GIS is a wonderful tool, the problem is that it is used for cartographic reasons mainly. After seeing the growth of GIS and its utilization It looks like GIS itself is in crisis. There are many issues with GIS. Biggest problem is too much technology and not enough thinking about what it should be used for.
It seems engineer’s dont want to use GIS and the obvious reason is that GIS is not an engineering tool. It lacks many basic requirements of their engineering operations that these enggs tackle using their own methods in traditional ways. There are activities centered on viewing the territory, and generally speaking a huge percentage of these teams do not have access to GIS tools. I'm thinking of utilities/environmental studies/planning/assessment/monitoring as an example. Engineers in this area keep working in a manual fashion - they would benefit enormously just by having a simple and accessible spatial view of their object of study. Also, difficulties inherent to GIS should be ironed out - data and analysis tools should be streamlined to be effectively used on a daily basis. Once you give tools like these to a team, you'll see a huge gain in productiveness. That's what GIS should be selling today. In fact GIS should be sold as component of overall "IT infrastructure" with proper integration tools. Alone it becomes CAD++ (GIS used for the tasks that can be done with any CAD) and people usually use it to take colorful printouts and slides for presentations.
I think real profitability of GIS comes after integrating it with other real-time analysis software. Though, in itself, GIS softwares are a huge advantage for any utility company but that basically involves data processing capabilities, reports and some advanced analysis. Unless we will be able to let GIS softwares seamlessley talk with other softwares, its capabilities would be limited. Apart from ESRI, Intergaraph GE Smallworld provides wonderful solutions for Utility companies. But real challenge is to make it talk with other analysis s/ws or ERP s/ws with which can provide real-time Fault management system, Load analysis, Designing capabilities and so many other exciting features.
The real power of GIS is as a tool to increase operational efficiencies. I come at it from a more engineering-centric view and therefore not one of absolutes. When an engineer is looking to design a network, dam, or building for that matter, it is important that they know what the conditions are at the site. GIS allows them to understand a number of conditional attributes and onsite conditions (to a number of things). At this scoping or pre-feasibility phase, the level of accuracy required is really quite small. That is the reason utility co.s and engg. applcations dont require precision of coordinates. Engineers typically go through a series of phases (scoping, pre-feasibility, feasibility and design) which allow them to start at a very small scale and narrow the choices for the ultimate purpose. The power of GIS for these engineers is in avoiding costly and time consuming field visits and some level of simulation in the office.
So what does all this have to do with increased profitability for the typical business? I believe that, just as with engineering where you have to align the use of GIS with your objectives, in business you must also keep clearly defined 'business goals' in mind. Before diving into GIS analysis ask the question, how will GIS help this process and will it make it more efficient. In most cases the answers you get from using GIS are not as accurate as physical field work; however, using GIS to narrow the choices for fieldwork can be a very efficient and cost effective solution? In some cases GIS can also accomplish certain tasks in a fraction of the time it would take to accomplish using more traditional methods.
Anyway, GIS is a tool like any other IT application. It relies on skilled use to create a desired result by manipulating your database. The skill not only comes from knowing what buttons to push but also knowing what the appropriate processes as well as understanding the desired result. For ex. many orhanisations have realised now that GIS is a wasteful expenditure with no justification for RoI. Its time to correct the expectations and contain the hype created by sales and marketing persons that "GIS is the answer to their all kinds of problems" if you buy their boxes. GIS is nothing more than a location based "Asset Management System" that can be integrated with some other non-GIS applications. Most of the co.s fail to do that and they end up with CAD++ with all the expensive sw's instead of a real enterprise GIS due to lack of vision and expertise at right level. Use it as an enabling technology to improve your efficiency and not as a tool to print drawings, reports and posters.
It seems engineer’s dont want to use GIS and the obvious reason is that GIS is not an engineering tool. It lacks many basic requirements of their engineering operations that these enggs tackle using their own methods in traditional ways. There are activities centered on viewing the territory, and generally speaking a huge percentage of these teams do not have access to GIS tools. I'm thinking of utilities/environmental studies/planning/assessment/monitoring as an example. Engineers in this area keep working in a manual fashion - they would benefit enormously just by having a simple and accessible spatial view of their object of study. Also, difficulties inherent to GIS should be ironed out - data and analysis tools should be streamlined to be effectively used on a daily basis. Once you give tools like these to a team, you'll see a huge gain in productiveness. That's what GIS should be selling today. In fact GIS should be sold as component of overall "IT infrastructure" with proper integration tools. Alone it becomes CAD++ (GIS used for the tasks that can be done with any CAD) and people usually use it to take colorful printouts and slides for presentations.
I think real profitability of GIS comes after integrating it with other real-time analysis software. Though, in itself, GIS softwares are a huge advantage for any utility company but that basically involves data processing capabilities, reports and some advanced analysis. Unless we will be able to let GIS softwares seamlessley talk with other softwares, its capabilities would be limited. Apart from ESRI, Intergaraph GE Smallworld provides wonderful solutions for Utility companies. But real challenge is to make it talk with other analysis s/ws or ERP s/ws with which can provide real-time Fault management system, Load analysis, Designing capabilities and so many other exciting features.
The real power of GIS is as a tool to increase operational efficiencies. I come at it from a more engineering-centric view and therefore not one of absolutes. When an engineer is looking to design a network, dam, or building for that matter, it is important that they know what the conditions are at the site. GIS allows them to understand a number of conditional attributes and onsite conditions (to a number of things). At this scoping or pre-feasibility phase, the level of accuracy required is really quite small. That is the reason utility co.s and engg. applcations dont require precision of coordinates. Engineers typically go through a series of phases (scoping, pre-feasibility, feasibility and design) which allow them to start at a very small scale and narrow the choices for the ultimate purpose. The power of GIS for these engineers is in avoiding costly and time consuming field visits and some level of simulation in the office.
So what does all this have to do with increased profitability for the typical business? I believe that, just as with engineering where you have to align the use of GIS with your objectives, in business you must also keep clearly defined 'business goals' in mind. Before diving into GIS analysis ask the question, how will GIS help this process and will it make it more efficient. In most cases the answers you get from using GIS are not as accurate as physical field work; however, using GIS to narrow the choices for fieldwork can be a very efficient and cost effective solution? In some cases GIS can also accomplish certain tasks in a fraction of the time it would take to accomplish using more traditional methods.
Anyway, GIS is a tool like any other IT application. It relies on skilled use to create a desired result by manipulating your database. The skill not only comes from knowing what buttons to push but also knowing what the appropriate processes as well as understanding the desired result. For ex. many orhanisations have realised now that GIS is a wasteful expenditure with no justification for RoI. Its time to correct the expectations and contain the hype created by sales and marketing persons that "GIS is the answer to their all kinds of problems" if you buy their boxes. GIS is nothing more than a location based "Asset Management System" that can be integrated with some other non-GIS applications. Most of the co.s fail to do that and they end up with CAD++ with all the expensive sw's instead of a real enterprise GIS due to lack of vision and expertise at right level. Use it as an enabling technology to improve your efficiency and not as a tool to print drawings, reports and posters.
As Joel Barker says;
Vision without Action is just a dream.
Action without Vision just passes the time.
Vision with Action can change the world.
Vision without Action is just a dream.
Action without Vision just passes the time.
Vision with Action can change the world.
