Despite links to the task force’s Web site, though, there’s never enough outreach to satisfy OakMapper’s researchers, who remain eager to inform the public about their Web site and the disease in general. Capturing metrics on the public’s use of a collaborative Web site is sometimes more challenging than the original goal of the project. Fortunately, the submissions themselves help guide future development and outreach efforts. For instance, OakMapper education efforts in Marin County seem to have generated more public submissions there than in most counties where education efforts are underway, validating duplication of the same outreach process in other counties.

Though Seamon and Tuxen manage already successful collaborative spatial Web sites, both want better metrics on their users in order to better match site to audience. Though he doesn’t yet know exactly how many people have actually rented property because of the SFProspector site, for instance, Seamon is determined to find out and, if possible, increase the number over time. Tuxen plans to conduct a user survey to find out how well OakMapper has reached beyond the GIS expert community to the general public. OakMapper users seem to trust the process; the majority (more than 90 percent) submit their e-mail address, an optional item, with their online reports.

Judging by these two sites, collaboration encourages innovation. Seamon and Tuxen aren’t just curious about how people currently use their sites, but also how people want to use them. It’s clear that both take pride in serving their users. The collaborative input advances their agendas at a wikiwiki pace.