The usability of selected base maps for crises management—users' perspectives

Abstract

Cartography has become an important tool for supporting decision-making processes in the field of crisis management. Maps (or GIS) can be used for solving various problems, e.g. the localization of accident site, the delimitation of endangered areas, the formulation of evacuation plans and others. People involved in decisionmaking processes use various procedures to solve these problems. However, a suitable and efficient form of cartographic support for particular situations and crisis management cycle stages is still missing. The main goal of the experiment was twofold. First, we wanted to assess the interdisciplinary (cartography-psychology) web-based testing environment and achieve the first usability results. Second, the use of different cartographic base map representations was analysed in order to judge the efficiency for specific situations. Testing was focused on various types of tasks, e.g. simple sign selection, the possibility of memorizing important information from the map and the choice of the optimal evacuation route. The overall testing was performed within the interactive web environment, based on predefined templates, automatically recorded and calibrated against the evaluation of the pretest users' abilities. Preliminary testing results provide valuable inputs concerning the usability of selected base maps for supporting decision-making processes during various crisis situations.

Techniques for Prioritizing the Elements of Web-GIS Usability

“…[11] defined usability evaluation as the process of systematic collection of data on how people use the system. [13] stated that map design should be user-oriented and be based on knowledge of elements of usability-they include recognition, navigation, speed, search, layout, style of writing, hyperlinks, interaction, accessibility and pictures and multimedia.…”

Comparison of Standard- and Proprietary-Based Approaches to Detailed 3D City Mapping

“…However, the static plan does not illustrate all floors of the buildings of the Department of Geography, but only those that provide information required by readers. An emphasis on cognitive style was applied and verified by usability testing (these concepts are explained, for example, in Konečný et al 2011). The selected floor is viewed from the side, creating the impression of 3D.…”

Three-Dimensional Maps for Disaster Management

“…Today users need even more specific information and we have able to provide it -we can consider her/his background, the specific tasks she/he needs to perform and also her/his individual tastes and preferences. (Konecny et al, 2011a). The purpose of the map is changing from application-oriented to user-oriented.…”