Development of a User-Centred Web-Mapping Application for Ocean Modellers

Abstract

This paper reports on the User-Centred Design and development of a web-mapping application from the Ocean Mapping Group (OMG) at the University of New Brunswick (UNB), to deliver ocean mapping data to ocean modellers. First, a work domain analysis was conducted to determine the required application functionality and content, consisting of an ocean modeller informal interview, a competitive analysis, and an online survey. Taking insight from the work domain analysis, a requirements document was prepared to support the development of the first application prototype. This prototype was then evaluated by eight target users, using a cognitive walkthrough and an online survey. The results from this evaluation led to a series of revisions to the functionality, content, and interface of the web-mapping application, establishing the revised prototype. The results showed a useful tool, end-user satisfaction, and stated a wide range of recommendations to enhance functionality for the next steps of the development.

Keywords:

• ocean mapping
• ocean modelling
• user-centred design
• user experience design
• web-mapping

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marta Padilla-Ruiz

Marta Padilla Ruiz* is a Software Developer at Teledyne CARIS Inc., where she is a member of the New Product Initiatives team. Her expertise lies in Web and Cloud development of Geomatics applications, and plays a key role in developing the next generation of geospatial software products. She is also a member of the Ocean Mapping Group in the Department of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering at the University of New Brunswick, where she was a Research Assistant during the Summer of 2018. She got her MScEng in Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering at UNB in 2018, and she developed an Ocean Web-Mapping application for ocean modellers as her MScEng thesis. Prior to coming to Canada, she completed a bachelor's degree in Geomatics Engineering at the University of Jaen, and a MScEng in Topography and Geodesic Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. Her research interests are focused on User-Centered Design and development of Geomatics applications, combining her programming and geospatial skills. She understands user needs and include their feedback in the design process, aiming for a great mapping experience.

Emmanuel Stefanakis

Emmanuel Stefanakis is a professor and the head of Geomatics Engineering department at the University of Calgary. His academic career spans for twenty years and it includes multiple academic institutions in Canada and Europe as well as various programs in Engineering and Science. He has been involved in multiple research projects mostly funded by the European Union, Canadian Agencies, and the Greek Government. He has supervised a significant number of students and researchers of various disciplines, while his teaching portfolio includes various programs in Engineering and Science, and a variety of teaching modes (classroom-based, online & distance-learning). He has an active involvement with the Canadian Board of Examiners for Professional Surveyors (CBEPS), the Canadian Institute of Geomatics (CIG), and the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS). Since January 2014 he has been the Editor-in-Chief of Cartographica Journal.

Ian Church

Ian Church is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering at the University of New Brunswick, where he leads the Ocean Mapping Group, and a professional engineer in the province of New Brunswick. His research interests include the integration of hydrodynamic numerical ocean modelling and multibeam sonar acoustics, improving marine habitat mapping from calibrated seabed backscatter and ocean modelling, multibeam sonar water column processing methods, automated processing and error detection of crowdsourced and autonomous bathymetry data, offshore vertical datum validation, and ellipsoid referenced GNSS positioning for multibeam sonar surveys. He has 14 years of field experience with sonar mapping systems; manages the UNB Ocean Mapping research vessel, the Heron; and is involved with the operations, processing and dissemination of multibeam sonar data from the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Amundsen.