Chapter 6 – End Users and GIS: A Demonstration Is Worth a Thousand Words

Publisher Summary Geographic information systems (GISs) are in wide use by city planners, landscape architects, natural resource managers, and other specialists who have the expertise or the trained staff to use them. Many non-specialists also like to be able to use GIS. However, GIS software is not accessible to them, because, in its current incarnation, it requires knowledge of geography, cartography, and database systems. Despite an enormous pool of potential non-specialist users, GIS is not at this time a mainstream, mass marketed application. This chapter presents a programming-by-demonstration (PBD) approach to geographic information systems (GISs). The aim of this approach is to enable non-specialist users to avail themselves of the software without having to resort to the help of expert users. The chapter outlines the problem faced by non-specialist users with GIS software. It then summarizes the findings of a study highlighting why GIS software is hard for non-specialist users to use. Finally, the chapter explains the PBD approach for GIS and explains how this component may be integrated into a GIS.