GIS and Organizations How effective are GIS in practice?

• Main Authors: Campbell, Heather (Author), Masser, Ian (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Boca Raton, Florida Taylor & Francis 1995
• Subjects: Local government > Data processing > Great Britain; Geographic information systems
• Online Access: Click Here to View Status and Holdings.
• Physical Description: x, 178 pages illustrations 23 cm
• Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (pages 164-172) and index
• ISBN: 0748402055; 9780748402052

For over a decade the various technologies that make up GIS have been vigorously promoted as a panacea for any organisation which routinely has to handle spatially referenced data, and the payback has been characterised in terms of improved operational efficiency, open and immediate access, enhanced analytical facilities, greater speed and flexibility, and so on. Yet the hype prompts questions. What is the rate off GIS diffusion? How do you achieve effective implementation in practice? What are GIS used for? What is the relationship between GIS and organisations? In placing these questions at the heart of their book Heather Campbell and Ian Masser set out to stimulate and contribute to the debate: despite their technologically innovative status, and the enormous growth in the acquisition of GIS by business and government (both local and central), very little is known about the actual impact these new technologies are having in practice.