Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
The online survey revealed that several non-expert users trust the skill of the
cartographer, even though it is now possible for anyone to develop a Web GIS
application. One of the most significant trust concerns of non-experts, revealed
during Study 1, is the recency of the map and information provided, although during
the experiments none of the participants assessed how data are collected and up-
dated. Based on this feature the most trusted Web GIS should have been the
LAQN, which collects data by monitoring sites and updates every two hours,
followed by ENM and LP, which provides statistics dated to November 2007. The
results however, do not follow this pattern demonstrating the importance of a
trust-oriented interface design.
Monmonier (1996) discusses trust issues, but when it comes to online
maps these are even more significant. There is a clear ethical need, to
protect and support non-experts' trust assessments before they make a
decision to rely on online maps. This can be achieved by improving their
spatial skills (i.e. effective tutorials), where further research is required.
Also the GIS community should consider the establishment of trust standards
and the subsequent development of trust-inducing features for Web GIS,
which would assure users that an application is trustworthy.
Acknowledgements
This work is supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
and Arup.
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