40 min presentation to the Map Curators Workshop 2013 held in Hothorpe Hall. The presentation looks at how EDINA has used the knowledge fro running web based mapping services for 15 years to develop a new mobile mapping app. The focus is on "knowing your users" and ensuring that you fulfill their needs.
7. Know your users
Geoscience is in the minority. What does this tell you?
What do users actually want to do, or rather what do they want to
avoid doing?
8. Digimap – Alternative representations
Alternative representations – 4 images of the same area with different
styles applied.
9. Digimap – add your own data
Digimap Roam – 1:50 000 + Hillshade + GPX tracklog uploaded as
annotation
11. Usability led interface design
USeD - JISC Research infrastructure programme -
Usability/Learnability
12. Identify the problem
Select 1 data product
from a choice of 16
Define area
Pick data
tiles
Define delivery
format
21
4
3
Stats:
• 48,000+ Digimap users
• 74,000 data requests*
• 1,000,000 data tiles served*
* Based on Jan 2010 – Jan 2011
16. Be prepared to fail
Not everything will work. Part of experimenting with an interface is
working out what doesn’t work
Pic courtesy of Volvo Cars
17. Be prepared to fail
But remember, you will still find users who simply just don’t get it.
Pic courtesy of Volvo Cars
18. Test it, test it, test it
http://used.blogs.edina.ac.uk/files/2011/09/USeD_Persona.pdf
19. Launch
Data Download beats the old version hands down
as far as I‘m concerned. The rapidity with which
you can select a map extent and download all of
the relevant mapping data in one go is by far much
better than the slow and more manual way things
used to work. Top notch stuff.”
Lecturer at Northumbria University
29. Mapping Issues : Urban vs. Rural
Urban and rural areas
have different needs, rural
areas would benefit from
a wider view / urban area
might benefit from larger
scale views.
How do you satisfy both
from one mapping stack?
30. Maps anywhere
Why save maps to the phone?
Data connection not always
available in rural areas
Streaming maps uses data
allowance
Maps load faster
http://ukmobilecoverage.co.uk/map/ee
31. Maps anywhere
Why save maps to the phone?
Fieldwork in rural areas
Streaming maps uses data allowance
Maps load faster
http://ukmobilecoverage.co.uk/map/ee
But now we have to consider:
Select an area
Prevent user mistaking selection map for
the actual map
Select zoom levels?
Communicate the size of the download
Integrate : Prevent the app streaming
maps to device that have been
downloaded
32. Maps anywhere
Preview Map:
shows the detail of
the mapping you
will download
Zoom Levels: define
the number of
zoom levels you
want to download
33. Capture the data you want
http://fieldtripgb.edina.ac.uk/authoring/
Create your own data
collection form and
deploy it to your phone
35. Post Capture
Easy Data Sharing:
Sync to upload data
Filter data by form name
Visualise your data on a
basemap
Edit collected data
Export to kml, GeoJson,
csv, wms*
Share maps through
Dropbox
36. PCAPI – How it works
PCAPI
Personal Cloud API
Drop
Box
Flickr
Google
Drive?
Secure
HE/FE?
Your Cloud Space
EDINA Services
Custom
Forms
Record
Viewer
Publish
Records
AuthoringTool
FieldTripGB
39. EDINA App – Fieldtrip GB
http://fieldtripgb.blogs.edina.ac.uk/
Download maps
and forms
Upload captured
data
Capture Data: basic
capture forms and
GPS tracking
Maps: View maps
or save them for
use offline
40. Citizen Science
•Get a new Dropbox account to share with your team
•Download Fieldtrip GB to your devices1.Before you start
•Log into the Authoring Tool
•Create a custom form and save it2. Design your form
•Get the team to log into the Dropbox account
•Use Sync to get the form on their devices3. Share the form
•Collect data using the form
•Manually correct remote points or in urban canyons4. In the field
•Connect to WiFi
•Get the team Sync to upload the data5. Back indoors
•Log into Authoring Tool
•Filter by form name and edit points if needed6. Manage your data
•Export to a KML file, GeoJSON, CSV or WMS
•Map the points in Google Earth, OpenLayers or a GIS7. View the results
41. Architecture
Service Architecture:
• Apache web server
• MapCache (Tile cache)
• Python WSGI (PC API)
• Citrix Netscaler load balancer
• VSphere VMWare (SUN X4150
cluster)
Map Generation Architecture:
• OpenStack private cloud
• Apache Web Server
• MapServer 6.2
• MapCache seeder
• PostGIS
App Architecture:
• Data storage outsourced
• PhoneGap
• OpenLayers
Why PhoneGap?
• OpenLayers library more versatile
• Easier to implement custom forms
• Lower costs