Towards Conducting Reproducible Distributed Experiments in the Geosciences

Abstract. We present a system for running experiments and user studies that can be effortlessly distributed across multiple heterogeneous devices. By taking into account specific requirements of the geosciences (geovisualization, cartography, location-based services), and by providing a clear and simple conceptual model for defining experiments, this system can help researchers implement empirical studies in less time or with increased functionality, and can lead to increased transparency and reproducibility of studies for other researchers. The versatility of the proposed system is demonstrated in three case studies where the system is put to use in widely different application scenarios.