Evaluating Web-based Public Participatory GIS for Multicriteria Site Selection Analysis: A Case Study in Canmore Alberta

This thesis focuses on evaluating Web-based Public Participatory Geographic Information Systems (Web-PPGIS) in the context of multicriteria site selection analysis. The empirical study involves the use of a Web-PPGIS: ArgooMap to support public participatory decision-making process of locating a new parkade in the downtown of Canmore, Alberta. The data on the public participants' activity during the online process have been recorded using UsaProxy: a system for an automated web usage capturing process. The system usability and the degree of public engagement have been measured based on an analysis of the event log data. The results of the study suggest that there are significant relationships between the system usability and the participant's education level as well as their GIS and web surfing experience. Also, the system usability is significantly and positively correlated with the degree of public engagement in the online public participatory decision-making process. The degree of pre-decisional engagement influences the decision outcome or the choice of the best site (ordering of the candidate sites) for the parkade. The research findings contribute to the studies on Web-PPGIS by demonstrating the utility of a Web-PPGIS to support public participatory planning, revealing issues related to decision quality, complexity and inter-relationships of WebPPGIS outcomes, and providing suggestions for improving the Web-PPGIS design. The study's broad implications, with benefits to society, are in advancing approaches to public participatory planning and assisting in the making of more informed and democratic land-use allocation decisions.;Key Words: Web-PPGIS, Multicriteria Site Selection Analysis, Usability Evaluation, Public Engagement, Human Computer Interaction.