Saturday, October 6, 2012

GIS: From Tool to Spatial Data Information System


Five years ago, I started this blog. GIS has graduated from a data capture and manipulation tool to SDIS and merged with the mainstream IT system.  Today’s GIS includes lots of technologies, from programming, remote sensing, web, html, database, IT networking, server management, scripting or automation to route and network analysis…and the list goes on. The problem is that we cannot have every skill on the list in reality. I mean all of these are good skills to GIS; we just cannot be an expert on all subjects. Additionally, GIS is not a pure science, it rests applications. This means, on top of GIS, we will need background knowledge of the discipline whatever the choice for the applications of GIS.

Consider a planner in Public Works Department needs to work on a roadway expansion project, or increase the posted speed limit. The planner might use GIS to (a) identify where to put noise sensors measuring noise impacts in the study, or (b) to use GIS to justify that the noise impacts in an environmental study are within acceptable limits, (c) or use GIS to produce maps explaining the road expansion project and related mitigations in a public hearing. The planner might use GIS to determine the radius of area in which affected homes would receive notifications to attend a coming public hearing. Another planner works on airport expansion project might use GIS to determine which homes can receive free triple-pane window replacement as mitigation to noise impacts justified by an environmental impact report. Examples go on and on. 

When looking at these examples, obviously GIS is used as a tool to achieve the business objectives, to facilitate the operations or justify the legal fulfillment of having environment impact studies done, or simply justify a ‘go ahead’ for a project. The output from the GIS becomes the input to the business process or reaching business decisions. To implement and build the roadway expansion, we will need planners, engineers. GIS is used as a tool to assist reaching the goal. In reality, many engineering departments will assign GIS duties to experience planners instead of creating a ‘pure’ GIS function.

Nevertheless, there are areas that GIS has less emphasis on requiring background knowledge of disciplines, such as creating geo-data for base map, or GIS function in publishing maps in redevelopment agency. But when you think about sanitary base map, don’t you think that the department would want someone who knows GIS and at the same time has sanitary engineering background to understand and read the sanitary construction engineering drawings to ensure accurate data are captured into GI system? 

If you have engineering background, the engineering background will be the core skills that lead you to the appropriate position in engineering related job, and GIS skills would be the secondary skills that make you more successful and ready for the peripheral GIS duties often added to the engineering tasks. GIS is good to have it, but you want to use it in combining with your background and core skills. Out of the GIS skills, you might want to focus on database queries, spatial analysis, CAD interoperability and some mapping skills. As to almost all disciplines programming is helpful. If you perceive you would have lots of repeated tasks, programming in GIS helps to deal with that.

GIS is still a very powerful and useful tool. Like many other professions, it’s a matter of how to apply the technology, and that makes a difference. It is important to find out where you stand in using a technology in combining with other skills you have. GIS would not mean the same for everyone.


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