Cinnamon Jonathan, Rinner Claus, Cusimano Michael D, Marshall Sean, Bakele Tsegaye, Hernandez Tony, Glazier Richard H, Chipman Mary L
Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, Canada, V5A 1S6.
Geospat Health. 2009 Nov;4(1):3-16. doi: 10.4081/gh.2009.206.
Public health planning can benefit from visual exploration and analysis of geospatial data. Maps and geovisualization tools must be developed with the user-group in mind. User-needs assessment and usability testing are crucial elements in the iterative process of map design and implementation. This study presents the results of a usability test of static, animated and interactive maps of injury rates and socio-demographic determinants of injury by a sample of potential end-users in Toronto, Canada. The results of the user-testing suggest that different map types are useful for different purposes and for satisfying the varying skill level of the individual user. The static maps were deemed to be easy to use and versatile, while the animated maps could be made more useful if animation controls were provided. The split-screen concept of the interactive maps was highlighted as particularly effective for map comparison. Overall, interactive maps were identified as the preferred map type for comparing patterns of injury and related socio-demographic risk factors. Information collected from the user-tests is being used to expand and refine the injury web maps for Toronto, and could inform other public health-related geo-visualization projects.
公共卫生规划可受益于对地理空间数据的可视化探索和分析。地图和地理可视化工具的开发必须考虑用户群体。用户需求评估和可用性测试是地图设计与实施迭代过程中的关键要素。本研究展示了加拿大多伦多潜在终端用户样本对伤害率以及伤害的社会人口学决定因素的静态、动画和交互式地图的可用性测试结果。用户测试结果表明，不同类型的地图适用于不同目的，且能满足不同用户个体的技能水平。静态地图被认为易于使用且用途广泛，而如果提供动画控件，动画地图会更有用。交互式地图的分屏概念被特别强调对地图比较有效。总体而言，交互式地图被确定为比较伤害模式及相关社会人口学风险因素的首选地图类型。从用户测试中收集的信息正用于扩展和完善多伦多的伤害网络地图，并可为其他与公共卫生相关的地理可视化项目提供参考。
