Division of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Visualization Lecture 4: Information analysis and Web users Elective module 10: Web sites for spatial data dissemination

Division of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Visualization Contents Role playing on the web: Persona Information Analysis  Categorizing information goals  Evaluating informational quality

Division of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Visualization Role playing on the web: Persona Web designers and users communicate through Persona  roles that they play  succes of the web sites’ communication depends largely on how succesful personas suit the purpose

Division of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Visualization Persona: Key concepts (1) Author persona:  Person or voice who ‘speaks through’ the web site  put on stage by the designer User persona:  Person of the target visitor (  real visitor)  created by the content of the Web site  the role the actual visitor is asked to play

Division of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Visualization Persona: Key concepts (2) Relationship:  Between author and user persona  Includes basic elements:  Distance  hierarchy Peripheral clues:  Cause positive feelings by association (rather than facts)

Division of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Visualization Designing Author persona Credible  Convince the audience the information is truthful, relevant, complete and accurate  May be achieved by information offered, peripheral clues or reputation Inviting  ‘friendly’: enables readers to find information  ‘seductive’: motivates readers to read & act

Division of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Visualization Designing User persona Important goal: distinguish the accidental visitors from the intended users Playable  Clearly defined with clear relationships  Logically implied or explicitly expressed Attractive  No ‘face threatening acts’: threaten the visitors’ wish to be in control and be respected

Division of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Visualization Importance of information analysis lReliance upon web-based information increasing lQuality of Web resources varies tremendously lCriteria needed to evaluate Web resources

Division of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Visualization Categorizing informational goal of sites Advocacy Web site  promoting certain views, politics, etc. Business/Marketing Web site Marketing Oriented  blending advertising and entertainment or information Informational Web Pages News Web Pages

Division of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Visualization Five Traditional Evaluation Criteria 1.Accuracy 2.Authority 3.Objectivity 4.Currency 5.Coverage

Division of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Visualization Criterion #1: Accuracy lHow reliable and free from error is the information? lAre there editors and/or fact checkers? lAlmost anyone can publish on the Web lMany Web resources not verified by editors and/or fact checkers lWeb standards to ensure accuracy not developed

Division of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Visualization Criterion #2: Authority lWhat are the author’s qualifications for writing on the subject? lHow reputable is the publisher? lOften difficult to determine authorship of Web resources lIf author’s name listed, his/her qualifications frequently absent lPublisher responsibility often not indicated

Division of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Visualization Criterion #3: Objectivity lis the information presented with a minimum of bias? lTo what extent is the information trying to sway the opinion of the audience? lWeb often functions as a virtual soapbox lGoals/aims of persons or groups presenting material often not clearly stated

Division of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Visualization Criterion #4: Currency lIs the content of the work up-to-date? lIs the publication date clearly indicated? lDates not always included on Web pages lIf included, a date may have various meanings: lDate first created lDate placed on Web lDate last revised

Division of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Visualization Criterion #5: Coverage lWhat topics are included in the work? lTo what depth are topics explored? lWeb coverage may differ from print or other media coverage lOften hard to determine extent of Web coverage

Division of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Visualization Additional challenges lUse of lypertext links lQuality of Web pages linked to original Web page may vary lBlending of entertainment, information, and advertising lIn other media, there usually are clear visual and/or audio distinctions between advertising and information lOn the Web, distinctions between advertising and information can become extremely blurred lSoftware Requirements may limit access lInstability of Web pages lSusceptibility of Web pages to alteration

Division of Geoinformatics, Cartography and Visualization Web site Evaluation Procedure lBased on checklist criteria, determine relative informational quality of sites lThe greater number of checklist questions answered positively, the more likely the page is of higher informational quality.