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An Empirical Assessment of a Web-based PPGIS Prototype

Building on earlier Public Participation Geographic Information System research, a GIS-enabled Online Discussion Forum prototype named GeoDF is now being implemented and evaluated. This paper aims at empirically evaluating the usability of the GeoDF prototype to determine: (1) whether or not this new technology will indeed lead to "better" participation; and (2) how non-expert users use and accept the prototype. This paper describes the design of the usability evaluation process in detail to measure the usefulness and ease of use of the GeoDF prototype. On a more general level, the paper presents the usability evaluation design procedures, which aims to contribute to the PPGIS research by providing design guideline for future PPGIS application evaluation. The preliminary evaluation shows that the users are generally satisfied with the GeoDF prototype functionality. Nonetheless, the users’ acceptance of PPGIS technology is largely determined by their motivation and other human factors.