Geographic Information System Approach - Research Proposal Example

Wong, I. & Hillier, A.E. (2001). Evaluating a community-based homelessness prevention program: A geographic information system approach. Administration For Social Work, 25(4), 21-45 Article Summary The paper’s intention is to examine the use of a Geographic Information System (GIS) in investigating how social services are employed in community-based interventions. Particularly, it examines how can GIS be integrated in the supervision of community-based programs that are being executed in the whole city. The programs are for providing support during urgent situations and for the supervision of cases in homelessness avoidance. Aside from these, the paper also intends to look for other methods that can help enhance the directing of these services to areas that have elevated risk of homelessness. To achieve these objectives, the authors devise two evaluation questions: 1. What is the geographic distribution of Community-Based Homelessness Prevention Program (CHPP) participants in relation to the distribution of the risk of homelessness and the location of homelessness preventions sites? (p.26) 2. In what ways can the location of CHPP sites can be modified to facilitate closer adherence to the concept of community-based homelessness prevention? (p.26) To be able to answer these questions, the authors gathered their data from the management information systems of CHPP and Philadelphia’s, focus city of the study, centralized public shelter system which is called Office of Emergency and Shelter Services (OESS). Information obtained from the databases where then entered into a GIS system for analysis. Results of the study show that amalgamating the data from the databases into a single geographic-based system, greatly benefited social workers and administrators. Benefits from the system include capability to oversee how frequent the services are being availed, ability to evaluate the degree of conformity of program centers to the recommended community-base program model, aid in deciding strategic locations for program centers, and pinpoint neighborhoods that has the highest needs. Critical Analysis of the Article The paper was able to establish that by combining traditional databases with a more advance system like GIS benefits may be yielded that are worth the investment. Although the system may have some limitations and may not fully answer all the questions regarding homelessness program implementation, information extracted could direct administrators to a clearer comprehension of the factors surrounding the implementation process of the community-based programs. It is also a good point that the authors illustrated that technology alone is not enough to achieve their goal. Technology should be used in combination with other methods to be able to attain the needed results. Crumplin, W. (2007). Geographic Information Systems as Media and Society: Does GIS Wear a White or Black Stetson? Cartographica, 42(1), 65-86 Article Summary The author aims to explain Geographic Information Systems in terms of Marshall McLuhan’s theories of media. McLuhan’s theories are presented in four questions that a researcher could use to guide him in the research process. The approach proposed by McLuhan was used by the authors in their case studies which focus on the utilization of GIS systems; it is called the tetradic approach. This approach helps the authors explain the impact of a GIS system in terms of social, cultural, economic, and political factors. The tetradic approach also shows that GIS is a multifaceted system that cannot be simply categorized as bad, neutral or good. The case studies conducted by the author also support the thesis of the paper that GIS is a form of media. This is because GIS is a tool used to convey resolution for geographic troubles experienced in different situations. As a media, the paper points out that GIS can affect political, social, and cultural surroundings. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind these points when programming, operating or scrutinizing GIS systems. The paper concludes that by adopting the GIS as a media framework, one can have a better appreciation of its multifaceted relationship with society. Critical Analysis of the Article This paper is very helpful for other researchers looking for information on how GIS can be analyzed from an objective point of view. Since GIS system has been receiving criticisms as being biased, the approach presented by the author is a good way of showing the complex nature of a GIS system. Presenting information on how a GIS system impacts different areas of society can help various readers in understanding this technology. Mitasova, H. & Neteler, M. (2004). GRASS as Open Source Free Software GIS: Accomplishments and Perspectives. Transactions in GIS, 8(2), 145-154 Article Summary In this paper, the authors presented detailed information about a GIS system called GRASS which stands for Geographic Resources Analysis Support System. History, capabilities and future of the software was discussed as well. GRASS started as a military supported system in 1982 until 1995. The project was supervised by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL); it is used for terrain management and military setups. Due to pressure from commercial GIS systems, the government ended its support for the project. A new development team was formed in 1997 and by 1999 the project adopted the Open Source philosophy, opening the project to the public. The development model was also described where there is an open group that makes critical decisions about the programming of the software. While any problems with the software can be submitted using an on-line bug-tracking system that has a very fast response time. The paper also explores the capabilities of the software like spatial analysis, raster data analysis, and basic image processing. The authors also expressed their vision for the software that it will remain free for all but will have enhanced features and better modularity so that it may be able to support local and more specific applications. Critical Analysis of the Article No arguments are present in the article but the authors provide substantial information about the GRASS GIS. This paper will be useful for seekers of in-depth information about the software. This will be a good article for developers who wish to know more about GRASS since it presents useful information about its development model and where it could be accessed. However, the article lacks comparison data with any commercial GIS system. Luger, M. & Maynard, N. (2007). Information and Communication Technology and the Places Left Behind. Prometheus, 25(3), 267-282 Article Summary Authors of the article seek to find an answer on why some areas are able to implement ICT initiatives