Geographic information system gis is a computer system build to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage and display all kinds of spatial or geographical data hardware. List of geographic information systems software wikipedia. Gis software lets you produce maps and other graphic displays of geographic information for analysis and presentation. These measurable concepts and their related attributes are presented in table 1. Usability is an important criterion for measuring and comparing the quality of software systems. Esri is the world leader in gis geographic information system software and technology and offers a huge variety of related resources. Identify data quality requirementsarcgis pro documentation. Thus, five users of gis software participated in this study. Usability indicators for software components manuel f. Based on the test data, the fuzzy method was applied to incorporate both the usability scores and uncertainties involved in the multiple components of the. This is a screen shot of the aforementioned webgis by the german federal state sachsen. Evaluating the usability of interactive veri cation systems.
One of the metadata content components is a statement of spatial accuracy. The study provided valuable data concerning the usability of each individual tool. Tullis and albert, the authors of our text, measuring the user experience, dedicate the majority of their book to metrics from definition and types to use and measurement. Accordingly, work is being done to upgrade the physical infrastructure in affected areas, often employing a strategy of decentralised service provision. Reliable access to basic services can improve a communitys resilience to hivaids. To delete the measurement graphics, open the measurement tool and select clear. Usability was assessed in terms of tool learnability, memorability, and user satisfaction.
The webgis uses arcims to visualize spatial data, features nested layer menus and makes heavy use of pop ups. Download pdf version 300kb usability is not a luxury. Gis technology integrates common database operations such as query and statistical analysis with the unique visualization and geographic analysis benefits offered by maps. Pdf measuring the usability of software components. Today, gis softwareruns on a wide range of hardware types, from centralized computer servers todesktop computers used in standalone or networked configurations. Our gis program develops methods and tools that facilitate the use of ncar models in a gis. Usability testing metrics involve 1 a user, 2 doing something, 3 with. Hardware is the computer system on which a gis operates. The way in which these measurable concepts influence the usability of a component and its. Compare your sus score to 500 other applications, compute the needed sample size, understand the history and limitations of sus as well as several practical tips for minimizing coding errors. A geographic information system gis is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographical data. Sus is technology independent and has since been tested on hardware, consumer software, websites, cellphones, ivrs and even the yellowpages. Abstractwebbased geographic information systems gis are mostly focused on casual end users, i.
However, although spatial accuracy is a big concern to surveyors, its important to keep in mind that it is not necessarily. Usability can be described as the capacity of a system to provide a condition for its users to perform the tasks safely, effectively, and efficiently while enjoying the experience. Quality of use is therefore defined as the extent to which a product satisfies stated and implied needs when used under stated conditions. Measurement widgetweb appbuilder for arcgis documentation. As previously mentioned, from the three measurable concepts related to software component usability quality of the documentation, complexity of the solution and complexity of the problem we will just consider the first two. A metric is a system or standard of measurement represented in units that can be utilized to describe more than one attribute. A geographic information system gis software is designed to store, retrieve, manage, display, and analyze all types of geographic and spatial data. Measuring the usability of software components sciencedirect. Measuring the usability of software components request pdf. The conventional assumption that quality is an attribute of a product is misleading, as the attributes required for quality will depend on how the product is used. Open source gis for hivaids management international.
Metrics come in very handy when it comes to quantify usability during the usability evaluation of software, websites and applications. It is often constructed by mathematical models based on measurable variables, such as the dow jones industrial average or the human development index it can also be developed by convention e. Evaluating software usability of geographic information system. Strengthening the importance of geographical information systems gis components in organisations for a successful gis technology a key to a successful gis in organisations 3 of 5 technology first among the gis components is the technology of gis itself, which consists of the software and hardware. Ad maptitude is the lowestpriced, easiesttouse professional gis software. Assessing the usability of webgis for schools 391 figure 2 shows another example of the available web services in germany. A metric is commonly defined as a way of measuring or evaluating a particular phenomenon or thing p.
Measuring the usability of software components journal. For measuring the quality, the parameters or quality factors are considered that vary over a. Lately, many various usability evaluation methods have been developed. If your website drives revenue, no matter how big or small, you have a vested interest in turning motivated users into buyers, and that requires understanding the needs and expectations of those users. When measuring an area, distance, or location, you can close the widget or switch to a different widget and your measurements remain. This is why webbased gis applications should be designed very carefully and with a strong focus on their usability. An operational gis also has a series of components that combine to make the system work. A geographic information system gis integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of. In this paper, the main aim is to address usability problems of gis software ainterface and bring some insights for gis software interface designers. Learn how to create more usable, useful, and accessible websites. They based their study on the isoiec 9126 30 model that defines usability in terms of five sub.
