Architectural Web Portal and Interactive CAD Learning in Hungary - Web-Based Engineering Education: Critical Design and Effective Tools - page 23

StructurE And uSE of tHE
knoWLEdgE BASE from gyŐr

in the practical life and education, owing to its
encyclopaedia-like structure.
After having selected the main theme desired,
the subgroups in the Orisoft Catalogue are pro-
vided in matrix-array thereby making it possible
to choose from the secondary and tertiary points
of view of information collecting. So it can be
decided whether to choose from different company
information within one single product group, or to
choose a product group within an actual company.
Another advantage of the matrix principle is
compactness, i.e. being unexpanded. Activities
of a great number of companies become easily
perspicuous and comparable. However, in the
small grid field there is only place enough for
one link therefore information attached can be
seen when the mouse cursor on top of the link
moves and displays an information windows with
variable content besides the matrix. In case more
information should be needed you can click onto
the link in the grid field and navigating away onto
a new page.

At the time of establishing the Architectural Da-
tabase in Győr (Figures 3 and 4) our target was
not only to utilize already available experiences
but to implement a lot of new solutions.
Visitors are greeted on the main page show-
ing a mosaic in details from the most beautiful
sceneries of the town then there comes a picture
dissolution directing onto a webpage with profes-
sional information. Catching the eye of our visually
susceptible students, their interest is going to be
increased by a header toolbar in individual design
showing animation over the main themes.
In the database, university lecture notes,
additional supporting materials, and selected
outside homepages, documents and videos (of
informative, research, company information, etc.
character) are available. It has a distinctly theme-
oriented structure, and even more, it is quite unique
among domestic (Hungarian) web portals since
its main structure orientation is subject to that of

Figure 2. Scheme of a catalogue on building materials (company: Orisoft in Pécs) organized by main
themes, and one selected of the subgroup matrices.