Introducing GIS technology in organizations and incorporating its capabilities into ongoing functions and work processes is an exciting but also challenging endeavor. It is a change process that has to be carefully planned and managed in all its technical and non-technical details. While the technology itself (hardware and software) and to some extent the database development receive a disproportionate attention, the soft infrastructures tend to be neglected, although it has been proven many times over to be the main cause of implementation setbacks and failures. This infrastructure includes human and financial resources and organizational / institutional context in which GIS implementation is taking place. Socio-technical design approach considers technology, people, and organizational issues in the process of system development, use, and maintenance. The many implementation obstacles, such as funding, staffing, coordination, politics, and communication, can be effectively dealt with through management. Management is intended to guide GIS implementation, ensure controlled and effective use of resources, and deal with problems and opportunities. Following is a selection of management topics that will be addressed in the presentation: •Needs assessment •Objectives and requirements •Organizational support •Implementation strategies •Funding / investments •Expertise: technicians, analysts and users •Data development and maintenance •System organization and policies •Evaluation (e.g., cost-benefit)
Dr. Zorica Nedovic-Budic is Associate Professor of urban planning and geographic information systems (GIS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She got her PhD degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has taught GIS courses for undergraduate and graduate students and workshops for urban planning professionals and local government officials for over 10 years. She has conducted research on diffusion and implementation of GIS technology in local government settings and development of spatial data infrastructures. She has also managed a number of GIS application projects in the US and internationally. Most recently, she has contributed to the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science’s (UCGIS’s) Geographic Information Systems and Urban Indicator Analysis Workshop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and held in June 2004 in Guadalajara, Mexico. She currently serves on the UCGIS Board of Directors and has been an active member of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA). For the past six years she contributed as a co-editor of the Journal of the American Planning Association book reviews and URISA Journal’s literature reviews.