GISC 6383
Geographic Information Systems
Management & Implementation
Introduction:
The Challenges
Dr. Ronald Briggs
University of Texas at Dallas
Program in Geographic Information Sciences
Course Objectives
• to understand the fundamentals of
implementing and managing Geographic
Information Systems within modern
organizations
– maximizing the liklihood of success
– minimizing the liklihood of failures
Who is in Attendance?
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Graduate Students pursuing degrees
GIS Professionals seeking additional skills
People who think GIS holds promise
Students who couldn’t care less - need the
hours and the time fitted their schedule
Texts
Tomlinson, Roger Thinking about GIS: GIS Planning for Managers
ESRI Press, 2005 2nd ed. (1st ed is OK)
Zeiler, M. Modeling our World: The ESRI Guide to Geodatabase
Design ESRI Press, 1999
Alternative Texts to Tomlinson :
Huxhold, William E. and Levinsohn, Allan G. Managing Geographic Information
System Projects New York: Oxford, 1995
Harmon and Anderson The Design and implementation of Geographic Information
Systems Wiley, 2003
Alternative Texts and Useful Books
Management/People focused
Obermeyer, Nancy J.
and Pinto, Jeffrey K. Managing Geographic
Information Systems New York: The Guilford Press, 1994 (dated and
very academic)
von Meyer, Nancy and R. Scott Oppman Enterprise GIS.
URISA, 1999, 98 pp. (set of case studies)
Derek Reeve, GIS, Organizations and People London: Taylor & Francis,
2000 (UK case studies)
Heather Campbell and Ian Masser GIS and Organizations London Taylor
and Francis, 1995 (earlier edition of Reeve)
Technology focused
Korte, George B. The GIS Book Santa Fe: Onword Press, 5th Ed. 2001
Hohl, Pat GIS Data Conversion: Strategies, Techniques, Management
Santa Fe, Onword Press, 1998
Yong-Qi Chen and Yuk-Cheung Lee Geographical Data Acquisition
Springer-Verlag, 2001,
Shashi Shekhar and Sanjay Chawla Spatial Databases: A Tour Prentice
Hall, 2003
ESRI PRESS Application area series
Public Sector
• O’Looney, John Beyond Maps: GIS and Decision Making in
Local Government, 2000--- excellent!
• Fleming, Cory The GIS Guide for Local Government Officials ,
2005
• Huxhold, W.E. ArcGIS and the Digital City: A hands-on
approach for local government, 2004
• Green, R.W. Open Access-GIS in E-Government, 2001
• Green, R.W. GIS in Public Policy
• Amdahl, G. Disaster Response: GIS for Public Safety, 2001
• Green, R.W. Confronting Catastrophe: A GIS Handbook, 2002
• LeGates, R. Think Globally, Act Regionally: GIS and data
visualization for social science and public policy research,
2005
ESRI PRESS Application area series
Private Sector/Specific Application Areas
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Boyles, C.T. Measuring Up: The Business Case for GIS, 2004
Harder, C. GIS Means Business, 1998
Lang, L. Managing Natural Resources with GIS, 1998
Harder, Christian Enterprise GIS for Energy Companies, 1999
Lang, Laura GIS for Health Organizations, 2000
Godin, Lisa GIS in Telecommunications, 2001
Lang, Laura Transportation GIS, 1999
Godin, Lisa GIS in Telecommunications, 2001
Herzog, David Mapping the News: GIS in Jounalism, 2003 (features
UTD!)
• Harder, C. Enterprise GIS for Energy Companies 1999
• Lang, L. Managing Natural Resources with GIS, 1998
• Hanna, K GIS for Landscape Architects, 1999
Semester Student Assignments
• Provide a State-of-the-Art Technology Assessment report
for a selected topic:
– class presentation to be made on assigned date and accompanied
by written evaluation
– See course outline for example topics: you may select others
– 2 or 3 people per group (no more and no less: 12 groups max.)
• Prepare a GIS Implementation Plan for an organization,
using principles outlined in class
– 1. By or before date of Midterm, identify organization and send me
e-mail outlining your intentions.
– 2. Turn in your written report (target 10-15 pages) at semester end.
See course syllabus for exact due dates.
See Web site for additional details.
What is a GIS?
A GIS allows the geographic features in
real world locations to be digitally
represented so that they can be abstractly
presented in map (analog) form, and they
can be worked with and manipulated to
address some problem.
