QUALIMETRIC RESEARCH METHOD APPLICATION IN HIGH INTERACTIVITY LEVEL FUNCTIONALITY ASSESSMENT OF INTERNET MAPS

Technological characteristics of interactive Internet maps allow to implement a completely new experience of cartographic production use, when the user is able not only to review cartographic image but also to use it according to his/her needs. In this process, the Internet ensures the versatility of communication among user, map interface and spatial data resources. However, globality of spatial data scope and constantly growing need to manage it effectively set new effectiveness and quality requirements for modern interactive maps as well as to methodologies of cartographic researches performed to this day. Functionality becomes the main indicator to express the possibilities and potential of interactive map application, therefore the research is concentrated specifically on the assessment of quality of function implementation effectiveness. Proposed new methodology of interactive Internet map functionality research is based on qualimetry theory that defines the logic of quantitatively assessing quality. Functionality research form that was chosen influenced the necessity to prepare methodological provisions of application and implementation tools. Therefore an interactive Internet maps functionality assessment system was created and quantitatively based on sociometric research, a mathematical-logical base for quality calculation was prepared, an assessment template and quality standard was formed. The results of functionality quality assessment first of all allowed to confirm the hypothesis that while the interactivity of Internet map user interface increases, the quality of its function implementation effectiveness decreases. It was determined that image review, data review and visualization functions were generally the most effectively implemented in user interfaces, in the mean time functions of data selection and analysis and composition of map elements lacked the effectiveness of implementation. These assessment results allowed to define standard functionality limits of high interactivity Internet maps based on which it would be possible to prepare recommendations for creating map user interface functionality in the future.