Map mash-ups: what looks good must be good?

Abstract

The Web 2.0 revolution,'Digital Earth vision and recent technological advancements enabling the general public to easily capture location-based data. Map mash-ups can be developed and accessed by any web-enabled citizen without the need for programming, mapping experience or geographic knowledge and as a consequence the number and range of users and uses of map mash-ups has grown exponentially. There is currently little research-based guidance to aid the amateur or “citizen” producer or user of map mash-ups and a paucity of information on how to design a mash-up so as to correctly and convincingly convey the data and „truth? of any scenario presented. Equally for the general user there is minimal guidance on to how to evaluate the correctness, currency or value for extrapolation / general applicability of the map mash-up data presented. The purpose of the research presented in this paper is to examine the main factors that impact users? credence and trust in map mash-up information. The research investigated the relationship between users? judgment and critical elements of map design. It concludes that unless active design measures are taken the viewer of a map mash-up will instinctively assume that “what looks good must be good”.