The Digital Bristol project (originally known as Digital City Bristol) was initiated by Hewlett-Packard Research Labs and developed with help from Bristol City Council and the University of the West of England.
Digital City Bristol was launched in March 1997 as a pilot project. During this phase of development the management committee was made up of representatives from Bristol City Council, the University of the West of England, and Hewlett-Packard Research Labs. The management committee then expanded to include City NetGates Ltd, now soVision Ltd and Western Media Publishing Ltd.
In November 2000 the new, shorter and simpler name "Digital Bristol" replaced the original Digital City Bristol. The "City" was dropped for a combination of reasons, not least of which was recognition that the locality is now nationally known not merely as the city but the County of Bristol.
BBC Bristol Online joined as site partners (June 2001) bringing with them the experience of producing a community-driven website for the city.
Over the years, shifting priorities have meant that all of the original sponsoring parties with the exception of Bristol City Council and soVision Ltd left the arrangement.
During 2009 Bristol City Council and soVision Ltd reviewed the prospect of refreshing the Digital Bristol Site. In January 2010 Bistol City Council and soVision as the remaining active partners in the Digital Bristol site agreed it was no longer sustainable to maintain Digital Bristol in its current form. Bristol City Council therefore agreed that soVision, who had hosted the Digital Bristol Site since its inception, would be the future owners of the Digital Bristol site and maintain its basic content.
It is currently soVision’s intention to review future development options to see how the site can best serve its contributors.
