GIS,Geographic Information System

GIS Implementation Process
The basic steps of the GIS implementation process are planning, requirements analysis, design, procurement and development, and operation and maintenance.
Strategic Vision, Scope and Organizational Impacts of GIS
To provide direction for the GIS and for all implementation and operations activities, it is necessary to establish a vision that defines the role GIS plays in the organization, its scope, and its relationship to business operations.
Assessment of Organizational Risk
Performing an assessment of organizational risk at the outset of a GIS project can increase the chances for success.
Coordinating GIS Participants and Users
Committees and team approaches are frequently employed for multi-participant GIS projects as a means for coordinating participants and guiding project development. The common model addresses participants’ GIS interests at three levels — policy, technical development and usage – and establishes a committee at each level, coordinated by the GIS manager.
Managing the GIS Committee and Team Environment
To make the GIS committee or team environment successful, several other aspects must also be managed.
Each committee must have a clear charter regarding the types of issues it will address, and must remained focused on these issues. There should be a clear plan regarding the matters to be addressed by each committee — as well as by the GIS manager — and regarding how information, recommendations, approvals and directives are to flow among the committees and staff. The appropriate committee composition follows the GIS project definition.
Organizational and professional interests should be appropriately represented according to the role of GIS in the organization. The most successful committee arrangements involve teams that are limited to a workable size – usually 6 to 8 people. When committees are very large, some success can be achieved by establishing subcommittees to address specific issues.
Communication and Providing Information
Communication is crucial to the success of a multi-participant GIS environment. It can be time consuming: communication requirements grow according to the number of participants, and differences in applications, professional backgrounds, priorities, organizational interests and personal agendas. All involved parties —future users, as well as committee members — must be kept in the communication network from the time they are first contacted through the entire project lifecycle.
In order to participate usefully in the GIS effort, participants need adequate information regarding GIS and the project goals. They must receive the right kind and amount of education and information at the right times. Different participants from different application areas and levels of the organization have different interests, backgrounds and needs related to understanding GIS. For example, the type of information required by the Mayor will differ greatly from that required by an assessment clerk. GIS education and orientation must be tailored to the specific audience. This often means conducting several events for different groups from various applications areas, professional backgrounds and levels in the organization. Furthermore, education will be an on-going need throughout the GIS project.(Somers, 1995)
Leadership and Support
In a large, multi-participant GIS project, two types of leadership are crucial to success: someone to manage the GIS implementation and operation and someone to provide support and influence at the policy level.
A large GIS effort must have a focal pint. The GIS manager coordinates the network of committees and participants. Among the many technical and managerial qualifications a GIS manager must possess, he or she must manage this complex environment. The ability to work with diverse individuals and groups, manage teams, educate, motivate and lead are critical to the success of the GIS.
Another key ingredient in an extensive GIS effort is a project champion who provides executive level support and influence.
The project champion’s support and efforts ensure continued political and financial support in the face of pressures that would erode the project’s resources and delay its implementation.

Management and Control of GIS
Basically, control and management of GIS may be centralized or decentralized. There are three basic areas in which the GIS management could be placed — in a line organization, in a support area, or at the executive level.
The appropriate organizational configuration and placement of GIS management and control within an organization depends on the role and scope of the GIS, the organization model used and the specific operational aspects of the organization.

Personnel issues
Regardless of the extent and impact of GIS within an organization, however, the basic personnel issues must at least be addressed. These issues include staff responsibilities, staff configuration, position requirements, position descriptions and pay scales, job classes and career paths, staffing and training.

Timing
Much of successful timing in GIS is an art. When developing implementation schedules, certain technical and organizational dependencies are inherent. Technically, certain components must be completed before dependent one can be developed. Organizationally, components must be prepared before technical changes can take place. There are many technical and organizational aspects whose timing must be coordinated. . Committees and large numbers of project participants often are the source of project delays. In a business environment, GIS timing must not only take into consideration cost/benefits and internal operations issues, but competitive ones as well.

Integrating GIS into an Organization’s Operations
Successful adoption and integration of GIS into an organizations operations depends on all of the above issues. Each issue must be considered by itself and in combination with the others. The primary factor in integrating GIS into an organization is to understand the role GIS will play in the organization. The scope, purpose and vision for GIS in the future of the organization will drive the development of organizational plans.
There are many other important issues affecting GIS adoption, including:

 Educating users
 Training
 Involving users in the planning and design of the system
 Transitions in operations