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Abstract
This study uses Web analytics to evaluate the effectiveness of online maps to support community outreach efforts. The Wisconsin State Cartographer's Office has long used Web technology, including online map applications, to deliver geospatial information to citizens of Wisconsin. This study focuses on one of these applications, the Wisconsin Historic Aerial Image Finder (WHAIFinder), which provides online access to a rare collection of aerial photographs from the 1930s. The goal of this study is to assess whether WHAIFinder has succeeded in providing broad statewide access to the digital collection. As such, the study asks whether usage rates for the application are essentially uniform across the state or if there are regions where usage is lower or higher than expected. The study's approach is inherently geographic due to its concern with patterns of use reflecting local variations in demand, access, and knowledge. Regression techniques and geographic analysis methods were used to model relationships in the data, visualize statistics using maps, and analyze geographic patterns. Results show an overall pattern of uniformity but also reveal zones where usage deviates significantly from expected values. This study's methods are potentially useful to researchers in other fields interested in evaluating geographic patterns for online applications intended for outreach and information delivery.