Coastal Web Atlas Design and Usability Liz O’Dea Coastal & Marine Resources Centre, University College Cork

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop What are design and usability?  Design: Visual display Visual display Clear communication of purpose Clear communication of purpose Efficient technology and management Efficient technology and management What makes an atlas? What makes an atlas?  Usability: Intuitive for target audience Intuitive for target audience Easy access to data and information Easy access to data and information Simple and effective Simple and effective

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop Presentation Overview  Considerations to Get Started  The Atlas Interface  User Feedback  Behind the Scenes Lessons Learned

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop Getting Started: Considerations  What is the atlas purpose? E.g. educational or tool for coastal managers E.g. educational or tool for coastal managers  Who is the atlas audience? E.g. general public or professionals E.g. general public or professionals  What are their skills? E.g. basic web experience or GIS savvy E.g. basic web experience or GIS savvy  What spatial data will it contain? E.g. 20 static layers or 200+ changing and growing E.g. 20 static layers or 200+ changing and growing

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop Getting Started: Considerations  What functionality is necessary? Simple identify tool or spatial analysis Simple identify tool or spatial analysis  Which software? Top-of-the-line package or tailorable open source Top-of-the-line package or tailorable open source  What resources are available for development? E.g. programmer, GIS specialist or science writer E.g. programmer, GIS specialist or science writer Keep users in mind!

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop The Marine Irish Digital Atlas Significant time investment spent on design: Interface of map page Interface of map page Data content Data content Metadata Metadata Web site structure Web site structure MIDA InfoPort MIDA InfoPort Database Management System Database Management System

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop MIDA’s Answers  Purpose: Provide spatial data, inform about coast Provide spatial data, inform about coast  Audience: Broad, from general public to GIS professionals Broad, from general public to GIS professionals  Audience Skills: Basic to advanced Basic to advanced  Spatial Data: Scalable system – start with core, all-island data Scalable system – start with core, all-island data  Functionality: Basic zooming and identify feature tools, access to metadata Basic zooming and identify feature tools, access to metadata  Resources GIS expertise, programmers, data base experts, coastal knowledge base GIS expertise, programmers, data base experts, coastal knowledge base  Software: ESRI for desktop GIS, Open Source for web services and database ESRI for desktop GIS, Open Source for web services and database

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop The Coastal Atlas Interface

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop The Atlas Interface: Features Tools Layers / Legend ViewOverview Information Tables Forms / Tables

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop Map Area  Scale, overview map, copyrights  Data display challenging Cartographic issues increase with # of layers Cartographic issues increase with # of layers Choosing colours, fills Choosing colours, fills Owner requirements (e.g. symbology) Owner requirements (e.g. symbology) Draw order – are some layers hiding others? Draw order – are some layers hiding others? Limit # of layers viewed at one time? Limit # of layers viewed at one time?

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop Layer List and Legend  How to keep it simple?  Layer list and legend integrated instead of separate  Ability to add/remove layers from list  Link layer names to information / metadata

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop Information/Extras  Easy access to information related to layers  Link from layer list to info box  Provide access to resources in one window (metadata, downloads, and descriptive info)  Tab design gives flexibility of functionality  MIDA InfoPort: general to professional info

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop Metadata  Needs to be easily accessible  Increasing levels: Abstract, Discovery & Full  Discovery: MIDA core elements  Displayed using XML and XSL, extracted from database

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop Atlas Tools  What map tools are necessary?  MIDA keeps it simple  Flexible to add functionality as needed

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop Identify Results  How to display tables? MIDA displays only “interesting” fields  Lack of data dictionaries to define attributes (codes, abbreviations)  Display data as is, or translate so more informative to user?

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop Atlas Interface: Lessons Learned  Do your research – what do you like or not like about other systems?  Keep site simple  Minimise scrolling and pop-up windows  Make sure it’s flexible  Consider how layers will be viewed together when choosing colours, fills and draw order  No easy solution to layers/legend issue  Are advanced map tools necessary?  Communicate with data owners on how to display associated data tables in informative way

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop User Feedback

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop Workshop Series 1  1 ½ years into project  Locally running demo (not live site)  Invited key data providers and users  Gave us focus to next development steps – design and data  Invaluable tool – if informative Provide data  if  Good resource Provide data  if  Good resource

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop Workshop Series 2  3 years into project  Live prototype atlas  Invited cross-section of user groups  Small design issues  Data, data and more data Key focus of year 4 Key focus of year 4

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop User Feedback: Lessons Learned  Regular user feedback is crucial for success  Consider: Hands-on workshops – personal discussion combined with surveys Hands-on workshops – personal discussion combined with surveys Surveying across user groups Surveying across user groups Online feedback Online feedback

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop Behind the Scenes

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop Behind the Scenes  Structural design just as important as interface  Customised database management system used to manage MIDA layer content Not spatial data themselves, just information related to spatial data Not spatial data themselves, just information related to spatial data  Time-consuming to add and update layers 3+ hours per individual layer 3+ hours per individual layer Some automation, mostly manual Some automation, mostly manual Need to determine how to streamline process Need to determine how to streamline process

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop Behind the Scenes: Lessons Learned  Invest in development of efficient and scalable Database Management System Reduce time required to add and update layers Reduce time required to add and update layers

Liz O’Dea CMRC Cork, Ireland 25 th – 26 th July 1006 Potentials and Limitations of Coastal Web Atlases Workshop Always keep users in mind! Advanced technology does not necessarily mean atlas success. Happy users do. Always keep users in mind! Advanced technology does not necessarily mean atlas success. Happy users do.