Kristoffer Snabb

Centre for Urban and Regional Studies

Aalto University, Finland

Pictures: Sirkku Huisko

Innovation diffusionThe softGIS Case

The ’soft’ GIS

adding new ’soft’ layers with the help of Internet-based method into the Geographic Information System

Developing a GIS-based method for studying the environmental experiences locality-based

”This is a good way to map the feelings of people. You have time to think about your answers. I hope to

see the results in the future.”

WebGIS Innovation

Award by Geospatial World Forum

2011

Women and Technology

Award2009

softGIS in Urban Planning– participation enabler

Requirementsfor a planning project

Implementation and follow-up

Planacceptance

Making of the plan

Adoption of an Innovation

Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Diffusionofideas.PNG

Rogers’ quality number 1

Relative advantage softGIS enables collection of local knowledge and citizens opinions of their living environment

Rogers’ quality number 2

Compatibility with existing values and practices softGIS developed in parallell with the planning process combined with consultancy services

Task Task Task Task Task Task Task Task

Requirement

Design

Implement

Test

Release Requirement

Design

Implement

Test

ReleaseRequiremen

t

Design

Implement

Test

Release Requirement

Design

Implement

Test

Release

User process

DevelopmentProcess

Consultancyandsupport

Rogers’ quality number 3

Simplicity and ease of use softGIS developed user-centric together with designers and usability engineers

Image from http://adityabhandari.com/user-research/usability-evaluation-of-olark-com/Used with permission

Rogers’ quality number 4

Trialability softGIS trial versions has been offered to prospectful customers and users

http://www.personal.psu.edu/sxm540/asgmnt6.htmlhttp://www.idownloadblog.com/2013/03/04/idc-smartphones-feature-phones-2013/

Rogers’ quality number 5

Observable results some softGIS research results are visualized and available on the Internet

source: http://www.kouvola.fi/material/attachments/newfolder_320/newfolder/68YqxhBYs/kouvola_pehmoGIS_raportti_mapita150612.pdfand https://softgis.org.aalto.fi/vaasa_palosaari/idea_competition/evaluation/

Adoption rate

Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Diffusionofideas.PNG

Research and experimentation

Development and testing

Selling and operating

The difficult steps

The long road to results

• SoftGIS type of services is spreading in Finland• Last year more then 30 new map

questionnaires was launched

http://vaasa.pehmogis.fihttp://kerrokartalla.hel.fi/http://eharava.fi/