Documentation: Redesign Concept Needs Summary Sample Interview Results Sitemap Map Interface

1. Community Information Technology Initiative myciti.org RedesignPrepared for the Municipal Art Society Documentation: Redesign Concept Needs Summary Sample Interview Results Sitemap Map Interface Search Interface Current CITI Map Site List of Services Provided Prepared by: Noreen Y. Whysel whysel@mindspring.com/917-826-9644

2. Redesign Concept The Municipal Art Society’s Community Information Technology Initiative (CITI) seeks to provide community-based organizations with maps, data and technical assistance to support local planning efforts. The initiative will provide an online, public geographic information system (GIS), including a number of useful and necessary data layers for local development projects and zoning planning, and will also provide a pilot group of New York City community boards with desktop GIS software and training. The ultimate goal of the CITI program is the adoption of a publicly-accessible GIS by the City of New York. The Website. The CITI website is an online community mapping system that gives the public access to the power of GIS technology at minimal cost. Challenge. Well-funded commercial enterprises such as developers, lawyers and environmental engineering firms routinely use GIS systems to plan and advocate for development projects. The cost of these systems and the data analyzed can be prohibitive for small, under-funded community groups and community boards. CITI’s challenge is to make the data and the analytical tools used by developers and their consultants, available to these groups via a publicly-accessible GIS system. A related challenge to convince the New York City Department of City Planning to make their data available in such a system and present it on its public website. Solution. CITI has partnered with ESRI (a GIS software provider) and NYPIRG’s Community Mapping Assistance Project (CMAP) in creating an online GIS system that will be free and publicly available. Myciti.org will allow users to select data layers, review data, print maps and forward maps via email. My task in this projects is to interview community board members participating in the pilot program to determine data content requirements, measure usability of the current system and outline suggested improvements to be implemented by the development team at CMAP. I am also designing the non-GIS pages for the website. Prepared by: Noreen Y. Whysel whysel@mindspring.com/917-826-9644

3. Needs Summary Prepared by: Noreen Y. Whysel whysel@mindspring.com/917-826-9644

4. Sample Interview Results Prepared by: Noreen Y. Whysel whysel@mindspring.com/917-826-9644

5. Site Map The CITI website contains information about the program and its participants, resources developed by the Municipal Art Society’s Planning Center to support the project, including a zoning guide and training handbook, a one-page help document and information about its youth outreach program. The GIS portion of the CITI project is hosted by CMAP’s Oasisnyc system, which links to an external site. About Us 2/0 CITI Project2.1 Youth Outreach 2.2 (PDF) Newsletter Archive2.3 Contact CITI 3.0 Home Page1.0 Resources 4.0 Zoning Guide4.3 Training Handbook4.1 Youth Handbook4.2 Link to GIS at oasisnyc.net Help 5.0 Prepared by: Noreen Y. Whysel whysel@mindspring.com/917-826-9644

6. CITI Map Interface - myciti.org Map Interface - myciti.org The data architecture of myciti.org is typical of geographic information systems (GIS). A - Identify allows users to select a data feature of the map and display the corresponding data table. B - Zoom In/Zoom Out changes the map view to smaller or larger areas. C - Recenter allows the user to define a new center point. D - The map frame contains small arrows allowing the user to pan the map within the map window. E - Legend contains layers that can be turned on and off, limiting the amount of data displayed at one time. These layers, which can represent polygons, lines, or points, are grouped according to similar data types. Buttons allow you to select or unselect all layers and to refresh map to display the selected layers. F - Citywide vew returns to the default map coordinates. G - Additional non-GIS functions include Print a Map and Email Map. E D A B C F G Prepared by: Noreen Y. Whysel whysel@mindspring.com/917-826-9644

7. CITI Search Interface - myciti.org Search Interface - myciti.org The search page allows you to search for a property or community board within the default layers. A - Street Address search allows user to enter a street address and a borough to search. The result page loads the identified property and relevant data table. B - Block/Lot search allows user to enter a property block and lot and the borough. The result page loads the identified property and relevant data table. C - Community board search allows users to select a community board. The result page shows the boundaries of the selected community board. Some simple changes to the layout and dropdown text improved usability. A similar search page can be used for the redesigned site within OASISNYC.NET. A B C Prepared by: Noreen Y. Whysel whysel@mindspring.com/917-826-9644

8. Current CITI Map Site Current Site at NYC Department of City Planning (DCP) The CITI map program was adopted by the Department of City Planning, fulfilling the mission of the Municipal Art Society’s initiative. I did not create this page for DCP, but you will notice that much of the interface and data was incorporated in their design, including building/lot, political and data layer information. The DCP continues to provide access to their data data via the CITI map portal that I designed, which is now at http://www.myciti.org. (below) Prepared by: Noreen Y. Whysel whysel@mindspring.com/917-826-9644

9. List of Services Provided • Requirements Gathering • Functional Documentation • Usability analysis • Content development • User Interface Design • Graphic Design • Javascript • HTML • Community outreach program • Newsletter design • Training and program facilitation Prepared by: Noreen Y. Whysel whysel@mindspring.com/917-826-9644