Abstract
Web Geographic Information System (GIS) platforms have matured to a point where they offer attractive capabilities for collecting, analyzing, sharing, and visualizing in-library use data for space-assessment initiatives. As these platforms continue to evolve, it is reasonable to conclude that enhancements to these platforms will not only offer librarians more opportunities to collect in-library use data to inform the use of physical space in their buildings, but also that they will potentially provide opportunities to more easily share database schemas for defining learning spaces and observations associated with those spaces. This article proposes using web GIS, as opposed to traditional desktop GIS, as an approach for collecting, managing, documenting, analyzing, visualizing, and sharing in-library use data and goes on to highlight the process for utilizing the Esri ArcGIS Online platform for a pilot project by an academic library for this purpose.
Highlights
A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer program for working with geographic data
A GIS is an ideal tool for capturing data about library learning spaces because they can be described by a geographic area
Discussed below is the approach employed for this pilot project to use web GIS to collect, manage, share, and visualize information about library learning spaces
Summary
A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer program for working with geographic data. Discussed below is the approach employed for this pilot project to use web GIS to collect, manage, share, and visualize information about library learning spaces This pilot project utilized the Esri ArcGIS Online platform and client applications accessing that platform (see figure 1). The GIS librarian led tasks associated with creating the database schema, creating the geographic features representing the learning spaces, creating a web application to visualize the data, and managing content on the ArcGIS Online platform. Sharing a library-space-assessment database schema with librarians at other institutions would allow them to quickly implement a similar project on the ArcGIS Online platform This opens the door to new research opportunities. A chart and table can be displayed to gain further insight (see figures 5 and 6)
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