Jyothi Kumari

A study was conducted to evaluate the usability and utility of Web-based geographic information systems (GIS) for community engagement. The project used a Google Maps-based participatory GIS tool to engage stakeholders in a discussion related to organic agriculture in the Kawarthas in Southern Ontario. To this end, a combination of heuristic evaluations and user testing was conducted to evaluate the efficiency, effectiveness and user satisfaction of the tool. The study revealed that it was possible for the participants to learn the tool without much difficulty. Overall, the tool performed satisfactorily and no major usability problems were observed. The participants were comfortable with the tool and reported that their familiarity with Google Maps and Web-based discussion forums was beneficial to the participation in this research. The study showed that the Google Maps-based participatory GIS tool can be used for spatially explicit discussion as well as non-spatial discussion, and for various planning purposes. The study concludes with recommendations for the further development of the tool.