14. To further enhance the transparency of the planning system and to facilitate a wider dissemination of statutory planning information to the public, a mobile version of the Town Planning Board (TPB)'s website was recently launched. As a GIT consultant, you are instructed by the TPB to review this newly launched mobile version of TPB homepage. Please critically review the strength and limitations of the technologies employed and suggest improvements in enhancing its GIT applications.

1. THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF LAND SURVEYING AND GEO-INFORMATICS
LSGI4321
Individual Essay
Cheung Ka Ho (10601022D)
11/19/2011
Topic: To further enhance the transparency of the planning system and to facilitate a wider
dissemination of statutory planning information to the public, a mobile version of the Town
Planning Board (TPB)'s website was recently launched. As a GIT consultant, you are
instructed by the TPB to review this newly launched mobile version of TPB homepage.
Please critically review the strength and limitations of the technologies employed and
suggest improvements in enhancing its GIT applications.

2. Introduction
Recently, the use of smartphone and mobile devices has become very popular since
2007, when iPhone was released to public by Apple. It makes the web become
more accessible and in 2008 mobile access to the Internet exceeded desktop
computer-based access for the first time(International Telecommunications Union,
2009). Due to the great demand of mobile internet access, mobile web become
more and more important for extending the market of merchants and establishing
public services. As a result, the Town Planning Board, (TPB) has developed a new
designed website for mobile phone access so as to promote and provide a more
convenient way for public engagement. In this essay, the strengths and limitations
of mobile web will be discussed and improvements of the mobile web of TPB will
also be discussed.
Background of Mobile Web
The mobile web refers to the use of Internet-connected applications, or
browser-based access to the Internet from a mobile device, such as a smartphone, or
tablet computer, connected to a wireless network.
Traditionally, access to the Web has been via fixed-line services, which are used by
desktop computers. They are not portable and users have to sit in front of the
computers in order to have Internet surfing. Although notebook computers are
invented and become easy to carry to outdoors, they are still inconvenient to carry
because of their non-pocket size.
In 2007, the release of iPhone and Android phone made a tremendous change of
internet surfing habits of people. The Web is becoming more accessible by portable
and wireless devices. As shown in Figure 1, it shows the total data consumed in TB
by users worldwide who use Opera Mini, which is an internet browser application on
smartphones. The shift to mobile Web access has been accelerating with the rise
since 2007 of larger multi-touch smartphones, and of multi-touch tablet computers
since 2010 (Figure 2). Both platforms provide better Internet access and browser- or
application-based user Web experiences than previous generations of mobile devices
have done.

3. Figure 1– Total data consumed by Opera Mini users worldwide in TB (Kozuch, 2009)
Figure 2– Smartphones and Tablet computers
Strengths of mobile web
There are quite a number of strengths the mobile web has so that it become more
and more popular nowadays.
Improved user experience
Mobile websites are specifically designed for handheld devices. Nobody wants to
browse a desktop website on their tiny small-screened smartphone. According to J.

4. Nielsen in 2011, a research was done by him on mobile website suability showed
that mobile-optimized websites improve user experience and satisfaction.
Faster download speed
Mobile websites are specifically designed for mobile standards and optimal
download speed. A mobile web design is small and targeted, which means less
waiting and more browsing.
Engagement and context
A mobile website allows to immediately engage users with mobile-specific features.
It enables services to take advantage of mobile device capabilities such as clicking on
a phone number to call it or add it to the device address book. It can provide
location-sensitive content. Location technologies can enable location-sensitive
information be provided to a user. This can reduce the steps required for the user to
reach useful content, and so makes it accessible with the least amount of effort.
More flexible and cost-effective than app development
A mobile website is generally a much less restrictive means to build a mobile
presence compared to app development. For one thing, app development requires
the production of different apps for different platforms such as iPhone, Android and
Blackberry.It needs to submit to an app store, making apps much more fragmented
and expensive to produce with a longer timeline before they reach target visitors.
Most importantly, an app requires users to download the app before it can be
accessed. On the other hand, a mobile website is universal to all contemporary
smartphone browsers, making a mobile website more flexible and cost efficient, with
fewer barriers to target users.
Inevitability
The mobile web is no longer a concept.It is a mainstream reality that will impact any
organization that aims to communicate with target audiences online. Most leading
industry analysts project that within a few short years, mobile phones will overtake
PCs as the most common Web access device worldwide. The responsibility now falls
on website owners to take advantage of the unique opportunities mobile offers for
connecting with the growing number of visitors who will inevitably access their
website on mobile devices.

