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Redesigning Graphical User Interface of Open-Source Geospatial Software in a Community-Driven Way: A Case Study of GRASS GIS

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Redesigning Graphical User Interface of Open-Source Geospatial Software in a Community-Driven Way: A Case Study of GRASS GIS
Authors: Linda Karlovska, Anna Petrasova, Vaclav Petras, Martin Landa
Source: ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, Vol 12, Iss 376, p 376 (2023)
Publisher Information: MDPI AG
Publication Year: 2023
Collection: Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles
Subject Terms: user-centered design, participatory design, geospatial, open-source software development, scientific software development, usability testing, Geography (General), G1-922
Description: Learning to use geographic information system (GIS) software effectively may be intimidating due to the extensive range of features it offers. The GRASS GIS software, in particular, presents additional challenges for first-time users in terms of its complex startup procedure and unique terminology associated with its data structure. On the other hand, a substantial part of the GRASS user community including us as developers recognized and embraced the advantages of the current approach. Given the controversial nature of the whole issue, we decided to actively involve regular users by conducting several formal surveys and by performing usability testing. Throughout this process, we discovered that resolving specific software issues through pure user-centered design is not always feasible, particularly in the context of open-source scientific software where the boundary between users and developers is very fuzzy. To address this challenge, we adopted the user-centered methodology tailored to the requirements of open-source scientific software development, which we refer to as community-driven design. This paper describes the community-driven redesigning process on the GRASS GIS case study and sets a foundation for applying community-driven design in other open-source scientific projects by providing insights into effective software development practices driven by the needs and input of the project’s community.
Document Type: article in journal/newspaper
Language: English
Relation: https://www.mdpi.com/2220-9964/12/9/376; https://doaj.org/toc/2220-9964; https://doaj.org/article/b362bbd3122e4909984fd43db47bb1a0
DOI: 10.3390/ijgi12090376
Availability: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi12090376
https://doaj.org/article/b362bbd3122e4909984fd43db47bb1a0
Accession Number: edsbas.18E5196A
Database: BASE
Description
Abstract:Learning to use geographic information system (GIS) software effectively may be intimidating due to the extensive range of features it offers. The GRASS GIS software, in particular, presents additional challenges for first-time users in terms of its complex startup procedure and unique terminology associated with its data structure. On the other hand, a substantial part of the GRASS user community including us as developers recognized and embraced the advantages of the current approach. Given the controversial nature of the whole issue, we decided to actively involve regular users by conducting several formal surveys and by performing usability testing. Throughout this process, we discovered that resolving specific software issues through pure user-centered design is not always feasible, particularly in the context of open-source scientific software where the boundary between users and developers is very fuzzy. To address this challenge, we adopted the user-centered methodology tailored to the requirements of open-source scientific software development, which we refer to as community-driven design. This paper describes the community-driven redesigning process on the GRASS GIS case study and sets a foundation for applying community-driven design in other open-source scientific projects by providing insights into effective software development practices driven by the needs and input of the project’s community.
DOI:10.3390/ijgi12090376