Usability as an approach to Designing Web based GIS applications

GIS data has traditionally been in the hands of highly specialized professionals who have either been responsible for collecting and developing the data, or are planning operations based on the data. As more and more institutions invest in digitizing map based data the obvious question of how to maximize utilization of GIS based information throughout an enterprise has come to the fore. Browser based map viewing software has the potential to solve two major difficulties associated with enterprise-wide availability of GIS data. One, the per-seat cost of making GIS data available is drastically reduced. Two, HTML and Java based applications afford direct customisation according to the needs of specific job categories and organisational cultures. This latter concern is especially significant given the intention of making map data easily accessed and understood by people who do not have the same level of experience and expertise as the GIS professionals that have historically worked with it. This paper is an account of the development of iVAULT, a browser based map viewing application for the telecommunications industry. This project is interesting in how it adapted Usability methods to inform product design.

Introduction
Web-based geoengineering data publishers present exciting possibilities for maximising the utilisation of GIS databases. Internet and intranet publishing of graphic and attribute data allow almost universal accessibility at a fraction of the cost of purchasing additional seats of more complex GIS software. In addition, the client-server model permits the transfer of up-to-the- minute data, so users can be confident that they are working with current data. Equally intriguing is the potential for expanding the range of personnel who might productively exploit map and associated data without incurring the costs of training in the use of complex software environments.

This last point is key. Web access increases the potential for GIS dissemination exponentially. The opportunity is clear. The design challenge is to develop approaches that lead to browser- based GIS applications that find ready acceptance and productive utility in the hands of a diverse user population. This goal demands a hard look at current design practices that have evolved to meet the needs of a very specialised expert user base who have been brought up in a particular environment of software conventions and working patterns specific to the field of GIS in its current context.