application into different categories for comparison.
Based on the identified GIS functions, we designed four tasks for
usability evaluation, which are commonly used in web GIS platforms
and represent a typical workflow of using a web-based
mapping application for users without GIS background. These
four tasks include: (1) create a customized map about a businessrelated
variable for Indianapolis, IN; (2) change the color and corresponding
data range of mapping units on the map; (3) search for
another location (Provo, UT) on the map; and (4) export the map
and save it to a local computer. Seventeen university students were
recruited through an advertisement posted on the Purdue University
Libraries website for usability tests.