5. Limitations of Mobile Web
Although mobile web does have some advantages to attract people to use the
mobile service and let them obtain information anywhere, it has several limitations.
Small screen size of mobile device
Smartphones usually have smaller screen size than desktop computers. The largest
screen size of smartphones in the world is only 5 inches, several times smaller than
desktop or laptop computers. This makes it difficult or impossible to see text and
graphics dependent on the standard size of a desktop computer screen.
Lack of windows
On a desktop computer, the ability to open more than one window at a time allows
for multi-tasking. Historically on mobile web, only one page can be displayed at a
time, and pages can only be viewed in the sequence they were originally
accessed.Even now there are some browsers providing multi-tasking, it allows
multiple tabs, but sometimes a limited number, and not multiple windows in the
same screen.
Navigation
Most mobile devices do not use a mouse-like pointer, but rather simply an up and
down function for scrolling. This limits the flexibility in navigating the whole
website.
Broken pages
On many mobile devices, a single page as viewed on a desktop is broken into
segments, which are each treated as a separate page. Paired with the slow speed
of mobile devices, navigation between these pages is slow.
Inconsistent of different mobile web browsers
The developer must make sure the phone works on all browsers. As there are
different brands of mobile web browsers using different engines in the market, the
developer must constantly test the mobile application in each of these after an
update to make sure the web service continues to work correctly. The costs then
increase for doing browsers compatibility testing.

6. Current situation and current design of the mobile website of
TPB
The TPB has just established the mobile version of its website. It provides an
opportunity for the public to access to TPB by using mobile devices such as
smartphones. However, there are some limitations in the mobile version website.
Text only interface
As shown in Error! Reference source not found., it shows that text only interface of
the homepage. Text only implies simple design but less attractive to the public.
Users most likely want to have a well-designed website to surf, especially for those
companies or organizations that are well-known.
No iconic links
In Error! Reference source not found., the main content is the menu that let public
to link for further information. The menu consist of text only links instead of iconic
links. Mobile phone users often think that clicking on an icon is much easier than to
click on a text link because they are just using their fingers for web navigation. It is
difficult for a person to tab on a link on the small and tiny screen of his phone.
No searching function
As shown in Error! Reference source not found., it shows the Press Release page of
the mobile version website. It displays all the released press information from the
most updated release back to several years ago which created a very long list of
hyper-links. There is no searching function for public choose to search for released
press. Public users actually cannot easily get the information they may want to
know from released press as they cannot easily find the related information. Not
only the page of Press Release does not provide the searching function, the whole
mobile version website does not offer a searching function for public to search for
useful information they need.
Some documents are computer-typed format
As shown in Figure 5, it shows the page of Latest Agenda of mobile version website.
It provides links for public to download the agenda addressed by TPB each week.
However, the agendas are in PDF format, which is a computer-typed format and it is
not fully-supported for all browsers or mobile devices. Besides, users have to
download the PDF instead of just using web browsers to surf. They have to use
another software application in order to open the PDF file. It is not user-friendly for
users to get the information they need.

7. Figure 3– Homepage of TPB mobile Figure 4– Press Release of TPB Figure 5–Latest Agenda of TPB
version website mobile version website mobile version website
Overseas examples
There are oversea examples that can help to improve the design and the functions of
the TPB mobile version website. These examples are served as references to
demonstrate how to implement and how to design a user-friendly mobile web.
Example 1: Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Singapore
Government
The first example is from the Urban Redevelopment Authority of the Singapore
Government, which is a department for urban planning and urban renewal, similar to
the Planning Department of Hong Kong Government.
As shown in Figure 6, it shows the homepage of URA mobile version website. It is
the graphical layout design instead of text-only design which is professional and
attractive. The links are iconic and are very like iPhone icons. It uses large icons
with text description for each link for easy navigation. Users who use smart phones

