Characterizing User Behavior on Web Mapping Systems Using Real-World Data

Abstract

This paper presents a thorough characterization of the user behavior patterns during navigation sessions on Web Mapping Systems (WMSs). Using an extension developed for the Google Chrome, we collected data from nearly 170 users of Google Maps. We present the results of the characterization of over 120,000 URLs. The revealed patterns constitute a valuable tool to plan service optimizations as well as the capacity of WMSs to ensure better user experience.