Hans Voss

Testing the Usability of Interactive Maps in CommonGIS

The paper reports on an experimental study aimed at assessing the usability of five different interactive tools for exploratory analysis of geographically referenced data implemented in CommonGIS. Usability was assessed in terms of tool learnability, memorability, and user satisfaction. The study provided valuable data concerning the usability of each individual tool; we also derived some conclusions relevant to geovisualization techniques in general. We found that users were, in principle, able to understand and adopt the new ideas of map interactivity and manipulability. However, these ideas needed to be appropriately introduced; people could hardly grasp them just from the appearance of the maps and controls. An introductory demonstration was sufficient to understand the purposes of the interactive tools, and a short training session enabled people to use them. The importance of educating users is a particular challenge for geovisualization tools that are intended to be accessed over the Internet.

Exploratory Analysis of Spatial Data Using Interactive Maps and Data Mining

We present new methods for analyzing geo-referenced statistical data. These methods combine visualization and direct manipulation techniques of exploratory data analysis and algorithms for data mining. The methods have been implemented by integrating two hitherto separate software tools: Descartes for interactive thematic mapping, and the data mining toolbox Kepler. In using these tools, data analysis may proceed as a steady interaction between visual inspiration and insights gained from mathematical–statistical calculations. After introducing the various components of the methods and tools, the paper guides the reader through in-depth examples of using the tools in the context of analysis of urban demographic data. In particular, it is shown how geography-based classifications of urban districts can be related to available thematic characteristics by applying the data mining algorithms classification tree derivation, attribute weighting, and subgroup discovery.

GIS for Everyone: The CommonGIS Project and Beyond

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the project CommonGIS, which has the motto “GIS for everyone.” Its objective is to devise approaches and methods for making modem techniques of map-based exploratory data analysis accessible to a broad community of potential users. Besides technical accessibility, which is attained by applying the Java applet technology, it is important to ensure that the techniques are also utilized appropriately and effectively even by the users with little or no expertise in cartography or geographical information systems (GISs). This task is specially challenging because of the novelty of the exploratory tools. Experiments show that without previous instruction people make limited use of these tools. Therefore, it is very necessary to find proper ways of providing intelligent software-based assistance that will encourage and help people to use the tools. CommonGIS runs over the Internet by means of a standard web browser. It can be viewed both as an interactive Web-GIS (because it provides some standard GIS functionality) and as a tool for exploratory analysis of geographically referenced statistical data. To support the analysis, CommonGIS provides highly interactive and dynamically transformable maps and other types of data displays, in accord with the concept of “geographic visualization”.Publisher Summary This chapter describes the project CommonGIS, which has the motto “GIS for everyone.” Its objective is to devise approaches and methods for making modem techniques of map-based exploratory data analysis accessible to a broad community of potential users. Besides technical accessibility, which is attained by applying the Java applet technology, it is important to ensure that the techniques are also utilized appropriately and effectively even by the users with little or no expertise in cartography or geographical information systems (GISs). This task is specially challenging because of the novelty of the exploratory tools. Experiments show that without previous instruction people make limited use of these tools. Therefore, it is very necessary to find proper ways of providing intelligent software-based assistance that will encourage and help people to use the tools. CommonGIS runs over the Internet by means of a standard web browser. It can be viewed both as an interactive Web-GIS (because it provides some standard GIS functionality) and as a tool for exploratory analysis of geographically referenced statistical data. To support the analysis, CommonGIS provides highly interactive and dynamically transformable maps and other types of data displays, in accord with the concept of “geographic visualization”.

Collaborative environmental planning with GeoMed

Environmental planning usually involves a large number of decision makers with different backgrounds and interests. Appropriate decision making procedures are needed in order to jointly consider their individual approaches and achieve collaboration. This paper discusses issues involved in Collaborative Environmental Planning and reports work on GeoMed, a group decision support system for Geographical Mediation on the World Wide Web. We first present an argumentation framework that constitutes the core of the system and supports fair, rational and efficient decision making. In the sequel, we discuss the necessary enhancements in order to deal with spatial applications, and environmental planning in particular. Finally, we give a description of GeoMed and an overview of the services provided.

Internet mapping for dissemination of statistical information

Abstract City and regional administrations find increasing interest in providing mapping services to their customers: citizens, businesses, non-governmental organizations, etc. The paper discusses possible architectures of implementing such services on the Internet, and then describes our own system, Descartes, in more detail. Descartes can be used in client–server mode, where the interactive client interface can be downloaded as a Java applet. Descartes is particularly suited for Web-based analysis and publication of geo-referenced statistical data. The functionality and user interface of Descartes is illustrated by some example applications of the cities of Bonn and Tilburg and of the UK Census of Population.

