Analysis of usability of Web-GIS with improved search functionality

Web-GIS (Geographical Information System) is an advanced application that enables users to interact with geographical information online. The important aspect of using web-GIS is that it could publicly offer resources and allow everyone to share the data. However, the search functionality of Web-GIS limits the users and becomes complex for people with minimum knowledge of computers. This research paper discusses the effects that applying various improvements to the search function of a Web-GIS has on its usability and compares it with the standard framework. For the improvements, the standard Web-GIS are added with suggestions and autocomplete. Thirty users are carefully selected to test the usability of both systems. A paired t-test indicated improvements enhance the usability of a Web-GIS as evidenced by the fact that the system with the enhanced autocompletes and suggestions resulted in higher usability when compared to the one without (p < .05). Therefore, Web-GIS developers should take the time to improve the search functionality to increase the usability of such systems which could facilitate all types of people.