Question before buying

[DSdad]

Hi, before I plunge into VB, I have a website integration question:

Is there a way to aggregate data from a VB community into a database with searchable fields? I'm trying to create a community of bikers using mom/pop motorcycle ("mc") repair shops, then aggregate the info on the mc repair shops posted to VB by members of the community into a separate database with multiple fields (name, address, hours, bikes serviced) so the community members can search by things like zip code (proximity to them), types of bikes serviced, hours, etc. That way, when a user goes to my new site, they can either use the VB community to discuss their experiences with a mc repair shop or, if they need one, they can input their zip and find one close by.

Thanks in advance for any insights!

[nexialys]

some things you are requesting here as a description look like the products from http://photopost.com ... take a look there! (these softwares integrate with vBulletin!)

[DSdad]

Thanks! Photopost looks like a great app, however I think it may be more photo-centric than I need. I literally want to have a read-only (for members) database that they can query for multiple variables (ie I'm in Paris, TX and need a mc repair shop that can fix my BMW motorcycle and I'd like all shops located within 40miles). As moderator of the vb-side, I intend to populate the read-only/searchable side using the community input from the vB side. I also plan to set up a thread for each repair shop so after doing their search, users can drill down to the thread and see what users say about the shop they're considering. vB sounds flexible enough that I could do this, but I'm not the most web-intelligent person out there so I was hoping to find out if the concept I've described would be easy to do using either pre-existing software/add-ons, or easy (read cheap) to build by the experts in the vB community.

Thanks again for your comments/suggestions.