It can be the basis for:
•conducting a project,
•running one or more departments
within an organization,
•or for managing an entire enterprise.
Real World
A city wants you to propose a plan for re-organizing its primary
operations (80% of which are geographic based) so that
standard daily operations, as well as longer-term decision
making, can be accomplished more speedily and efficiently.
You propose an inter-departmental shared GIS to replace paper
maps and documents associated with daily operations and to
improve data and information flow between departments to
enhance and speed-up decision-making.
Real World
• Texas Super High Speed
Rail asks YOU to propose
alternative routes, with
initial cost estimates, for
high speed rail lines
linking Dallas, Houston,
San Antonio. The initial
plan should be ready next
month. You use GIS to
examine alternative
corridors and estimate
costs.
An Oil company wants to start documenting it’s oil
production by well. They own or lease over 30 thousand
wells worldwide. Set up a GIS that can accept reporting
data on a daily basis and analyze production trends.
• Add natural features
• Add human features
• Add socio-economic
data
• Utilize industry
standard
commercial
database (Oracle,
SQL Server, etc.)
• A City wants YOU to supply it with all it’s base
mapping, set up it’s new computers/GIS network so
maps can be shared between departments, train it’s
users and make quarterly updates for them until they
hire a GIS Coordinator. They need a proposal in two
weeks.
Real World
You are an intern in the city fire department. The fire chief has
heard of GIS and thinks it could help them with their planning.
Being young, educated, somewhat computer literate, but not
trained to go out on fire-trucks (thus in the chief’s eye relatively
useless), you are asked to research this and make
recommendations.
GIS Scope
• Project
• Single department application (Departmental
GIS)
• Multi departmental application
• Enterprise system (Enterprise GIS)
• Multi Institutional endeavor (Community GIS)
Level I: Project
• Institutional Environment
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Expected result is a product
Project has an end date
Costs paid by project
No long-term support expected & no commitment to GIS
little or no organizational impact
• GIS Implementation Approach
– One-time effort
– need best tool for the job
– consultant or contractor may do entire thing
• Benefit
– product produced on-time & within budget
• highway feasibility study completed
• rail line corridor study complete
Level II: Single Department
(but perhaps multiple of them!)
• Institutional Environment
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Small Institution or Single Department
Well-defined, existing business function to be supported
Ongoing support is required but no major commitment to GIS
Little or no reorganization e.g. manual drafters shift to GIS workstation
Managed by departmental responsible for business activity
Corporate support nice, but not needed
• GIS Implementation Approach
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PCs, with local department network
File-based spatial data; maybe CAD focused
Little or no integration with attribute databases
Little or no sharing of information within or
beyond department
• Benefit
Example:
automate map
production or
manage storm water
drainage system
– supports specific business task more effectively and efficiently
Level III: Multi-Department/Service Resource
• Institutional Environment
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Mid-size to large institution, more than one department
More significant commitment of staff and budget to GIS
Ongoing support and update strategies essential
Some organizational or functional adjustments required
perhaps run as a service department or managed by cooperating departments
corporate support helps, but not essential
• GIS Implementation
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Multiple, networked PCs
Topological GIS data
Relational database
Some information sharing between departments
• Benefit
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Improves effectiveness of specific business tasks
Improved operational efficiency
Integration of business functions
Better use of limited resources
Example:
automate map
production and
manage storm water
drainage system
Level IV: Enterprise System
• Institutional Environment
– Usually medium to large institution, multiple departments
– High level long-term commitment of staff and resources to GIS
– Organization-level strategic planning via formal methodology, distributed
implementation and maintenance
– Incorporation of GIS as part of organizational infrastructure for production
of services; significant organizational adjustments
– corporate management support and involvement of corporate is essential
• GIS Implementation
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Distributed client-server networks
Integration of multiple GIS, database, and related technologies
Multi-department data sharing,
standards and metadata essential
Example:
• Benefit: as for multi-department, plus
“Calgary
– Emphasis is improved effectiveness (better ,not just cheaper!)