8. are familiar with this design as most of the applications in smartphones are designed
as this type of layout. On the other hand, it provides useful enquiry tools for public
to search for databases and locations. The enquiry tools let users get information
they need conveniently. Also, the mobile website allows public to subscribe using
RSS. It let the public track for the updated news easily.
As shown in Figure 7, it shows the feedback page of URA mobile version website. It
is an online feedback form to let the public give comments to URA online using smart
phones. URA can aggregate and manage comments from public more easily using
the online feedback form system.
Figure 6– Homepage of URA, Singapore Gov’t Figure 7– Feedback form of URA, Singapore Gov’t

9. Example 2: South Ayrshire Council, UK
The second example is form a mobile website of a city council in the United Kingdom.
It provides a mobile web map services for the public to search for planning
applications.
As shown in Figure 8, public can search for archaeological sites and heritage via the
mobile web. User can also search for planning application via the mobile web
(Figure 9). It can automatically capture user’s GPS location from the mobile device
for searching archaeological and heritage sites near users. The searching results are
displayed on a web map and let the users understand where the sites actually are
and their detail information, which is shown in Figure 10.
This mobile website is designed with iPhoneicon-like layout, which has large buttons,
icons and textboxes. It is very easy for users to navigate between webpages. Also,
with the iPhone application like layout, users who use smart phones easily get used
to the interface.
Figure 8– Heritage searching in Figure 9– Planning Application Figure 10– Online web map in mobile
mobile web searching in mobile web web

10. Example 3: Department of Planning and Community Development, State
Government of Victoria, Australia
The third example is from the mobile web of the Department of Planning and
Community Development in Australia. It is an online web application for the public
to search and view planning application in the whole city. It also let the public to
view the detail report of each planning property in the city.
As shown in Figure 11, it shows the homepage of the mobile web application site.
It has clear and large icons for public to navigate to different webpage easily. It
provides searching function to search planning application by map or text.
In Figure 12, it shows that users can simply enter the locational information and then
they can get the searching result of planning applications.
Users can also view the planning property reports (Figure 13) of a site area or a
planning application to have further details about the site such as gross floor area,
land use zoning and existing land use.
In Figure 14, it shows that the application will automatically capture the current users’
GPS location in order to search for nearby properties through the online map. The
searching results will display on the map and let users know where the planning
application are.
Figure 11– Homepage of PlanningVIC Figure 12– Text search for planning applications

11. Figure 13– Planning property report Figure 14– Online web map for searching planning
applications
Recommendations to TPB mobile version website
After reading and analyzing the overseas examples, the mobile version website of
TPB can have some improvements by applying the strengths and advantages that
learnt from the overseas examples.
Due to the small form factor of mobile phones, the website for mobile devices
needed to be well designed. It includes simple layout for lowering the bandwidth
charges and compressed contents and pages. Only the time-critical information
that the general public needs to know are displayed and the information should not
be too detailed. The layout can be designed like an iPhone application with large
icons, text, images, buttons and textboxes for easy access and navigation because the
public who uses smartphones are familiar with this kind of layout design.
Furthermore, the TPB mobile website may include some new contents such as ways
for public to participate plan-making, apply planning application and make
comments to those applications. An online feedback form can also be included in
the mobile website for public to give comments to TPB.
On the other hand, a mobile version of the Statutory Planning Portal can be included
in the mobile website for general public query. Users can just search on an online

12. web map or using GPS location that captured from the mobile devices to search for
the Outline Zoning Plan and view the detail.
Conclusion
In conclusion, as the mobile devices are becoming more and more popular, it is
inevitable to establish better usability mobile web. The mobile web should
well-designed with large icons, text and buttons for users to navigate easily. On the
other hand, as mobile web can access to the internal devices of a mobile phone such
as GPS receivers, phone book and internal map applications, the mobile web better
use this information to improve the usability of the mobile website. Using GPS
locations for searching planning applications nearby helps the general public increase
their engagement of planning application which happens nearby them. With the
improvement of TPB planning website, the percentage of public engagement may
improve.
Reference
International Telecommunications Union, 2009. THE WORLD IN 2009: ICT FACTS AND
FIGURES, Switzerland: International Telecommunication Union.
Nielsen, J., 2011. Mobile Usability Update. [Online]
Available at: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/mobile-usability.html
[Accessed 11 11 2011].