Use of GIS to improve the user interface design of an airline reservation Web site

As use of the Internet becomes pervasive, user interface design of web sites becomes increasingly important. Consumers must be able to easily and quickly perform the functions they desire. Travel industry applications have a large market potential on the Internet. Because of the geographical relationships of locations and functions in the travel industry, the use of cartography and GIS can be very beneficial to user interfaces of these applications. This paper examines functions, inputs, and user interface of current airline reservation web sites, and looks at some current examples of GIS use on the Internet. It then discusses ways to improve the user interface design of airline reservation web sites using GIS to create more powerful and easy-to-use applications that also incorporate other aspects of the travel industry.