Implements
– Consistent information
Enterprise GIS”
– Better decision making
– Better external service to citizens and customers
ARCNews, v. 21,
#2, 1999
Level V: Multi-Organizational
• Institutional Environment
– public organizations, most probably; industry alliance possibly, but
anti-trust laws may be a problem
– Multi-participant organizational structure for planning and policy
– Distributed maintenance responsibilities across organizations
– Long-term, high level commitment among participating organizations
– Significant reorganization of functions across organizations
• GIS Implementation
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Distributed maintenance of shared elements
Data exchange facility via Internet or other WAN
Data integration from multiple technologies
standards and metadata paramount
Example:
• Benefits
– lower costs to citizen/tax payer
– enhanced competitive position
State government,
metropolitan area,
industry alliance
Scope of Management Challenge
• Know how to use GIS as a tool
– route fire or garbage trucks
– draw maps
– reduce losses from fires
– enhance service to citizens/customers
• Appreciate the challenge of integrating GIS
enterprise-wide into the organization to
enhance its efficiency and effectiveness
– This is what we will do!!!
Gets harder!
• Understand how GIS can be used to meet the
goals and objectives of your unit or
organization
Fundamental Management
Responsibilities
• Plan!
– Taking the hits as they come is not management!
• If you don’t know where you are going, you never get there
• The unexpected should never be expected
• Standardize!
– Free-for-all throughout the organization is not
management!
– Standards are paramount
• Document!
– Relying on people’s heads as the depository for
organizational knowledge is not management!
Take a Break!
GIS Implementation
• no guaranteed recipe for success
• no cookie-cutter formula to apply
BUT
• there are general procedures and processes
(models) which can help immeasurably
• ignorance of problems & past failures is not
bliss
• to be forewarned is to be forearmed!
Context for Successful GIS Implementation
(What you need to understand: primary course topics)
• GIS Paradigm
– Use of spatial location as integrating framework for information
– Understanding the GIS paradigm the focus of GISC 6381 Fund.
• Geographic Data Management Principles
– Extend data management principles to include geographic focus
– db (database) principles one major component of this course
• Technology
– Select appropriate GIS-enabling technology and plan to evolve
– Addressed via student group technology reports
• Organizational Setting
– Organizational setting a crucial ingredient to success/failure
– Systematic GIS design process essential for enterprise-wide
applications: major topic for this course
Steps in a GIS Project
• I. Data acquisition
(never underestimate the cost!)
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paper maps
digital files
remote sensing/satellite
fieldwork
• II. Preprocessing: preparation
& integration
– format conversion
– digitizing and/or scanning
– edge matching and rectification
• III. Data Management
– variable selection & definition
– table design
(performance v. usability)
– CRUD policies/procedures:
Create (data entry), Retrieve
(view), Update (change),
Deletion (remove)
• IV. Manipulation and Analysis
(all the user cares about!)
– address matching
– network analysis
– terrain modelling (e.g. slopes,
aspects)
• V. Product Generation
Appropriate for a project,
but insufficient for an
enterprise implementation.
– tabular reports
– graphics (maps and charts)
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GIS Enterprise Planning Process: general
strategy
Conceptual Design/Needs Assessment/Requirements/
whyretirement
do it
savings?
– does it support organization’s goal or strategic plan?
– Tomlinson Chap 3, 4, 5 Chap. 11
– Huxhold Chap. 3 Strategic Planning for GIS
• Logical Design: what it does
– what business process(es) will be supported?
– Tomlinson Chap 6 ,7
– Huxhold Chap. 5 Systems Design Methodology
boats & cars?
kids college?
residence?
bachelor pad
m-no-k
core family
• Physical design: how it will do it
extended family
– hardware, software, data, applications, people & their management
Ranch or 3 story
– Tomlinson Chap 8, Chap 9, Chap 10
floorplans
– Huxhold Chap. 4 Implementation Planning
wood or brick
• Implementation: getting it going
– actually doing it!
– Tomlinson Chap 12
– Huxhold Chap. 6 Implementation Management
• On-going System Management: keeping it going
– operations, maintenance, update and use
– Huxhold Chap. 7 Managing the System
tub or shower
Dirt flies
concrete poured
Move in.
Living there.
Maintenance
Home improvements
…if you were building your dream
house, would you use blueprints?
GIS Development Guides
State of New York, Local Government Technology Services
(1997)
Needs
Assessment
1
Conceptual
Design
2
Available
Data Survey
http://www.sara.nysed.gov/pubs/gis/gisindex.htm
An 11-step Process
5
6
Database
Planning
and Design
Database
Construction
3
Pilot/
Benchmark
H/W & S/W
Survey
4
7
Acquisition of
GIS Hardware
and Software
8
GIS System
Integration
Application
Development
GIS Use and
Database
Maintenance
9
9
11
A 10-Stage GIS Planing Methodology
Tomlinson, Thinking About GIS
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Consider the strategic purpose
Plan for the planning
Conceptual Design
Conduct a technology seminar
Describe the information products
Define the system scope
Logical Design
Create a data design
Choose a logical model
Determine system requirements
Physical Design
Benefit-cost, migration and risk analysis
Make an implementation plan
Implementation
Analysis of
Requirements
Specification of
Requirements
1.Definition of
Objectives
6.