properly while others cannot. The article centers on the function of ICT policy design and implementation in creating a knowledge-based economy for depressed neighborhoods in the USA. The authors developed three hypotheses that were tested during the study. These hypotheses are created based from analysis of related literature, known practices in the field and consultation with a national advisory board. The study adopted a case study analysis for its methodology. Cases are meticulously selected to achieve diversity and most types of technology infrastructure interventions are represented. The three hypotheses are as follows: 1. Linkages among government, education and industry are a critical success factor for ICT interventions. State policies and corporate actions are important determinants of local ‘success’ 2. Because of the long-term and expensive nature of ICT, vision and leadership are critical success factors 3. Investments in technology infrastructure must be part of a larger local planning process to succeed The hypotheses were tested and the study found out the first hypothesis to be true. The three institutions are critical for the success of ICT interventions. Although vision and leadership are not easy to measure the authors were able to prove that this is also necessary for any initiatives like ICT. The last hypothesis was also found to be true. There are special cases though where absence of planning is compensated by strong leadership but planning alone is also not enough as well. Critical Analysis of the Article This article will be particularly helpful for public officials who are planning to implement ICT initiatives in their area. The study offers key points that can help assure success of the initiative. The hypotheses that were proven to be true by the authors can guide anyone planning ICT projects. Critical factors for success that was discussed in the study should be considered by administrators of ICT projects especially those that are intended for the community. De Moor, A. & Whitworth, B. (2003). Legitimate by design: towards trusted socio-technical systems. Behaviour and Information Technology, 22(1), 31-51 Article Summary Social software like online communities and e-commerce are the main focus of this article. The authors argue that social software like this should be developed with legitimacy in mind. This means that privacy, copyright, censorship, and intellectual property is honored by the software. The paper asserts that without legitimacy social software are bound to fail. Since social software build communities out of its users the developers of the software will have accountability to them. It is their duty to create social software that adheres to basic social rights to be able to prosper. The reason behind this is that online communities created by social software rely heavily on trust, if the site is not trusted it will lose audience which will eventually lead to its closure. To be able to gain trust of software users, the software should be legitimate. The paper also presents a way on how legitimacy could be embedded in the design of this kind of software. The approach is called legitimacy analysis which could be used to analyze different social software like online shopping websites, online games, chat rooms and social networking sites. In conclusion, the author calls for change in the design phase of any social software and that is to create it with legitimacy. Critical Analysis of the Article This paper presented a very important issue when it comes to online communities and that is trust. It is true that trust is very critical for social networks to prosper since personal information is used by these sites. With growing cases of identity theft, it is important that the site or social community we join in is trusted in keeping private information truly private. As technology advances, more and more people are now doing most of their daily transactions online. It is then vital that information software are built to protect the basic rights of the users especially privacy. Gill, D., Grice, S.M., Parisi, D. & Taquino, M. (2004). Civic Responsibility and the Environment: Linking Local Conditions to Community Environmental Activeness. Society and Natural Resources, 17, 97-112 Article Summary The research aims to explain how social capital, economic, and spatial conditions can affect the level of community environmental activeness in an area by combining these factors in one analytical framework. To answer this question, the authors initially used a GIS system to pinpoint communities that will be included in the study. After which a key informant methodology was created to be able to collect data about the amount of community environmental activeness and community social capital. While the 1990 census was used to collect information about community economic conditions and community spatial identity. Results of the study show that community environmental activeness increases as social capital increase. In addition, the level of activeness also increases as the size of the neighborhood increases; but the level decreases if the neighborhood is a depressed area and if status of education is poor. These results have proven that social capital plays an important role in the creation of environmental initiatives as well as economic and spatial conditions. Critical Analysis of the Article As the authors mentioned, the study did provide important insights in understanding the link between activeness of the community and factors like social capital, economic, and spatial conditions; however there are also other factors that can affect this like for example presence of elite groups. Thus, further research will be needed on this matter and the methodology created by the authors could be used in performing a cross-comparative analysis. This methodology can help in locating, assessing and comparing communities for future study. The article is beneficial for activists and researchers alike. Although the study focused more on the issue of community environmental activeness, the use of a GIS system in identifying communities has shown the usefulness of the technology in the research field. Giordano, D. (2004). Shared values as anchors of a learning community: a case study in information systems design. Journal of Educational Media, 29(3), 213-227 Article Summary Discussion of the article starts off with learning anchors which pertain to a set of information that a learner uses as a basis for making sense of data. The author called it the anchored instruction approach which focuses on acquainting the learners with realistic subject matters and problems solving situations that can help them create ‘anchors’ that are significant. Thus, this research centers around another form of anchor which is shared values. The study aims to inspect how shared