Task Specific Coastal Information and Sources for Customizing Search Results

Abstract

“Getting an overview” is a common task performed by coastal professionals in the early phases of management activities. This task involves collecting a variety of information about an area or topic to generate a first impression. This exploratory study examined this single task in detail so as to make recommendations about customizing search results to support that task through the use of an e-Card. Using a structured questionnaire, 20 coastal managers selected coastal characteristics that they would use to generate that first impression. Analysis of the data revealed fifteen core coastal characteristics that were used for the task. The work role that the professional was involved in emerged as a factor that influences characteristic selection. Fieldwork, such as scientific data collection, and management activities, such as drafting management plans, required different coastal characteristics to generate an overview. A prototype e-Card was designed as a proposed task-based search tool.