How Well Do Current Geoportals Support Geodata Discovery? An Empirical Study

Publikation: Beitrag in Fachzeitschrift › Forschungsartikel › Beigetragen › Begutachtung

Beitragende

Abstract

Implementing effective geospatial data discovery mechanisms in geoportals is crucial for facilitating easy access to geospatial data and services. Despite existing efforts to formulate geoportal design requirements, understanding end-user issues beyond a single geoportal in the context of geodata discovery is still lacking. To address this gap, this study reports on a usability study conducted in Germany and Namibia, with the aim of examining issues faced by users during geodata search and discovery. The study employed a mixed-method approach combining Retrospective Think-Aloud (RTA) interviews and structured questionnaires. The results reveal key usability issues, including inefficient search mechanisms, inefficient presentation of search results, lack of user guidance, inefficient map interactions, and inefficient metadata descriptions. Additionally, the study revealed a difference in user perceptions regarding user experience aspects between the two user groups. The findings are of interest to the designers of geoportals in the context of open data reuse and spatial data infrastructure.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummer82
FachzeitschriftISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information
Jahrgang15
Ausgabenummer2
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - Feb. 2026
Peer-Review-StatusJa

Externe IDs

ORCID /0000-0002-3085-7457/work/226149281
ORCID /0000-0002-5181-4368/work/226149903

Schlagworte

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Schlagwörter

  • geodata discovery, geoportal, GI web applications, HCI, usability, user experience evaluation