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Feature Is GIS Working? by Jeff Thurston Background: Geographic information systems (GIS) have been evolving for over a quarter of a century. During that time many changes have taken place. These include hardware, software, analysis techniques and the introduction of other new geo-technologies including GPS, LIDAR, high resolution remotely sensed images. At the same time interoperability standards have improved, network capabilities and capacity increased, end user access speed improved, prices for spatial technologies have dropped and Internet distribution and visualization have grown. Wireless services have steadily expanded into the marketplace though they are primarily focused on transportation related applications. A rise in the number of GIS courses has occurred, particularly in the last 5 - 8 years, including both online and face-to-face programs leading to a growing number of professionals and non-professionals with awareness of GIS. During that same time issues of data ownership, metadata, policy and organizational structures have been discussed, proposed, altered and challenged as GIS has spread throughout local, regional and international markets. A great deal of research continues to use and apply GIS across a multitude of fields from one end of the planet to another. Yet, we still have questions such as - ''how has GIS impacted and changed the world we live in''? And, ''where is GIS going'' and ''is GIS living up to its potential''? These are not easy questions to answer. This article intends to take a look at these questions, discussing some of these issues and raising questions about others both in the present and the future. Is GIS Working? Continued… Consumer / Society Perspective: GIS research, development and functionality have increased remarkably since the earliest GIS were developed. It was not until the 1990''s that easy to use, out of the box and widely affordable GIS moved from institutions to the desktop and larger numbers of users began to get involved in GIS. Make no mistake - the drop in desktop computer prices had a lot to do with that increased use of GIS. Early GIS consumers were often plagued with software problems relating to import / export functionality, data transformation, file sizes and available data sources. Much of the spatial information suitable for databases did not originate from the coupling of geo-technologies like GPS, remote sensing and laser technologies as it does today. It was either scanned or manually digitized. Because of these problems, much of the 1990''s, from a consumer perspective, have been about learning what a GIS is, how it can be applied, understanding spatial theory and where GIS might fit into the organization. The focus has been on the individual using GIS for the organization. Paralleling that has been the development of one technology after another.
Recent trends toward GIS being used by (for) the individual are taking place internationally - ''where am I, how do I relate to the environment and how does the environment relate to me? ''. Wireless technologies are bringing that about. The consumer through the use of wireless technologies can create or receive spatial information suitable for GIS purposes. That information is becoming more personalized. Interestingly the European, Asian and North American markets differ with respect to GIS. Clearly the North American market is centered upon high-speed broadband telecommunications (though changing). European and Asian markets are more focused upon wireless technologies - to the point children regularly use mobile telecommunications. This distinction has major ramifications, affecting how GIS is used and information transferred and impacts projects and organizations. While GIS theory is being applied similarly - how technologies are applied and how consumers relate to GIS and the problems that can be analyzed vary from by country, organization and consumer. NCGIA Initiative 19 - "GIS and Society", attempted to address aspects of this issue in 1996. Those questions remain open in many respects, particularly as a shift begins to occur from organizations to individuals. The relationship of GIS to the consumer / individual will need further investigation as this shift continues. The Question of Data Without data a GIS withers and becomes a lost investment leading to disillusioned users and organizations. There are considerable amounts of data available, but whether or not that data is useful and can be used for particular projects remains questionable. It would seem that while technology has greatly eased the ability to collect data that has not necessarily translated into higher quality data in some cases. Despite growing ''amounts'' of data, quality issues relating to spatial information remain problematic and metadata is still often not available. This is most notable in the web-mapping sector and mobile spatial services markets. This issue must be addressed, particularly as we begin to see more integrated solutions with two, three or more geo-technologies combining - each contributing errors affecting overall data quality. It is imperative where legal and mission critical applications are being developed. Free data is not necessarily useful data. Yes, we all lament about being able to download spatial information that is free, but seldom do we question the integrity of that spatial information. In some cases data that was freely available has been removed from the Internet for political, terrorist or economic reasons - there is no stability that data available today will be available tomorrow. The net effect of that being that only selected types of information remain available freely and most agencies and individuals carefully consider, alter or delay available spatial information for public consumption. Meanwhile several organizations and governments around the world are still jostling with the issue of ''free or charge'' data policies. In some cases departments of some governments are charging each other, and individuals within those governments cannot even access their own acquired data because of internal pricing structures and policies. Compounding that problem is the fact that data is often collected more than once within some organizations Clearly organizational issues and structures are continuing to influence GIS implementation and expansion. Is GIS Working? Continued… The IT - GIS Argument: Recently there has been much talk about GIS moving into IT. While interesting, GIS and IT are two different entities. GIS creates information and IT is more oriented toward the distribution and administration of that information - the business side of things. The area of customer resource management (CRM) is an example of IT and GIS pulling at each end of the same rope. CRM is about identifying customers, their attitudes and relationship to product and services. Its goal is to engage the consumer directly. A GIS may be helpful for CRM applications but is not necessary.
