Featured Mashup: San Diego Zoo
Where? http://www.sandiegozoo.org/
Developer: Collaboration between teams at San Diego Zoo and InterKnowlogy

The Site

Established in 1916, the 100-acre San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, California is one of the largest and most progressive zoos in the world. The Zoo's website plays a vital role in educating the public and attracting visitors to the park. Working with a team from Microsoft Gold Certified Partner InterKnowlogy, Chief Technology Officer Robert Erhardt and his colleagues are creating the next generation of interactive web experiences for Zoo visitors. These new applications are built on Microsoft® Windows Live Internet services, including the Silverlight platform for creating rich, graphics-intensive web applications, Windows Live Spaces Photo API for sharing photos, Windows Live Messenger, and the Windows Live ID identity and authentication system. Collectively named "iZoofari," the application (see the figure) builds on existing audio and web media, adding interactive trip planning, customized route maps, and social networking services, all personalized to suit each visitor (note the Live ID login icon at the upper left). By interacting with guests before, during, and after their trip, the Zoo aims to increase customer satisfaction and drive repeat business. The application will also capture valuable business intelligence by securely tracking each visitor's experience.

Why the Windows Live Platform?

Developers needed a comprehensive, feature-rich platform on which to build the new elements of iZoofari. "We wanted the functionalities, but could not afford to build them from scratch," says Erhardt. "We decided to base everything new on the Windows Live platform, using Microsoft development tools." Erhardt cites several compelling reasons to use Windows Live Services:

• Ubiquitous and rapidly growing use of Live Services will help adoption
• Strong third-party Microsoft Partner developer network and online support
• Built-in social networking tools and controls that suit the vision of site planners
• Growing use of Windows Live ID makes it easy for visitors to sign on with existing credentials vs. having to create new logins
• Clear, easy to use SDKs and APIs enable rapid application development with minimal additional investment
• Very high return on investment

Programming Environment

Erhardt and his team are migrating to a completely Microsoft development environment, including Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008, and the .NET framework for creating Web services.

Under the Hood

The following code is executed after visitors log in, showing how the iZoofari user interface and messenger controls are defined.

<iframe id="0016BFFD8000867E" name="iZooFari" 

src="http://login.live.com/controls/WebAuth.htm?appid=<%=AppId%>&style=
font-size%3A+10pt%3B+font-family%3A+verdana%3B+background%3A+white%3B"  
width="80px" 
height="20px" marginwidth="0" 
marginheight="0" 
align="middle" frameborder="0"
scrolling="no"></iframe>
<iframe src="http://settings.messenger.live.com/Conversation/IMMe.aspx?
invitee=311a86e31ca10415@apps.messenger.live.com&mkt=en-US" 
width="300" height="300" 
style="border: 
solid 1px 
black; 
width: 300px; 
height: 
300px;" frameborder="0"></iframe>