Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
they should be given in its access, in order to maximize the effectiveness of their search for
knowledge, meaning or solutions. A relevant research question based on information seeking
is whether increasing information control influences the search for knowledge among experts
and novices. Do user characteristics have an influence on the amount and type of
interactivity
that should be given to the user? Given previous research we would expect that experts would
be better able to 'request' information on uncertainty through interactive selections while
novices would find 'pushed' information about uncertainty (i.e. as a default representation)
more usable. We may also wish to investigate the extent to which novices (or other user
groups) should be guided by uncertainty messages or other means of communicating the
benefits and usefulness of uncertainty representations.
14.3.4 Encouraging action and discouraging anxiety due
to uncertain information
In a user-centred approach to usable uncertainty visualization, visualization designers
should study the
affective
nature of uncertainty. Interviews, focus group testing, and other
usability testing could focus attention on both the reasons for negative connotations as-
sociated with uncertainty, and the strategies for creating uncertainty representations that
promote creative and beneficial thinking. Affective computing research has led to user-
friendly interfaces that facilitate understanding through, for example, the use of metaphor.
As we saw in the reaction to the draft Phoenix atlas maps, uncertain information tends to
evoke an emotional response, particularly in users who rarely need to handle uncertainty in
geographic data. Understanding and being sensitive to that affective response to uncertainty
should lead users to positive action rather than negative anxiety about the uncertain data.
14.4 Conclusion
With the globalization of users of geographic data, data has become available to a diverse
group of users through numerous sources, including government data portals and internet
mapping sites, and attention should be paid to different ways of communicating geographic
information to this diverse user group. Many of these users have no experience with, or
exposure to, the principles of GIScience, or to issues of uncertainty in geographic data. As
access to geographic data and tools continues to grow, so does the urgency to communicate
information about geographic uncertainty to a diverse community in a manner that is not
only usable, but useful. Developing uncertainty communication methods in a manner that
involves GIS users provides an opportunity for their specific experiences, knowledge and
decision framing to be incorporated into the communication. If the goal is to support un-
derstanding and improved decision-making, user experience and expertise must specifically
inform the development of uncertainty representation methods and tools.
References
Aerts, J. C. J. H., Clarke, K. C. and Keuper, A. D. (2003) Testing popular visualization techniques
for representing model uncertainty.
Cartography and Geographic Information Science
, 30(3):
249-261.
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