Improving a growing atlas

As coastal web atlas (CWA) projects grow over time, designers will have to track and adapt to changes in site activity, user capabilities, and progress in available data and technology. The web server may log all user activity on a CWA and these logs may be analyzed and interpreted by the CWA designers to better understand how users are encountering the materials and data provided by the CWA. In addition, CWA users may be surveyed on their use of the web site either by direct observation studies or written surveys. Both the surveying of users and the analysis of server logs may expose trends or confirm patterns of use for a CWA, and these patterns may be valuable feedback for designers, and provide important reporting metrics for funding bodies and institutional sponsors.