new.lds.org maps and Church internet firewalls

I looked for about 30 min. to see if anyone had posted anything about this issue so forgive me if I missed it.

With restricted internet on our Ward and Stake computers we are unable to access the functions of the maps connected with the new.lds.org site. Is the Church planning on adding Google maps and Bing maps to the list of sites that can be accessed as this is an critical part of the site?

Thanks!

Brother Merritt
Jerome Idaho Stake Clerk

Less-common to unit administrative computers is the map function on new FamilySearch, looks like this will be a problem for that too, since that uses Google Maps to plot an ancestor's life events as shown in the details on nFS.

In the US, it will be rare for someone to use an administrative computer to work on nFS, but outside the US it may be more likely, especially in less-developed areas.

Overblocking is a known problem with web content filtering on the provider company's level, in other words the company making the software and filtering mechanism, most companies that make filtering software try to avoid it in their own databases. It's the sysadmin at the level where the filter is deployed that needs to be on the lookout for blocking conflicts where a desired function is for some reason blocked even if it is on a mashup developed by the same company programmers. In this case, the Google/Bing Maps mashups are overblocked in the instance cited, the LDS Maps area.

The big thing now will be to try to find a way to block the main maps page while allowing the mashups to pass through on the more restrictive level, it's not going to be that easy to do.

JamesAnderson wrote:Less-common to unit administrative computers is the map function on new FamilySearch, looks like this will be a problem for that too, since that uses Google Maps to plot an ancestor's life events as shown in the details on nFS.

Units wishing to use administrative computers for family history work have an option to change the filtering level of the firewall. The General Access level will most definitely permit access to those mapping sites.

jdlessley wrote:Units wishing to use administrative computers for family history work have an option to change the filtering level of the firewall. The General Access level will most definitely permit access to those mapping sites.

If you're using the ASA5505's for family history work on the General Access level take special note of THIS thread. It outlines a common problem when using ancestry.com

I'm the stake tech specialist in our stake. I've had a bishop and clerk try to access the map site from their clerk computer in the clerk offices. With restricted internet on our Ward and Stake computers we are unable to access the functions of the maps connected with the new.lds.org site.

Is there a workaround for this? The stake pres. won't allow the filtering level of the firewall to be changed for the clerk computer. Any ideas?

tjscardden wrote:I'm the stake tech specialist in our stake. I've had a bishop and clerk try to access the map site from their clerk computer in the clerk offices. With restricted internet on our Ward and Stake computers we are unable to access the functions of the maps connected with the new.lds.org site.

Is there a workaround for this? The stake pres. won't allow the filtering level of the firewall to be changed for the clerk computer. Any ideas?

There is no workaround. The LDS Restricted Access filtering level only permits connection to Church owned or sponsored sites. With development of the new LDS.org and associated sites these new sites may have not been included in the category updates to Websense for the new sites. Your best hope is to contact LUS and ask them to get the sites involved with LDS maps recategorized with Websense. If you do not know which sites are involved you cannot contact Websense directly to have them do this. If you do know which sites are involved then you can contact Websense at suggest@websense.com and ask them to recategorize those sites for allowed access as Church owned or sponsored in the LDS Restricted Access filtering.