Local software development firm Prefix Technologies has implemented a search engine for a US research company, capable of searching records of more than 10 million immigrants who arrived in New York via the port of Castle Garden between 1830 and 1892.
The Castle Garden Web site provides users with access to immigration records retrieved from the immigration port. The data was captured by various organisations all over the world, over a 25-year period, from logs and paper records.
Prefix Technologies developed the search engine in three weeks. It will enable over 73 million Americans to trace their ancestors online.
The project was completed for Battery Conservancy. US-based Carl Campbell co-ordinated the development of the Web site, which was completed in partnership with South African project management company Praekelt Consulting.
A 2GB MySQL database houses the 10 352 386 records, says Prefix Technologies technical director, Sam Hutchinson.
"The major project requirement was to develop a searching facility allowing potentially massive volumes of concurrent users to simultaneously search through 10 million records," says Hutchinson.
He explains that users type in a name and surname to start searching. "All immigrants that match the name search are then returned. From this list of returned names specific information can be viewed, or further filtering can be done on the initial name search."
From 1855 to 1890, the Castle Garden, today known as the Castle Clinton National Monument, was America`s first official immigration centre, a collaboration of New York State and New York City.
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