Key indicators for assessing the design of geocollaborative applications

Abstract

A geocollaborative application integrates geographical information with collaboration support. Its implementation involves reasoning about the most adequate mix of technical features, human requirements and collaboration models. This paper proposes a framework for guiding and assessing the design of geocollaborative systems using a set of measurable indicators. We define five key indicators (KI): awareness, mobility, proximity, collaborative visualization and geographic relationships. These KI were derived from an extensive review of the state-of-the-art. The framework was validated in two case studies involving support to geologists working in the field and police agents evacuating crowded places. The case studies elucidate how the framework helps analyzing as-is and to-be collaborative scenarios, which constitute the design cycle posited by the design-science paradigm. This research is relevant to implementers in two ways: highlighting important qualities of geocollaboration systems and offering a structured mechanism to assess the design process.