The Challenge

UNICEF India’s IEC eWarehouse (www.unicefiec.org), initiated in 2006, served as the organization’s strategic platform for storage, sharing, and dissemination of IEC (Information, Education, Communication) materials. After years of operation, several needs had emerged:

• Maintenance Requirements: The website and mobile site required ongoing backend maintenance including daily link validation, site administration, uptime monitoring, and junk data cleanup. Non-functional components needed repair.
• Digitization Backlog: Approximately 2,000 communication materials (print, audio, video) were hosted on the site, with many requiring digitization. New materials needed ongoing digitization as they were produced.
• Document Request Handling: The platform offered subscribers a document request service. Materials below 40 MB could be downloaded directly, but larger materials required generating online requests to UNICEF, who would physically send artwork CDs. An estimated 300-400 requests were expected monthly.
• Government IEC Linking: UNICEF technically assisted in producing IEC materials hosted on various government websites, but links to these materials were not maintained on the eWarehouse.
• Audio-Video Footage Storage: UNICEF C4D had generated substantial raw audio-video archives from films produced since 2018, with more in development. Total storage needs exceeded 10 TB, and the footage needed to be stored for 4+ years with proper metadata management.
• Periodic Site Review: The site needed regular review and trimming by deleting outdated materials per agreed criteria.
• Newsletter Communication: Monthly e-newsletters were needed to inform registered users about new materials on the site.

Velocity’s Solution

Scope of Work

Velocity provided comprehensive maintenance, digitization, document request management, and audio-video storage services for UNICEF India’s IEC eWarehouse platform.

Key Features & Deliverables

Website & Mobile Site Maintenance:
– Repair of non-functional components
– Brief training for website operation
– Monthly functioning monitoring for one year
– Daily link validation and URL validations
– Site administration and audit
– Daily uptime monitoring
– Junk data cleanup
– Bug fixing within 4-8 hours (critical) and 24 hours (others)

Application Maintenance:
– Day-to-day minor changes and content management
– PDF/Word file uploads
– Proactive technical monitoring (e.g., server CPU threshold alerts)
– Future threat identification and reporting

Server Administration:
– Resolution of server crash issues
– Email setup and configuration
– Web administrator creation and assignment
– Database cleanup
– Contact information updates
– Web link and tag management for IEC materials

Technical Support:
– Website security analysis and vulnerability identification
– Broken/lost link navigation and updates
– Graphics optimization for page download speed
– DNS management, database development and management
– Server configuration maintenance

Digitization Services:
– Digitization of all existing artworks (~2,000 materials)
– Ongoing digitization of new materials (print, audio, video)
– MIS maintenance of all uploaded and digitized materials
– Physical copy of digitized materials provided to UNICEF for archiving

Document Request Management:
– Online response for artworks under 400-500 MB
– Physical dispatch for artworks over 500 MB
– 48-hour response time target for all requests
– Estimated 300-400 requests per month

Government Site Linking:
– Links to IEC materials on government websites technically assisted by UNICEF

Audio-Video Footage Storage & Management:
– Storage infrastructure for 10+ TB of raw footage
– Metadata creation for raw footage on cloud platform
– Storage management for 4+ years (until end 2022)
– Footage retrieval and listing capabilities

Monthly Newsletter:
– E-newsletter distribution to registered users for new material uploads

Technology Stack

• Existing IEC eWarehouse platform (PHP/MySQL)
• Cloud storage infrastructure (10+ TB capacity)
• Server monitoring tools
• Email newsletter system
• Digital asset management
• Mobile site framework
• DNS and server configuration tools
• Backup and disaster recovery systems

Implementation Approach

The engagement was structured around continuous service delivery with milestone-based reporting:

1. Deliverable 1: Monthly reports on IEC eWarehouse website and mobile site operations, demonstrating bug resolution within SLA targets.
2. Deliverable 2: Concurrent list of artworks digitized and materials uploaded, tracking the digitization backlog reduction.
3. Deliverable 3: Site links to all relevant government IEC sites hosting UNICEF-assisted communication materials.
4. Deliverable 4: Monthly report confirming all online document requests responded to within 48 hours.
5. Deliverable 5: Report on efficient storage and retrieval of all audio-video footage, including a comprehensive listing.

Performance was measured against two key indicators:
– Site bug fixing managed within 4-8 hours (critical) and 24 hours (others)
– All online document requests responded to within 48 hours

Key Outcomes & Impact

• Uninterrupted Platform Operation: Maintained continuous availability of the IEC eWarehouse for UNICEF staff, government partners, and development practitioners nationwide.
• Complete Digitization: Systematically digitized the entire backlog of approximately 2,000 IEC materials, making all content accessible in digital format.
• Efficient Document Distribution: Managed 300-400 monthly document requests within the 48-hour SLA, ensuring timely access to IEC materials for field practitioners.
• Preserved Audio-Video Archives: Established a secure, managed storage solution for UNICEF C4D’s growing 10+ TB raw footage library with metadata for easy retrieval.
• Government Integration: Connected the eWarehouse to government-hosted IEC materials, creating a more comprehensive resource network for communication practitioners.
• Proactive Technical Management: Early identification and resolution of server, security, and performance issues prevented downtime and ensured user trust.

Why Velocity

Velocity was the established partner for this engagement:

• Platform Developer and Maintainer: Velocity built the IEC eWarehouse in 2006 and had maintained it continuously, possessing complete technical knowledge of the system.
• Five+ Years Experience: Agency with at least five years of software development experience, as required by the ToR.
• Digitization Capability: Relevant experience in site maintenance, content management, and digitization of artwork across print, audio, and video formats.
• Storage Management: Capability to provide and manage 10+ TB audio-video footage storage with metadata management.
• Consistent Service Quality: Track record of responsive back-end service with good turnaround time and consistent quality.