Final Design
8.
Shortlisting
2. User
Requirements
7. Request for
Proposal (RFP)
9. Benchmark
Testing
12.
Contract
10. CostEffectiveness
Evaluation
13. Acceptance
Testing
3. Preliminary
Design
4. Cost-Benefit
Analysis
5.
Pilot Study
Evaluation of
Alternatives
A Fourteen Step
Implementation Process!
(assumes external acquisition)
Source: Longley, et. al. p. 391
Implementation
of System
11.
Implementation
Plan
14.
Implementation
Five-step Process from
Somers/URISA
Conceptual design
Plan
Logical design
Analyze
Physical design
Design
Implementation
Acquire
& Develop
Operate &
Maintain
Source: Rebecca Somers, Quick Guide to GIS Implementation and Management
Park Ridge, IL: Urban and Regional Information Systems Association, 2001, p.7
“Its not the order or precise
structure of the tasks but rather
that, in one way or another, all
get completed.”
GIS Development Guides
State of New York, Local Government Technology Services (1997)
But…..
no guaranteed recipe for
success!
Evolution of Issues During Implementation
Campbell, (1992)
• Technological, associated with system
compatibility
• data-related, associated with lack of
consistency between data sets
• organizational, associated with data
ownership and control
• institutional, associated with how to use
information in the policy-making process
Each challenge must be overcome as the
implementation process proceeds.
Human Factors Paramount
Campbell, 1992
• Organizations, and units in them, jealously guard
their scope of activity and treat with suspicion
proposals that may change this
• administrative applications associated with cost
savings are more readily accepted than decisionmaking applications to be used by policy makers
• local communities very suspicious of developments
that suggest centralization of information and
therefore power
• GIS techies often uncomfortable with social and
political aspects of system implementation and
utilization, thus need to involve politically-adept
users/line managers/policy makers
People problems paramount!
• "....As far as your project goes, I'm willing to help but I'm not sure we are
the ideal candidate for the project. I'm working for the Department of
Natural Resources which covers a lot of territory: Oil and Gas
Administration, Water Administration, Game and Fish Department, Land
Administration, etc. etc. All these departments are sort of run as little
fiefdoms with each not really working with the others unless they have
to. It's sort of the norm, nobody wants to coordinate with anyone else. I
know from attempts in the past that it is nearly impossible to get
information or data from these guys. In some cases we have ended up
collecting our own data just because we couldn't get copies from other
departments. We had a full time planner spend the better part of a year
meeting with department heads to try to identify their needs, update the
status of various projects, and come up with a plan for the future. Very
frustrating as this was all work that was going to help them but they
didn't want to cooperate at all.
Long story short, I'm willing to help but can't commit much time to
dealing with these idiots, trying to get information out of them. This is a
weird little environment and not really like the "real world" in a lot of
respects..."
• Quote from an e-mail received by a student in GISC 6383
Conclusion: GIS Implementation
• a comprehensive, systematic approach to planning,
design and implementation will more likely produce a
successful GIS implementation--but no guarantees!
• GIS is both an enabling technology and a set of
concepts about organizing work and data, thus it will
impact an organization’s established “way of doing
business”
• management and institutional issues raise the
greatest challenges, thus must be addressed
– “The only human that loves change is a baby in diapers”:
• open, participative processes are more likely to deal
successfully with with these management and
institutional issues ( and the technical ones!),
therefore involve people
• GIS is a complex information technology application,
thus many of the same principles apply as in IT…...
Conclusion: Information Technology Implementation
• Organizational change is both a cause and an effect
of evolving information technology
• Human aspects of organizational change are more
important and challenging than technical aspects
• While information technology can improve
organizational performance, the technology alone will
not transform an organization
• Successful implementation depends on planned,
well-conceived and managed integration of
information technology change and organizational
change
A corresponding list of implementation challenges from
an IT text!
Conclusion: GIS within Context
Organizational Context
--people and processes
Data
Software
GIS
Applications
People
Hardware
Management Organizational Context
--people and processes
Organization’s
Goals and Strategies
Technological Environment