Toward that end, the OpenGIS Consortium (OGC) has developed and initiated test-beds and technical specifications which would enable higher levels of connection between brands while recognising the schema is unique to each. This would result in any type of spatial data being able to be transferred to any other computer regardless of proprietary operating system and software. The efforts of OGC show great promise and have resulted in several major industry manufacturers and suppliers becoming involved in and supporting OGC compliance.
At the same time, as e-government unfolds, there is a greater need to include geo-spatial information within the enterprise. That recognises the fact that e-government operations and services are spatially based. Everything we do as individuals, enterprises and governments has a location. Therefore, enabling a connection between GIS and IT within enterprises and between governments as well as citizens will result in major benefits. Those benefits can be as simple as infrastructure inventory within a government department to extended call centre services that are spatially enabled. Customer Resource Management (CRM) is a part of GIS – it is also a part of IT. Yet, few organisations are aware of GIS and a gap exists between GIS and IT. There are reasons for that.
It is not a simple matter to integrate GIS and IT. The problems, however, do not lie on the technical side so much as within the management and strategic vision of large organisations and governments. OGC conformity has in fact reached a level that surpasses much of the software incompatibility problems normally associated with general IT – that is, the geo-spatial world has resolved several issues. Not all of them, but enough that GIS is ready to exist within IT very effectively.
What that means to forward-looking enterprises is a return on investment (ROI) of almost four to one in most cases within a few years. Why? Because when an enterprise is spatially enabled, then all of the current data that exist within IT can be used in a spatial manner extending the value of the data – while providing new services and increased efficiencies.
The leap from an IT focus to one that includes GIS or geo-spatial services is not made easily. It requires upper management to understand and appreciate that one plus one will equal three. Difficulties are encountered when an organisation does not appreciate that GIS offers unique capabilities, and instead it integrates them into the IT environment, but still has not pursued ‘geo-enabling’ their employees: One has to also think spatially to acquire the benefits.
The net result of integrating GIS with IT is that it will present some bold, new and challenging opportunities about the way that companies and organisations do business – their workflows will be changed markedly. That then requires that those organisations identify workflow change as an outcome that is part of the integration process. Therefore, it is much more than simply moving data from GIS into the mainstream IT environment.
E-government is a strategic approach that will result in individuals, companies and governments performing their tasks differently, and accessing and disseminating information differently, and ultimately in efficiencies in savings. GIS will be a major part of that challenge and one that has not yet been widely recognised – although a few enterprises are embarking on the integration process.
Quelle: europemedia
