Participatory Interaction Modeling of Online Geographic Decision Making

公众参与，例如参与公共决策，在社区内选择土地、交通、水资源改善方案，是行使民主的重要组成部分。遗憾的是，由于时间和会议的限制，很少有人参加。 在线地理信息系统技术在使更多的居民群体参与决策方面有很大的希望;然而，软件系统的设计是临时性的，因此在衡量大量人口的参与方面很少有成功的例子。华盛顿大学的Timothy Nyerges博士将通过使用三个目标来开发在线公共地理决策的参与式交互建模框架：（1）开发一个基于计算的公众参与模型，描述人机交互（HCHI）过程，（2）改进称为“葡萄藤”的地理视觉分析技术，用于评估参与性HCHI数据，以及（3）开发量化描述公众参与HCHI过程的缩放度量和绩效指标。 正在使用一个数据库系统开发计算模型，该系统存储了以前两次实地实验的数据。一个“葡萄藤”原型可视化软件正在扩展，以扩大和深化HCHI过程的表示。正在制定公众参与的尺度和业绩指标，以便对在线公众参与的成功进行量化评估。该项目通过开发一个框架来造福社会，该框架将帮助软件设计者和从业者构建网络地理决策支持系统，该系统可以将潜在的群体参与扩展到非常大的人群，扩展到更广泛的地理区域内更大和更多样化的社会部分，并在所提供的话语的技术内容中包含更强大的技术能力。除了这些基础广泛的影响外，该项目还包括研究生和本科生研究人员参加地理研讨班，分析和全面评价参与式系统如何支持弱势群体和传统上代表性不足的群体。研究结果，包括数据、介绍、初步报告和出版物，正在通过一个项目网站传播。

Public participation, for example participating in public decision making contexts meant to choose among alternatives for land, transportation, water resource improvements within a community, is an important part of exercising democracy. Unfortunately, few people participate because of time and meeting constraints. Online geographic information systems technologies have held great promise for enabling larger groups of residents to engage in decision making; however, designs for software systems have been ad hoc, thus few successes have been demonstrated and/or reported for measuring participation to large numbers of people. Dr. Timothy Nyerges at the University of Washington will develop a framework for participatory interaction modeling of online public geographic decision making by using three objectives: (1) developing a computationally-based model of public participation that characterizes human-computer-human interaction (HCHI) processes, (2) refining geovisual analytic technique called a 'grapevine' for evaluating participatory HCHI data, and (3) developing scaling metrics and performance indicators that quantiatively characterize public participation HCHI processes. The computational model is being developed using a database system that stores data from two previous field experiments. A 'grapevine' prototype visualization software is being extended to broaden and deepen representations of HCHI process. Scaling metrics and performance indicators for public participation are being developed that provide a quantitative assessment of the success for online public participation. This project benefits society by developing a framework that will help software designers and practitioners construct cyber-enabled geographic decision support systems that can scale potential group participation out to very large groups of people, up to larger and more diverse parts of society over wider geographic areas, and greater to include more robust technical competence within the technical content of the discourse being offered. In addition to those broad-based impacts, the project includes graduate and undergraduate student researchers in geography seminar classes in analysis and overall evaluation about how participatory systems can support disadvantaged and traditionally underrepresented groups. Results of the study, in terms of data, presentations, preliminary reports, and publications, are being disseminating via a project web site.