User research for DURP base maps

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User research for DURP base maps

• Corné van Elzakker
• RGI 002 Consortium meeting, July 5 2007

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Purpose of this presentation

• What will be the outcome of RGI-002?
• What user research is required?
• Where are we?
• What needs to be done more?
• What choices can be made?
• How are we going to execute the remaining user
  research?
• What do you think of this and what will be your
  contribution?

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Outcome of RGI-002 project

• Apart from overall RGI and additional goals
• Topographic base map service for the integrated
  querying of digital physical development and land
  use plans
• Context DURP (Web portal)
• Available framework data (GBKN, Cadastre)

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RGI-002 problem

• Main problem addressed by RGI-002
• Automated application-driven generalization of
  existing topographic framework data

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Generalization

• Definition Eddie Theodor
• The adaptation of geo-data according to user and
  use requirements
• At all resolutions, users need (different)
  information for different purposes
• Users need (different) information at different
  resolutions at different scale levels.

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Topographic base map

• A base map is a map layer which provides a
  topographic framework for a thematic information
  layer
• Main functions
• To facilitate localization and orientation
• To highlight geographical relations between the
  thematic information and the topographic
  information

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Problem with current base maps

• Existing topographic map products not optimally
  adapted to use and user
• pre-defined, fixed scale levels
• no specific purpose (multi-purpose)
• too much information
• no relationship with plan information overlay

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Needed specification of requirements

• Which topographic information is required to
  carry out the map use tasks properly at each
  scale (level)?
• ? model generalization
• How should this information be represented on the
  base map at each scale (level)?
• ? cartographic generalization

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Needed user research

• Know the user!
• Know the use!
• Know the tasks!
• Know the context!
• How?
• User Centred Design (UCD)

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UCD ISO 13407 model
Identify need for user-centered design
Understand and specify the context of use
Specify the users requirements
2 loops
Produce design solutions
Evaluate designs against requirements

• Final design

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Elements of user-centred design
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Where are we with user research in RGI-002?
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Where are we with user research in RGI-002?

• We know the business requirements (organisational
  and stakeholders) DURP, new Wro, RO-Online, data
  and software suppliers
• We know the use contexts and the users
• as identified by Eddie

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Users of physical plans
professionals
consumers

• officials at government bodies
• jurists and juridical consultants
• urban and regional consultants
• architects
• real estate developers
• real estate and housing association agents
• energy and water engineers and consultants

• citizens
• entrepreneurs
• action committees

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What we do not know yet

• We do not know clearly enough what the specific
  tasks are of various user groups with respect to
  various physical plans and the roles played in
  this by base maps
• Required
• Establish map use tasks and sub-tasks (especially
  those that may trigger the generalization
  process)
• Separate from map use actions (e.g. zooming,
  clicking)
• Formulation of (hypothetical) base map
  requirements for executing these tasks
• Link requirements to generalization operators
  (formalization)

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Task analysis

• Literature study
• Interviews
• Focus groups
• Questionnaires
• (partly already done by Eddie)
• Observation etc. in test environment in which
  test persons work with real map displays
• current topographic base map solutions
• alternative base map generalizations (samples),
  possibly starting from existing data (GBKN, TDK)

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Required for next step in user research

• Production of alternative base map generalization
  samples
• Incorporation in test environment
• Test persons (already identified by Eddie)
• Limitation!

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Choices to be made

• Proposed limitations
• Consultation tasks to be offered by RO-Online
• Target user groups RO-Online
• 2 task scenarios involving generalization
• comparison and consultation of bestemmingsplan
  and structuurvisie within one particular scale
  level
• zooming in and out when consulting one type of
  plan (bestemmingsplan) at different scale levels

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Limitation to 2 main user tasks

• Province Bestemmingsplan
• Gemeente Bestemmingsplan Structuurvisie

generalization
scenario 1
scenario 2
generalization
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Research execution

• Establish jobs to be executed by selected test
  persons in test environment (concentrate on tasks
  involving the use of base maps)
• Observation by means of video-recording, thinking
  aloud and screen logging
• Supplemented by questionnaires and interviews

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RGI-002 Consortium meeting 05-07-07

• What do you think of all this and what will be
  your contribution?
• e.g.
• preparation map samples for test environment
• integration of samples in test environment
• establish scenarios
• task formulation
• provision of test persons

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RGI-002 Consortium meeting 05-07-07

• Specific questions to sounding board users
• Proper limitation to 2 main tasks?
• What should be the scale ranges (taking into
  account the tasks and the avalaible data)?
• What are the tools with which we can build the
  test environment?
• What are sub-tasks in which the base map plays an
  important role?

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Outcome of RGI-002 project

• Should all lead to
• a solution for automated application-driven
  generalization of existing topographic framework
  data (for the 2 task scenarios only!)
• in the context of
• a topographic base map service for the integrated
  querying of digital physical development and land
  use plans
• Corné van Elzakker
• tel [phone]
• elzakker_at_itc.nl