European Forest Information System — EFIS. a Step towards Better Access to Forest Information

The 1989 EU regulation (EEC) No. 1615/89 stated that the European Commission should set up a European Forest Information and Communication System (EFICS) in order to address the need for sound forestry information at the European level. The main objective of EFICS is to collect, co-ordinate, standardise and process data concerning the forestry sector and its development. Existing data should be utilised and in particular, statistics compiled by the European Community’s statistical office and information from the Member States and other available and accessible data bases, both at the national and international level. The main objective of the European Forest Information System (EFIS) project is to design and build a fully operational prototype of a reliable forest information system. The functionalities of the system include the compilation, processing, analysis and dissemination of available forestry information from various data sources and of various data formats on an international, national and regional level. The challenge for EFIS lies within the creation of an information system that allows flexible analysis options addressing diverse user needs, access restrictions and rights, and adequate and appropriate technological possibilities for the creation and presentation of value-added products. This paper describes the present state of the project and the challenges in improving the access and distribution of forest related information available through the Internet.

Reuse-Oriented Knowledge Engineering with MoMo

The identification, explicit description, and utilization of generic problem solving methods such as heuristic classification, differential diagnosis, or model-based design is a major result of AI research in the field of knowledge-based systems. Having such methods at hand directly paves the way to reusing existing software and specifications when developing new applications. The language MoMo allows generic problem solving methods to be modeled in an implementation-independent but executable way, and to reuse and customize the models for specific applications. MoMo thus supports a reuse-oriented structured prototyping approach to software development for knowledge-based systems.1

GIS for Everyone

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the project CommonGIS, which has the motto “GIS for everyone.” Its objective is to devise approaches and methods for making modem techniques of map-based exploratory data analysis accessible to a broad community of potential users. Besides technical accessibility, which is attained by applying the Java applet technology, it is important to ensure that the techniques are also utilized appropriately and effectively even by the users with little or no expertise in cartography or geographical information systems (GISs). This task is specially challenging because of the novelty of the exploratory tools. Experiments show that without previous instruction people make limited use of these tools. Therefore, it is very necessary to find proper ways of providing intelligent software-based assistance that will encourage and help people to use the tools. CommonGIS runs over the Internet by means of a standard web browser. It can be viewed both as an interactive Web-GIS (because it provides some standard GIS functionality) and as a tool for exploratory analysis of geographically referenced statistical data. To support the analysis, CommonGIS provides highly interactive and dynamically transformable maps and other types of data displays, in accord with the concept of “geographic visualization”.Publisher Summary This chapter describes the project CommonGIS, which has the motto “GIS for everyone.” Its objective is to devise approaches and methods for making modem techniques of map-based exploratory data analysis accessible to a broad community of potential users. Besides technical accessibility, which is attained by applying the Java applet technology, it is important to ensure that the techniques are also utilized appropriately and effectively even by the users with little or no expertise in cartography or geographical information systems (GISs). This task is specially challenging because of the novelty of the exploratory tools. Experiments show that without previous instruction people make limited use of these tools. Therefore, it is very necessary to find proper ways of providing intelligent software-based assistance that will encourage and help people to use the tools. CommonGIS runs over the Internet by means of a standard web browser. It can be viewed both as an interactive Web-GIS (because it provides some standard GIS functionality) and as a tool for exploratory analysis of geographically referenced statistical data. To support the analysis, CommonGIS provides highly interactive and dynamically transformable maps and other types of data displays, in accord with the concept of “geographic visualization”.

Chapter 8 – GIS for Everyone: The CommonGIS Project and Beyond

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the project CommonGIS, which has the motto “GIS for everyone.” Its objective is to devise approaches and methods for making modem techniques of map-based exploratory data analysis accessible to a broad community of potential users. Besides technical accessibility, which is attained by applying the Java applet technology, it is important to ensure that the techniques are also utilized appropriately and effectively even by the users with little or no expertise in cartography or geographical information systems (GISs). This task is specially challenging because of the novelty of the exploratory tools. Experiments show that without previous instruction people make limited use of these tools. Therefore, it is very necessary to find proper ways of providing intelligent software-based assistance that will encourage and help people to use the tools. CommonGIS runs over the Internet by means of a standard web browser. It can be viewed both as an interactive Web-GIS (because it provides some standard GIS functionality) and as a tool for exploratory analysis of geographically referenced statistical data. To support the analysis, CommonGIS provides highly interactive and dynamically transformable maps and other types of data displays, in accord with the concept of “geographic visualization”.Publisher Summary This chapter describes the project CommonGIS, which has the motto “GIS for everyone.” Its objective is to devise approaches and methods for making modem techniques of map-based exploratory data analysis accessible to a broad community of potential users. Besides technical accessibility, which is attained by applying the Java applet technology, it is important to ensure that the techniques are also utilized appropriately and effectively even by the users with little or no expertise in cartography or geographical information systems (GISs). This task is specially challenging because of the novelty of the exploratory tools. Experiments show that without previous instruction people make limited use of these tools. Therefore, it is very necessary to find proper ways of providing intelligent software-based assistance that will encourage and help people to use the tools. CommonGIS runs over the Internet by means of a standard web browser. It can be viewed both as an interactive Web-GIS (because it provides some standard GIS functionality) and as a tool for exploratory analysis of geographically referenced statistical data. To support the analysis, CommonGIS provides highly interactive and dynamically transformable maps and other types of data displays, in accord with the concept of “geographic visualization”.