Abstract
Spatial metadata is a critical part of any spatial data infrastructure, which enables the organising, sharing, discovery and use of spatial data. This paper highlights a knowledge gap in the usability of the metadata systems for the end–users. It then addresses the gap by applying the User Centred Design approach to investigate the usability of metadata records. The research engages with end–users concerning efficiency and effectiveness of metadata systems, and end–users’ satisfaction and expectations. The results indicate significant gaps with the effectiveness and efficiency of metadata systems for spatial data discovery and selection. Inconsistency and irrelevant information in the metadata records were found in the title, keywords, abstracts, data quality and other elements of the metadata. Additionally, essential improvements were identified for user interfaces. Discouraging presentation of the metadata is a prominent problem found in the interface of the metadata systems.
Highlights
Spatial metadata plays an important role in promoting spatial data sharing and re–use and supporting local and global development initiatives that require spatial data to manage, monitor and measure the development
Two data sources were collected from the experiment: audio recordings and semi–structured interviews based on a set of questions
The results and findings of the usability evaluation of established spatial metadata reveals that the metadata and the user interface remain problematic for spatial data users to discover and select spatial data
Summary
Spatial metadata plays an important role in promoting spatial data sharing and re–use and supporting local and global development initiatives that require spatial data to manage, monitor and measure the development. It contains information about geographic or spatial dataset descriptions, e.g., contents, structure, quality, and reference system that will help spatial data users to discover and determine the suitability of the data for their purposes through networked spatial data catalogue systems, e.g., Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) and geo–portals. With the limitless possible applications of the metadata, at the very least we need to know how usable the metadata for spatial data users is for discovering and selecting appropriate spatial data. The state of the research in spatial metadata is limited to a few broad areas
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