolocation and faceted search for quick access to data.
Real-Time Updates
Enabled real-time notifications through individual favourite lists and email subscription alerts.
Ministerial Approval
Achieved endorsement from HM Treasury ministers, validating the platform's effectiveness and reliability.
Global Representation
Successfully launched and now represents HM Treasury globally, promoting UK Government investment in emerging markets.
The EMI Platform project demonstrates how a strategic approach to design, development, and technology integration can transform a government service.
Opencentric delivered a modern, secure, and user-friendly platform that significantly improves the efficiency and effectiveness of HM Treasury’s infrastructure information management.
