Web Mapping for the Dissemination of Census Data: Canadian Experience

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Web Mapping for the Dissemination of Census Data
Canadian Experience

• Expert Group Meeting on Contemporary Practices in
  Census Mapping and Use of Geographical
  Information System

Presented by Joe Kresovic and Daniel Paquin
May 30, 2007
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Outline

• The Webs role in dissemination
• Benefits and challenges from Web dissemination
• Evolution of Web mapping tool for dissemination
• Lessons learned from Web mapping
• Development of Common Look and Feel (CLF) for Web
  mapping

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Importance of the Web

• Key medium for the dissemination of census data
• All standard geographic products are disseminated
  on the Web
• All data highlight tables are disseminated on the
  Web

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Benefits from Web Dissemination

• Improved timeliness
• Increased accessibility of products
• Broader reach of products
• Increased usability

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Challenges of Web Dissemination

• Diversity of user community
• Increased demand
• Format selection
• Metadata
• User expectations

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Geography Product Line

• Maps
• Interactive Web mapping tool
• Standard reference
• Thematic
• Spatial products
• Road Network File (RNF)
• Boundary files
• Attribute file products
• GeoSuite
• Geographic Attribute File (GAF)
• Correspondence files

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Evolution of a Web Mapping Tool - GeoSearch

• 1996 Census
• played role of on-line reference map
• 2001 Census
• data exploration tool
• coding tool for internal operations
• 2006 Census
• key data exploration tool, including thematic
  mapping capability
• coding tool for internal operations
• used in managing overall census operations
• delineation of collection geography

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Lessons Learned from Web Mapping

• Need for common look and feel standards
• Use a common engine for many applications
• Enhances accessibility to data
• Integrate products
• Ability to scale architecture

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Development of Web Mapping Common Interface
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How

• Review, internal and external, interactive and
  Web mapping applications

The objective was to identify the most common
types of functions available in Web Mapping
applications.

• Conduct a Usability Testing

The objective was to evaluate the layout, design,
terminology and icons of two applications at
Statistics Canada that had very different
interfaces.
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Usability testing - Findings

• Design a map-centric interface
• Simplify the layout
• Place tools together
• Use buttons with icons and text
• Use a consistent interface

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Advantages

• Look is consistent
• One interface for users
• Facilitate user support
• New functionality easily implemented
• Ease of integration
• Speeds up development

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Challenges

• Stay away from competing with popular Web mapping
  applications
• Accessibility
• Grandfathering future Web mapping applications
• Major Web template components
• Meaningful competition is reduced (The but Im
  different syndromes)

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Lessons Learned

• Review other mapping interfaces and try to find
  commonalities
• Conduct Usability Testing and keep in mind that
  there is no one perfect interface
• Balance cartographic principles and internet style

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WEB Mapping Common Interface