Interpolating the orientation of the maximum horizontal compressive stress with a well-established
procedure is fundamental in understanding the present-day stress field. This paper documents the
design principles, strategies and architecture of SHINE (http://shine.rm.ingv.it/), a web-based application
for determining the maximum horizontal compressive stress orientation. The interpolation using SHINE
can be carried out from a global database or from a custom file uploaded by the user. SHINE satisfies the
usability requirements by striving for effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction as defined by the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) covering ergonomics of human-computer interactions.
Our main goal was to build a web-based application with a strong “outside-in” strategy in order to
make the interpolation technique available to a wide range of Earth Science disciplines. SHINE is an easyto-use
web application with a straightforward interface guaranteeing quick visualization of the results,
which are downloadable in several formats. SHINE is offered as an easy and convenient web service
encouraging global data sharing and scientific research collaboration. Within this paper, we present a
possible use of SHINE, determining fault kinematics compatibility with respect to the present-day stress
field.