14 November 2003
Lessons have been learned from the debacle when a Public Record Office website of the 1901 census fell apart after less than a week, the National Audit Office has said.
The PRO had planned a low-key launch for the website on January 2, 2002. But after extensive media coverage, the site was swamped with 1.2 million users an hour. The site, run by Qinetiq on a ten-year
public-private partnership contract, cost £8m to develop but was wrecked by the overload. It was forced to close on January 7.
The NAO said that with help from the Office of the e-Envoy, the website was reconstructed and made available with restricted access on August 27 last year, with full access following in November.
It now receives between 8,000 and 10,000 visitors a day and has generated £4.5m up to October 31 2003, the NAO says.
'The project to provide on-line access to the 1901 census was ambitious and, ultimately, successful,' said auditor general Sir John Bourn. 'It is important that the wider public sector learns the lessons from this project.'
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