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Conclusions |
Review of graphical environments on the WWW as a means of widening public participation in social science research6. Conclusions and recommendationsThere is a great deal of discussion surrounding the potential use of the WWW as a vehicle for social science research. However, with the exception of a few on-line questionnaire surveys, very little of the discussion seems to be materialising into action. The great potential of the WWW as data source may, in fact, turn out to be a red herring in most cases. There is a great deal of social science relevant information out there in cyberspace, but there are a great many difficult and thorny issues surrounding both its use and access including problems of sample bias and confidentiality. The main advantages of adopting a web-based approach to social science research seem to be increased sample size, targeted sample populations, multi-media and interactive presentation of surveys and results, and active participation.Perhaps the key role of the WWW in social science research is at the lower levels of participation; principally in the dissemination of the results of social science research and making data and tools available for public use. This is very important in closing the awareness gap between academics and the public and in providing an end-user service. The following recommendations are made here:
7. AcknowledgementsThe authors gratefully acknowledge the funding of AGOCG in supporting the work described in this report. The authors would also like to acknowledge the helpful co-operation of the authors and web-masters interviewed during the preparation of the case studies. The authors would particularly like to thank Prof. Stan Openshaw for constructive comments during the preparation of the report. |
Graphics Multimedia Virtual Environments Visualisation Contents