Web map design for a multipublishing environment based on open APIs

Abstract

The aim of the study described in the paper is to carry out research on the utilization of web-based multipublishing for the purpose of outdoor activities. The idea behind a multipublishing service is that the service is able to deliver different kinds of outdoor maps through a number of channels and at varying scales from a single data core. The paper focuses on the technical solutions, design principles and usability testing of a web map that was created to serve as one of the publishing channels. The other channels of the implemented multipublishing service are map applications for a mobile phone and a multi-touch screen, and printed graphic maps. The environment is based upon a web server that provides raster and vector geo-data for the channels through open standard web services. Both the server and the web map client application are built on free and open source geospatial software, to which modifications were made to achieve the design goals of the multipublishing environment. The web map user interface (UI) aims at providing a complete tool to interact with the maps being published and it shares similar design with the other publishing channels. We applied the “minimalist” and “direct manipulation” design paradigms for UI design to limit the user’s cognitive overload.