Claims that GIS is a CRM tool are unfounded. Location-allocation analysis may be used to determine consumer patterns, drive time analysis and traffic routing and other B2C connections. But these are different than the intended goal of CRM. Almost 60% of all CRM applications fail - sound familiar? GIS implementations fail at similar rates - for similar reasons, users not following implementation strategies and plans. Clearly spatial data is a resource, valuable to the organization and is costly to maintain. Data is money. A fear exists that spatial data will become increasingly homogeneous as government IT seeks to market spatial data for maximum return through carefully selected products. While this appears reasonable, there is no incentive to collect spatial data, which are unique and meet individual needs that address problems crossing numerous scales and resolutions. Consequently it is in this area that individual data collection and corporate data collection are most likely to excel. In other words the roles of government and corporations have reversed. Corporations are increasingly holding larger amounts of spatial data useful for public spatial applications. Surveys show that governments do not appear to trust corporations, often withholding data from them or licensing the data in ways that prevent its full exploitation. It is in the area of certification of professionals that some of the most interesting debates will continue. Already GIS professionals cross a wide diversity of disciplines as do IT professionals. If an IT person distributes GIS data are they not a GIS professional? Why can''t an IT professional, maintaining databases of spatial information, be a GIS professional - since databases are what drive a GIS? It is noteworthy that issues of certification include length of time the user has used GIS as one of the major criteria for certification. One study suggests 50% of all GIS users consider time (experience) to be the highest criteria for determination of certification. Can it be that we cannot accurately define what GIS is yet, therefore cannot examine for qualification? Or, is it more a matter of the field being so wide it cannot be easily assessed? Some might even argue that the earlier GIS professionals were a more creative lot--having to contend with unstable systems, transformation and a multitude of other difficulties to get a GIS working effectively. A strong entrepreneurial and innovative undercurrent was apparent in many of the earlier users. A quick review of job postings internationally for GIS employment suggests we are still looking for ''super-people'' with capabilities in programming, networks, analysis and GIS knowledge all rolled into one. Something is not quite right with how we are defining GIS positions and delineating their expectations. Current GIS positions are a culmination of continually changing GIS technology, applications and desires but do not adequately address the practical issues of what one person alone can achieve. Look at the ''recreation'' and ''visual arts'' fields, which have struggled for decades to certify as professionals - only to learn their diversity precludes certification instead leading to collectives of associations forming a broader connectedness. It may be that the GIS profession is similar in nature. Issues of Integration Data collected at one scale is being merged with data from other scales. In some cases older data with higher inaccuracy is being integrated with new sources of data having much higher resolution and accuracy. There are no metadata standards for such integrated data sets. GIS is beginning to become involved in the concept of ''error mapping''. Error mapping visually provides information with respect to thematic content and associated propagation errors originating in combined data sets. In the visualization area there are few examples that provide information about errors in finalized visualization products. VRML, as an example, provided 3D representation but does not usually include information relating to scale and viewpoint. Geographic Mark-Up Language (GML) is slowly appearing in the marketplace and will likely provide a means to indicate that information. Other digital sensors have not yet been fully integrated into GIS. These include instrumentation and sensor technologies. These devices will provide data continuously with higher sampling rates and likely be installed in arrays coupled to data loggers, GPS and finally GIS. This will require large amounts of data storage both in mobile equipment and hard disk storage. That data will necessarily have to be inspected for quality and new charging policies and procedures put into place recognizing ''disposable data'' - information used once and never used again. Those applications are highly selective and designed toward individual need, use and person - person interaction. Is GIS Working? Continued… Location based servicing (LBS) is a ''function / service'' aimed to locate or guide the individual from Point A to Point B or merely monitor travel - it could be argued location based servicing is not GIS. The growing tendency to use telecommunications (telematics) servicing without tying to GIS analysis, but claiming GIS benefit is - simply incorrect. It seems that anyone with a product or service remotely connected to positioning is claiming a GIS connection, which then leads to the perception that GIS is IT. It is time to step back and take a closer look at the IT and GIS connection. GIS are distinctly defined as systems that capture, manage, analyze and render spatial information. GIS use IT for performing these functions. The two are being mixed up, so much so that it is impeding efforts to certify GIS professionals because they cannot be properly identified. The Economic Side: Very few people have documented and know the costs of their GIS installations. Some may not even want to discuss rates of return on investment due to the fact they may be higher than anticipated and still not generating what is perceived as economical benefits. This may be particularly true for government organizations and academic institutions. GIS are not for the weak hearted. They take money to operate, require ongoing training costs and demand participation in an organizations strategic plan, if they are to be implemented effectively and return investment. "Understanding this comprehensive view of an organization, which may be called the corporate culture, represents an extremely critical step toward establishing a successful GIS which best meets the organizational goals", says Toru Otawa in a presentation entitled "Analysis of GIS Diffusion in Digital Government: Application of an Evaluation Model" at GIS2002 Toronto, Canada. That is the nature of GIS. It would be interesting to know from GIS users, using common available GIS products, how many of them use most of the features in their GIS. Some have suggested that most GIS applications are directly used for map production with little or no analysis. Further, how many people