User-Centered Design Approaches for Web Mapping Applications: A Case Study with USGS Hydrological Data in the United States

A User-Centered Design (UCD) approach can facilitate the development of effective user interfaces and generate comprehensive map contents for web mapping applications and services. To create a successful web mapping application, all major system components (GIS databases, web map servers, and web map browsers) should satisfy the needs of users and fulfill the objectives of mapping services. Different countries may have different user needs and mapping objectives. This research proposes a five-stage developmental framework (based on UCD approaches) for two major components of web mapping services: web map user interface (functions) and web map display layers (map contents). The five-stage framework (strategy, scope, structure, skeleton, and surface) of a UCD approach can provide comprehensive guidelines and implementation procedures for GIS developers and cartographers. This chapter uses a real-world web mapping example in the United States to illustrate the five stage UCD framework. The example prototype illustrates the display needs of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) hydrologic data and the required GIS tasks for water resource managers. The web map prototype is evaluated by domain experts and users in the USGS to analyze the effectiveness of a web mapping toolset and interface. This research suggests that full adoption of a UCD approach will improve the quality of web mapping and provide more useful geospatial information services for various users.