values can affect both the individual and organization learning of a community while doing an information system design assignment. Participants of the study are neophyte system designers, mostly students of information systems analysis and design. They are supported by an online shared design database which permits recycling of design standards, distribution of peer reviews and inspection of relations between design cases as a result of recycling designs. The value being discussed in the article pertains to the best pieces of the system design that are important to the designers. The paper contends that value is created and conveyed as designers discuss among themselves the design details. The participants use this method to be able to create meaning and to handle the intricacy of the design assignment. The study shows that recycling designs enhance the output of a design beginner and through design review the value system being implemented can be maintained. Critical Analysis of the Article The article can be very helpful for instructors trying to design the best approach in teaching novel information systems design students while maintaining the value system standard of the school. Results of the study can help instructors understand how new technology like the Internet can help in sharing information and how it can disrupt the value system if not maintained properly. Engeland, J. & Peressini, T. (2004). The Homelessness Individuals and Families Information System: A Case Study in Canadian Capacity Building. Canadian Journal of Urban Research, 13(2), 347-361 Article Summary Homelessness Individuals and Families Information System or HIFIS is the focus of the article. It is a system that tries to address the problem of Canada about the absence of premium and trustworthy information regarding the homeless. HIFIS is a joint effort of government administrators, university scholars, social service providers, front-line workers and the homeless themselves. The system is a governmental tool that aims to support shelter providers in collecting longitudinal, multi-location, standardized data about the homeless. The data will be used in enhancing service coordination, program development and public policy. Developers then identified some issues about the system; first is the information security of homeless individual to be able to protect their privacy, and second who holds the jurisdiction and rights over the information gathered. This was addressed as the developers incorporate various security measures in the system which include: high-level data encryption, encryption of consumer’s personal information when sharing data, security training for shelter administrators, and the establishment of HIFIS as a community-owned initiative, controlled by a local coordinator heading up a committee of shelter executives. At the end of the initiative, proponents of HIFIS learned two key lessons from the project. First, for any broad community initiative it is critical that support and partnership from of all those involve are gained to make it successful. This can be done with patience, effort and time. Second, problems involved in the execution of the initiative at the bottom level of the organization are often times hard to determine. Throughout the initiative implementation, the developers encounter resistance from the front-line workers who are not ready for change. This just proves that it is critical for implementation success that cooperation from all levels is gained. Critical Analysis of the Article This article could serve as guide for other communities who plan to implement a complex and comprehensive system just like HIFIS. The steps, issues and resolutions encountered in this study can be used as a guideline on what to do and not what to do. System like HIFIS should be used and implemented more by communities so that there is a single repository for information that can be used to improve government policies. A central database like HIFIS can help in maintaining integrity and security of such information. Longan, M. (2005). Visions of community and mobility: the community networking movement in the USA. Social and Cultural Geography, 6(6), 849-864 Article Summary Technology has advanced exponentially since the time of our ancestors and together with it how we interact with each other. Nowadays, most people join online community networks to know and share news about the community instead of meeting face-to-face. As online communities like these grow, two perspectives on the purpose of such infrastructure emerge. The instrumental vision sees the online community as an instrument that can be used to access local and global information. It is a place that brings together the community and thus it is beneficial to the community regardless if members share personal information or not. On the other hand, the communicative vision sees the online community as a tool that can bind the community towards social change and political action. It is an online community that mixes itself with the physical or real community since members share personal information online. The paper examines the relationship between these two visions as it molds and directs how online communities are constructed. Results of the study show that by combing both the online and physical spaces, communities can have a more effective tool in empowering the people. Critical Analysis of the Article Activists who wish to use the Internet as tool for political and social movement can obtain useful information on how to make their online spaces more effective in influencing members for change. Findings from this study can also be used by anyone who wants to empower their web space to be more than a website. Srinivasan, R. (2006). Where Information Society and Community Voice Intersect. The Information Society, 22, 355-365 Article Summary This study asserts that in the development of an information and communication technology (ICT) initiatives, it is critical that the target community be involved in every step of the way. This is because most ICT developments predetermine the goals and objectives of the community without consultation. It is critical that the community participates in the development stage especially in identifying goals to ensure return in investment. One should keep in mind that it is the community who will use the system and if it is not aligned with what the community wants to achieve then it will only be a useless investment. Critical Analysis of the Article The models and methodology presented in the article will be useful for developers of community-bases ICT initiatives. These methods incorporated steps in permitting the community air out their personal objectives when it comes to information sharing and how the system will impact the culture, politics and economy of the community. Read More