are using visualization functionality within GIS? A few companies have addressed that point by offering modular approaches to their products, recognizing differing user needs and providing upgrade paths. Fully 70% or more of the costs of running a GIS revolve around data management. This largely involves database maintenance. Maybe some organizations should not be involved in GIS, selecting instead to contract their work out and instead focusing on their core operations. Perhaps some find this out later along the implementation path as costs escalate. The point being, GIS must be planned for and realistic costs assigned to each stage of the implementation plan and regularly monitored. The lack of available information about GIS implementation supported with facts and figures is a telltale sign that GIS implementation is not easy to understand or evaluate. There are still issues in the marketplace regarding selling data versus selling data with value added content. Several companies that offer value-added services have difficulty using ''raw data'' from suppliers who place constraints and conditions on the use of that spatial information - even for value added products. It is time for a change. Data providers do not comprehend the costs involved in processing and marketing value added spatial data products. Again, consider the costs of operating a GIS and it becomes clearer that consumers are going to begin asking for ''integrated packaging'' that includes raw data, analysis and maintenance through some sort of one-stop shopping. Raw data has no use unless it is used. Market share increases if more users use data. The GIS industry expands if more users use data. More real world problems are solved if users have more data. Everyone benefits. We need to begin thinking about integrated data packaging and services. How GIS and other geo-technologies contribute to economic growth, people paying taxes, higher levels of employment and a more robust geo-spatial industry. Applications could become more rather than less personalized. Ideas into the Future: The future will bring many more technological advances for GIS professionals. Whether GIS is a tool or science does not matter as much as what, where, when and why we are using GIS. It would be erroneous to assume all GIS will be delivered over wireless networks. If you are like me, then you likely do not want to stand outside in the rain scrolling through a wireless device trying to piece together a 1:20000 map on a 5 cm screen. Instead, most of those applications will be designed for quick, easy to use positioning applications - and should require no more effort than pressing four series of buttons at any given time. Many of them will be for vehicles. But some very interesting wireless applications will have nothing to do with vehicles - that are not being fully pursued yet. A significant need will remain for desktop solutions tied to non-wireless applications. The two are distinctly different. Wireless in many ways is an IT solution and application while GIS future is oriented around data analysis, modeling and rendering. Is GIS Working? Continued… The concept of data being integrated from numerous services and servers has more realistic benefits within one organization as compared to a diversity of organizations. The reason being that single organizational data sharing policies are likely to have less constraints both legally and qualitatively with respect to data than inter-organizational connectivity. There is no assurance that others will have what you need up and running and open to access. A push toward reducing those barriers would make the open server access concept more appealing, useful and compliment OpenGIS standardization efforts. However ''what data one can get'' will never surpass ''what one can do'' with spatial information. The right data, of high quality remains the best data. GIS education is fragmented. It is evolving into vendor education. This is due in part to vendors seeking to secure customer loyalty. But it is also because the technology remains complicated and new products are being developed so fast. Only a handful of companies offer significantly reduced pricing for students to use their products. Institutions are incapable of funding the rates of changing technology that allow for course development. Secondly, institutions are not creating the integrated courses and programs that train, educate and produce individuals to meet market demands for well-rounded, knowledgeable GIS professionals. Distance education could play a larger role in these educational changes, bringing together a diversity of people from widely spaced geographical areas to participate in a common core while working toward reduction of language and cultural barriers related to GIS. While there are some good programs, there are not enough of them and many institutions are 2-3 years behind where most current technologies are. Companies recognize this disparity and are therefore beginning to enter the education market. Summary: GIS has expanded over the last quarter century to become a multi-billion dollar industry internationally. A significant shift from organizational to individual GIS use and applications is under way. That will involve more integrated solutions tailored specifically to the individual and more localized scales and necessitate higher data storage requirements. Many organizations continue to have significant issues relating to GIS implementation - GIS remains difficult to understand. This suggests steps need to be taken to educate wider bodies of people in society about how the spatial technologies industry impacts the public and can be used positively in their lives. Certification of the GIS industry is not a new concept, but a truly national and international certification continues to evade the profession. GIS has contributed significantly toward solving many problems and providing solutions but identifying those advantages is difficult without documentation about rates of return on investment. We have come a long way but have a long way to go. Jeff Thurston is European Director, Integral GIS - Berlin, Germany. He holds a MSc. in Geographic Information Systems and writes internationally for several publications. He specializes in integrated spatial systems and advises corporations internationally in this regard. Currently he is completing a book entitled Integrated Geo-technology - GIS/GPS to be published in 2003 by Wiley Publishing, NY. (jeff@integralgis.com) References / Information: Albrecht, Jochen. 1999. GIS Certification: what URISA could learn from related initiatives in the spatial industry. In: Proceedings of the ''99 URISA Conference, 21-25
Groot, R. and Y. Georgiadou 2001. Beyond Education: Capacity Building for Geoinformatics, In: GIM International, November 2001 Otawa, T. 2002. Analysis of GIS Diffusion in Digital Government: Application of an Evaluation Model. In: Proceedings GIS 2002, April 2002. Toronto, Canada |
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