## 3 Methodology: Consultation and Evaluation  
Several consultation phases were used to assess existing software/data repositories, develop principles and a vision to inform the EASY concept design, and inform the technical specifications of such a system. Combined, some 60 key people across Australia had an opportunity to provide input during three consultation phases. The mixture of individuals included landowners, information technology (IT) analysts, spatial information experts, government, private industry and universities, extension staff, and researchers. Groups included individuals to whom the idea of an EASY system was completely new, others who were experienced in the use of existing packages, and others who had been involved in developing systems that were complementary or intended replacements for existing packages.  
A three-stage consultation process, based mainly on the use of focus groups, was taken to inform EASY concept design (Figure 1). The initial phase included a series of three workshops (two held in Victoria and one in Western Australia) with each of these attended by approximately 10 individuals representing a range of data and technology providers, and public and private land managers. The initial workshops gathered data regarding broad principles for an EASY vision and to better understand the user context for such a system. Workshop attendees were queried on their current use of existing software and data repositories, as well as strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats regarding the use of such software and data. The Victorian workshops involved land management decision-makers (data and system consumers), \(\Pi\) experts (data providers and system producers), and end-users such as extension staff, CMA personnel, and agricultural consultants. The workshop in Western Australia included both data/technology providers and a variety of end-users. Data from these workshops were captured on white boards and as written responses on collected sheets. The data were later analysed and manually coded to examine emerging themes regarding general requirements for an EASY system based on existing approaches.  
Following the initial round of consultation, a high-level EASY system description was developed (Figure 1). In addition, four case study topic package applications were defined; these were developed as prototypes to demonstrate the functionality and capability of the system. Phase 2 consultation continued during this period using less formal mechanisms than workshops. Though much of this consultation involved one-on-one conversations with individuals, a presentation regarding the prototype EASY system was made to a Queensland Natural Resource Management (NRM) Groups Collective meeting attended by some 25 people with feedback provided subsequent to the presentation. This Phase 2 consultation was used to refine the EASY vision.  
Finally, in Phase 3, two additional workshops were held. Emphasis was placed on having attendees who were end-users rather than data/technology providers. One workshop was held in New South Wales with individuals representing the NSW Department of Climate Change and Water; the second was held in Victoria. The Phase 3 workshops largely consisted of individuals that had not been part of the previous consultations. This was considered advantageous because it meant that the Phase 3 consultation workshops provided fresh insights for further refinement of the EASY system vision. The data from all three consultation phases have been combined for use in this paper.  
Figure 1: EASY plan schematic. The stages of the consultation and evaluation processes are highlighted in mauve.