The aim of this master's thesis was to develop and test a GIS-based support for visitors of Kozjansko Regional Park, which consists of two web GIS applications: An Interactive Web Map of Kozjansko Regional Park and A Stroll around the Map of Kozjansko Regional Park. Maps, especially interactive ones, are an efficient means of presenting tourist and other information about areas or destinations. Kozjansko Regional Park lacked such GIS-based support for visitors. A method for updating data on tourism service providers by gathering volunteered geographic information was also suggested. Usability of the applications for planning and carrying out actual park visits and carrying out virtual tours was evaluated by conducting a survey, application field testing and interviews. The user experience was also examined. The findings, as well as a review of literature and examples of existing GIS-based supports for visitors, were used to describe the significance of interactive cartographic presentations of tourist information for visitors of a certain area. Furthermore, guidelines were suggested on how to, while developing a GIS-based support for visitors, reconcile the needs of target users, the selection of geographic information for display and GIS options for application development.
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