The following is a list of gis software producers and their main. A quality assurance qa plan is a document that identifies the quality standards that are relevant to a project and methods to achieve them. In software engineering, usability is the degree to which a software can be used by specified consumers to achieve quantified objectives with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a quantified context of use. The last decade marked the first real attempt to turn software development into engineering through the concepts of component based software development cbsd and commercial offtheshelf. A 150 page guide that provides background, benchmarks and best practices for using the system usability scale. Numerous systems are available which cover all sectors of geospatial data handling. An examination of cartographic design is a cartographic classic by arthur h.
Nowadays there are a different range of computer, it might be desktop or server based. Today, gis software runs on a wide range of hardware types, from centralized computer servers to desktop computers used in standalone or networked. A geographic information system gis software is designed to store, retrieve, manage, display, and analyse all types of geographic and spatial data. We work with industry and international standards organizations to improve interoperability of common atmospheric data formats, as well as develop tools and applications to increase usability of models and their spatial accuracy. Evaluating software usability of geographic information. The gis packages come with geospatial functions that are very helpful to the process.
For this reason, wgis applications have to be userfriendly. Quality of use can be used to measure usability as the extent to which specific goals can be. Software components can be explained using an analogy to plumbing. Scale of measurement gis wiki the gis encyclopedia. This site features free gis software, online mapping, online gis training, demos, geographic data, user scripts, white papers, and much more. In this paper, we present a methodology for evaluating the usability of gis software. Spatial accuracy is probably the issue that surveyors focus on most when criticizing gis. Software in gis there are different software types that are used, but gis application package remains central to the creation of data, analyzing and editing as well as attributing the collected data. Measuring usability as quality of use springerlink. The book was based on robinsons doctoral research which investigated the relationship between science and art in cartography and the resultant refinement of graphic techniques in mapmaking to present dynamic geographic information. Usability geographic informations systems gis program. Learn how businesses are using location intelligence to gain competitive advantage. An index is an artificial measure of a property that cannot feasibly be measured directly. This simple but extremely powerful and versatile concept has proven invaluable for solving many realworld problems from tracking delivery vehicles, to recording details of planning applications, to modeling global atmospheric circulation.
We demonstrate how to find out the severity ratings of problems in gis software. Usability metrics a guide to quantify the usability of. Geographic information science used more for scienceresearch behind geospatial technology. There are many reasons why you would measure usability. A practical guide to the system usability scale sus. A gis stores information about the world as a collection of thematic layers that can be linked together by geography. One of the most critical processes of componentbased software development cbsd is the selection of the set of components either from in. In the terms of a software quality, wgis applications have to be usable. Using a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to determine. Tools for the input and manipulation of geographic information a database management system dbms tools that support geographic query, analysis, and visualization a graphical user interface gui for easy access to tools possibly. Usability user testing of selected webbased gis applications. A geographic information system gis is a computerbased tool for mapping and analyzing geographic phenomenon that exist, and events that occur, on earth. The development of open source gis software hasin terms of software historya long tradition with the appearance of a first system in 1978.
This paper presents a set of measures to assess the usability of software components, and describes the method followed to obtain and validate them. Webbased geographic information systems wgis are focused on endusers who have only a very limited knowledge of gis, if any. A good gis software requires user friendliness, functionalities, compatibilities, updatability, documentation, costeffectivness. Adherence of a dataset to a specific set of requirements related to a usecase. No matter what brand of pipes you own, you can go to the hardware store, buy another piece of pipe of the same diameter, and screw it into the pipe you already have. Geographic information systems gis can fill in this blind spot and provide a textured picture of public health that enables decision makers to target resources, better address health equity, and work towards stronger overall health system performance.
Gis geographic information system usability is one of the most significant factors of government sectors like the ministry of environment, planning, forestry, fisheries, and so on. Testing the usability of interactive maps in commongis. Spatial characteristics are one of the major determinants in implementing services, even in the smaller municipal areas, and good quality spatial information. Softwaregis software provides the functions and tools needed to store, analyze, anddisplay geographic information. Solve challenges in managing fiber cabling infrastructure in both inside and outside plant. To test the proposed fuzzy usability evaluation framework, a standard summative usability test was conducted to benchmark the overall usability of a specific network management software. It has become an industry standard with references in over 600 publications. The science of measuring and representing the shape and size of the earth, and the study of its gravitational and magnetic fields.
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