Corporate Geographical Information Science to an Organization - Essay Example

?Q From a management perspective discuss the implications of introducing a corporate GIS to an organization: Ans. Managers happen to be one of the primary drivers of the implementation of corporate GIS in organization. According to (Ferrari and Onsrud, 1995), successful implementation of the corporate GIS in any organization depends, to much an extent, on the managerial skills and characteristics of the individual managers. Shared managerial vision and understanding about the use of corporate GIS is fundamental to the success of the GIS project. Also, it is imperative that the vision of the organizational personnel, and most importantly, the managers, is consistent with the GIS vision. Therefore, it can be said that managers assume the key responsibility of the successful implementation of corporate GIS in an organization. In order to accomplish that, managers need to overcome the barriers and address the implications that result from the implementation. The following text discusses some of the implications of introducing the corporate GIS to an organization from a managers’ perspective. Many companies have conventionally invested quite a lot in different GIS resources that include but are not limited to software, hardware, and human resources. As a result of that, management has demanded tangible outcomes on the sum invested. Management in any organization expects to receive tangible outcomes from the implementation of corporate GIS. If the management does not acquire tangible outcomes soon, there is little likelihood for management of continuing its support for the corporate GIS. Many case studies have traditionally shown that many information systems experience such hurdles (Otawa, n.d.). Researchers like (Saarinen, 1987) have devised organization-wide solutions in order to meet the challenges associated with implementation of corporate GIS in the organization. There is need to make the organizational diagnosis more focused so that managerial support for the implementation of corporate GIS in the organization can be enhanced. One of the most fundamental implications for managers in the way of implementing a corporate GIS in an organization is the obstacle of lack of skill and knowledge in the staff that is required to operate the GIS. In order to make the system effective with the corporate GIS, employees need to be trained on the use of GIS. To achieve that, it is required of the managers to arrange training programs for the employees in which they may be offered education about the use of GIS. In addition to that, managers need to work out the best time that is suitable for the on-job training from the duty hours available to them. Not just that, managers need to convince the top management and / or the owners to bear the expenses thus incurred. Education of the organizational staff is compulsory, though it consumes additional cost. With that, management who is already skeptical about the idea of implementation of corporate GIS in the organization becomes even more repulsive towards it. In addition to the lack of employees education as discussed above, Management also has to suffer from a lack of GIS data of sufficiently high quality. Although in recent years, there has been improvement in the availability of the required GIS data for organizational use, though this does not essentially mean that the improved availability has also improved the accuracy of the data. Many of the GIS databases are outdated because they have not been updated on a regular basis. Other implications for implementing corporate GIS in organization for managers include but are not limited to“(1) data inaccuracies – both spatial and attribute, (2) data conversion issues, e.g., digitizing and format translations, and simply (3) the lack of data necessary to perform routine job duties” (Otawa, n.d.). GIS can not be implemented on a higher level unless these concerns are addressed. All of these factors need to be taken into consideration and taken adequate measures for in order to gain maximum benefit from the systems installed. Moreover, the commitment of an organization towards the GIS keeps fluctuating with the passage of time. Keeping this into consideration, managers in an organization must keep their approach towards the introduction of corporate GIS quite flexible. They should concentrate their attention on managing the tight ties between various modules of the GIS. This would in turn, ensure that they achieve a well integrated corporate GIS. As a result of their research, Chan and Williamson (2000) have introduced a three-stage approach for developing such a model of GIS. According to Chan and Williamson (2000), the first stage comprises the creation of a “business process GIS module” that would gain the consent and approval of top management with regard to the development of GIS. The second stage involves development of a “central corporate GIS” with the assistance of top management. This helps in the development of a framework for future development of GIS in the very organization. The last stage comprises encouragement of the development of GIS in various units of the business using “one of the three patterns of GIS development, namely, systematic , opportunistic-business process, and opportunistic-infrastructure” (Chan and Williamson, 2000, p. 302). Meanwhile, it should be ensured that the business units comply with the standards of the organization in their GIS capabilities. Q. 2: Examine the purpose of employing a cost-benefit approach in implementing GIS in an organization: Ans. In any organization’s decision making and strategic planning processes, adopting the cost and benefit approach in implementing GIS is extremely important. It is not easy to estimate the economics of implementing GIS in an organization. The issues of cost estimation include but are not limited to accurate estimation of the training of staff, determination of data and service cost, finding cost of software and hardware equipment for organizational use. Alternative scenarios of implementation are identified and cost is compared with them to find out the most cost effective alternative. The evaluation of benefits includes fair identification of external indirect and direct advantages. A lot of such organizational elements are affected by the GIS application’s user interface particularly as the length of operation or the effort required to do it is measured. As the business entrepreneurs tend to conceive the users’ flow of work in context of the environment and culture of the organization, they get in a better position to determine the value of the associated costs and benefits. The method of cost benefit analysis (CBA) makes the process of decision making more objective by minimizing the uncertainty. Likewise, by replacing the emotions and opinions with a well developed framework, the method of CBA reduces uncertainty during planning of each of the several alternative GIS. Conducting CBA is important because it assists in comparing the different options of GIS. It is difficult to take decisions in the public sector because many financial and policy related factors are involved. On the other hand, private enterprises are mainly concerned about the bottom line of the accountant. Conducting CBA is purposeful because it enables the entrepreneurs to assess the benefits of a particular application of GIS and compare it to those offered b conventional procedures of work that do not make use of GIS. CBA typically covers the following points, CBA allows the business owners to assess the full ownership and utility cost of the GIS application along with assessment of the overhead charges throughout the duration for which the application is used. CBA allows the entrepreneurs to assess the time which the key organizational tasks would consume. The time thus estimated gives information about the total cost that would be incurred. CBA elaborates the benefits of GIS application CBA realizes all alternatives and assesses possible solutions to the problems. In order to make accurate cost benefit analysis, it needs to be understood that results take time to show up. In the initial years of application, costs far exceed the benefits, because the whole setup is in the development stages. No immediate benefits are derived from the initial planning, automation of data, staffing of employees, their training and competence enhancement, development of application, and development of system that is done upfront. In a vast majority of cases, benefits commence to show up no earlier than the second year of GIS application in the organization. With the passage of time, benefits become so voluminous that they easily exceed the annual cost of operation. It is not meaningful to make the cost benefit analysis over a very lengthy period of time. If the horizon of planning becomes too extended, there occurs room for uncertainties to arise. There is no doubt in the fact that the advances in software and hardware take place. However, their impact on the organizational costs and benefits is just too subjective and not quite assessable. It is advisable to have a planning horizon based on a maximum of 6 years. The fundamental purpose of carrying out the cost and benefit analysis of GIS application is to find out whether this goes in favor of the business owners in the long run.   References: Chan, T. O., and Williamson, I. P. (2000). Long term management of a corporate GIS. INT. J. Geographical Information Science. 14(3): 283-303. Ferrari, R., and Onsrud, H. J. (1995). Understanding Guidance on GIS Implementation: A Comprehensive Literature Review. National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, Technical Report No. 95-13. Otawa, T. (n.d.). Benefits And Obstacles Of GIS Implementations: Recent Perceptual Shifts And Implications For City And Regional Planning Organizations. University of Idaho. Retrieved from http://www.gisdevelopment.net/proceedings/gita/2004/papers/048.pdf. Saarinen, Allan O. (1987). Improving Information Systems Development Success under Different Organizational Conditions. Proceedings of the 25th Conference of Urban and Regional Information Systems Association II: 1-12. Read More