A design methodology for the development of GIS applications

The interest in new methods to easily and efficiently design and implement graphical user interfaces is increasing due to a growing need of rapid prototyping tools to construct quality computer-based application systems quickly. In the GIS domain the evolution of technology and the consequent availability of powerful and inexpensive personal and mobile computers poses a series of new challenges for user interface design and development: user interfaces have to exploit the capabilities of various access devices and be suitable for different contexts of use, while preserving consistency and usability. In this paper, we present a methodology to design and implement graphical user interfaces for GIS environments in a guided and totally visual manner. We also describe a system prototype that implements the proposed approach. It derives from the customization of TAGIVE, a visual toolkit to design and develop general purpose interactive visual applications.