Understanding the Influence of specific Web GIS Attributes in the Formation of non-experts’ Trust Perceptions

The Web has facilitated wider access to spatial information and allowed non-experts to view, use, access and build maps using Web GIS technology. There is a significant number of Web GIS applications which are open to the wider public including people without any GIS knowledge. The complexity of Web GIS interfaces, the risk and uncertainty they incorporate and the limited knowledge of non-experts in spatial data handling and GIS operations influence the perceived trustworthiness of these systems. Previous scholars, such as Monmonier (1996) recognised the importance of trust in map design, however there has been no research into how trust can be improved for Web GIS applications. Three studies were conducted in order to investigate what elements influence non-experts’ trust perceptions and how specific Web GIS trustee attributes should be designed in order to improve trust. The results not only demonstrate the importance of further trust research in the Web GIS context, but also show that trust can be improved through interface design, which is an ethical need in order to support non-experts’ trust assessments.

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