Managing Geographic Information Systems

by Obermeyer, Nancy J.; Pinto, Jeffrey K.

• ISBN13: 9781593856359
• ISBN10: 1593856350
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-12-03
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

Now in a fully revised and expanded second edition, this widely adopted text and practical reference addresses all aspects of developing and using geographic information systems (GIS) within an organization. Coverage includes the role of the GIS professional, how geographic information fits into broader management information systems, the use of GIS in strategic planning, and ways to navigate the organizational processes that support or inhibit the success of GIS implementation. All chapters retained from the prior edition have been thoroughly updated to reflect significant technological, empirical, and conceptual advances, as well as the changing contexts of GIS use. New chapters discuss organizational politics, metadata, legal issues, and GIS ethics.

Author Biography

 

Nancy J. Obermeyer, PhD, is Associate Professor of Geography at Indiana State University. Her research interests include GIS implementation issues, public-participation GIS, professionalism, and ethics. Dr. Obermeyer began her professional life in several Illinois state agencies, working as an analyst in the Office of Planning, an energy planner in the Department of Energy and Natural Resources, and a project manager in the Department of Transportation. She was a member of the founding Board of Directors of the GIS Certification Institution (GISCI), and currently serves on GISCI’s Ethics Committee.

 

Jeffrey K. Pinto, PhD, is Professor of Management at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. His research interests include project management, information system implementation, power and political processes in organizations, and the diffusion of innovations. Dr. Pinto holds the Andrew Morrow and Elizabeth Lee Black Chair in Management of Technology, has received the Distinguished Contribution Award from the Project Management Institute and the Behrend Council of Fellows Research Award, and has consulting experience with a number of major organizations.

 

Table of Contents

The Continuing Need for a Management Focus in GIS	p. 1
Purpose and Objectives	p. 3
The Chapters	p. 4
Conclusions	p. 8
Geographic Information Science: Evolution of a Profession	p. 10
From GI Systems to GI Science	p. 10
Professionalism in GIS	p. 11
The Evidence	p. 15
The Role of Geographic Information within an Organization's IT	p. 20
An Overview of Management	p. 22
The Role of Information Systems	p. 24
The Role of Information within an Organization's Operations	p. 25
Information Needs across Organization Levels	p. 26
Managerial Decision Making	p. 30
Major Components of an IS	p. 35
Geographic Information and IS	p. 37
Conclusions	p. 39
Keeping the G in GIS: Why Geography Still Matters	p. 40
Background	p. 41
Analytical Examples	p. 43
Maps and Their Appropriate Use	p. 55
A Three-Point Approach to Responsible GIS Application	p. 57
Conclusions	p. 59
GIS and the Strategic Planning Process	p. 61
What Is Strategic Planning?	p. 62
The Process of Strategic Planning	p. 67
Analyzing the Competitive Situation: The Five-Forces Model	p. 73
Conclusions	p. 80
Implementing a GIS: Theories and Practice	p. 81
Definition of Implementation Success	p. 84
Implementation Models	p. 93
GIS Implementation Studies	p. 94
Assessment of Implementation Success	p. 97
Content and Process Models of Implementation	p. 101
Implications for Implementation Research and Practice	p. 109
Conclusions	p. 113
Organizational Politics and GIS Implementation	p. 114
The Challenger Disaster	p. 115
Xerox Alto	p. 116
Airbus A-380	p. 117
Why Organizational Politics Matter	p. 117
Politics and Public-Sector Information Technology	p. 120
Political Impacts of IT and GIS	p. 121
Do Public-Sector Differences Affect Implementation?	p. 126
Bases for Organizational Politics: Six Propositions	p. 129
Organizational Political Behavior: A Framework	p. 132
Positive Political Behavior for Successful GIS	p. 138
GIS Implementation and OPB: Two Illustrative Cases	p. 147
Conclusions	p. 163
Economic Justification for GIS Implementation	p. 165
An Introduction to Basic Benefit-Cost Analysis	p. 166
Benefits and Costs in the Analysis	p. 167
Refinements of Basic Benefit-Cost Analysis	p. 173
Conclusions	p. 186
Sharing Geographic Information across Organizational Boundaries	p. 187
Information-Sharing Alliances	p. 189
A Theory of Information-Sharing Strategies	p. 190
Antecedents and Consequences of Information Sharing	p. 192
A Conceptual Framework	p. 196
The Need for Information Sharing	p. 198
Antecedents of Interorganizational Cooperation	p. 198
Information Exchange	p. 205
Consequences of Cross-Functional Cooperation	p. 206
Motivations for Information Sharing: Research Findings	p. 207
Conclusions	p. 222
Metadata for Geographic Information	p. 224
What Metadata Are and Why They Are Needed	p. 224
U.S. National Map Accuracy Standards: A Precursor to GIS Metadata	p. 226
The Standardization of Metadata	p. 227
Elements of FGDC Metadata	p. 229
"Don't Duck the Metadata"	p. 236
Policy Conflicts and the Role of GIS: Public Participation and GIS	p. 237
Cognitive versus Interest Conflict	p. 239
A Model of Conflict	p. 242
An Example of Conflict	p. 243
A Hypothesis about GIS and Conflict	p. 246
Public Participation GIS: Good News for a Democracy	p. 248
Conclusions	p. 251
Ensuring the Qualifications of GIS Professionals	p. 253
Background	p. 256
Expertise as a Foundation for Certification and Accreditation	p. 257
Certification and Licensure in Two Other Fields	p. 260
Accreditation: A Brief Description	p. 264
The GIS Certification Program	p. 265
UCGIS Model Curriculum/Body of Knowledge	p. 269
What to Do in the Meantime	p. 270
Conclusions	p. 271
Legal Issues in GIS	p. 272
An Overview of GIS Law	p. 272
Liability	p. 273
Public Access, Use, and Ownership of Data	p. 277
Intellectual Property Rights	p. 281
Copyright	p. 283
Data Privacy	p. 285
Evidentiary Admissibility of GIS Products	p. 290
Conclusions	p. 293
Ethics for the GIS Professional	p. 294
History of the GIS Ethics Movement	p. 295
Ethics Defined	p. 297
Ethics and Professional Obligations	p. 299
GISCI Code of Ethics	p. 307
Further Steps to Foster Ethics among GIS Professionals	p. 311
Conclusions	p. 312
Envisioning a Future	p. 313
References	p. 321
Index	p. 347
About the Authors	p. 360
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