Exploit the advantages of Geographic Information Systems in your business Once the domain of cartographers and other specialists, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are increasingly being employed by the business community. Location-based services, supply chain management, management of field-distributed equipment, geographical marketing and promotion, and the spatial web are some of the current business applications which make use of GIS principles. Written specifically for the businessperson, Geo-Business: GIS in the Digital Organization is the first book to provide comprehensive coverage of GIS applications in the business and organizational environment. Going beyond a strictly geographical focus, this book sets GIS in the context of business information systems and other business sub-disciplines such as logistics, marketing, finance, and strategic management. It presents from an organizational perspective the advantages of spatially enabling existing enterprise systems and illustrates how GIS is applied in the real world through rigorous case study analyses of twenty companies, including Baystate Health, Chico’s, Kaiser Permanente, Lamar Advertising Company, Rand McNally, Southern Company, Sears Roebuck, and Sperry Van Ness. In this book, you’ll find out: What GIS is and how it can be integrated into your organization’s existing information infrastructure. How GIS is currently making businesses better, and how you can apply the same techniques to your industry or organization. The expanding roles of GIS and spatial technologies in the web and mobile environments. The ethical, legal, and security issues of special technologies How to conduct a cost/benefit and ROI analyses for GIS. Grounded in the real world of business and IT, Geo-Business will show you how spatially enabling your IT systems can give you a unique advantage to beat your competitors in the market, win and retain customers, grow your business, make better decisions, develop new products and services, and optimize your workflow.

Publisher Description

In placing these questions at the heart of their book, the authors set out to stimulate and contribute to the great debate: despite the enormous growth in the acquistion of GIS technology by business and government, little is known about the impact this leading- edge technology is having. Using case studies in a local government context, this book explores the performance of GIS in practice on the premise that any technology-led innovation will only "work" if the proper organizational and management support, infrastructure and culture exist. In doing so the authors draw on the experiences from organizational theory and management science in their quest to cast light on the processes influencing the implementation of technologies such as GIS.

This book contains state-of-the-art research studies on the concepts, theory, processes, and real world applications of geographical information systems (GIS) in business. Its chapters are authored by many of the leading experts in applying GIS and geospatial science to business. The book utilizes a wide variety of approaches and methodologies including conceptual theory development, research frameworks, quantitative and qualitative methods, case studies, systems design, DSS theory, and geospatial analysis combined with point-of-sale. Since relatively little research has been published on GIS in business, this book is pioneering and should be the principal compendium of the latest research in this area. The book impacts not only the underlying definitions, concepts, and theories of GIS in business and industry, but its practice as well.

This "how-to" book on planning and managing GIS within local government describes and details the key components of a successful enterprise, sustainable and enduring GIS. It describes the strategic planning process an organization must undertake prior to GIS implementation. The heart of the book is the formula for success that offers a systematic methodology for examining and benchmarking a GIS initiative and the practical and repeatable strategy for success. There are many obstacles to successful GIS implementation, and unfortunately, the local government landscape is riddled with false starts, poorly planned implementations, and glorified mapping systems. This book documents the reason for failure and possible remedies to overcome the challenges to implementation. It discusses pathways to change, ways of improving organizational effectiveness and efficiency, and lays out the organizational approaches, management processes, and leadership actions that are required for GIS to become an indispensable part of an organization. This book is about aiming high, so you can consistently hit your mark by formulating goals and objectives that will tremendously influence the success of a GIS initiative. It details the factors crucial for building an enterprise GIS vision statement that includes governance, data and databases, procedures and workflow, GIS software, GIS training and education, and infrastructure, and how to develop performance measures related to the stated objectives of an organization. The book combines theory with real-world experience to offer guidance on the process of managing GIS implementation. Through key components, this book introduces a new way to think about GIS technology.?

GIS projects have previously been viewed primarily as technical exercises but it is now evident that the success of GIS projects depends as much upon organisational issues as upon technicalities. GIS projects have socio-organisational contexts which must be taken into account if such projects are to succeed. The book presents an overview of the "human" side of GIS, both individual and organisational.

GIS for Business and Service Planning Edited by Paul Longley,Graham Clarke The field of geographical information systems (GIS) is developingrapidly, finding applications in an ever-widening range ofcommercial contexts. This volume examines the practical use of GISfor business and service planning. It considers ways in which GISmay be customised to meet specific user requirements and tackle theapplied research challenges of the late 1990s. GIS for Business andService Planning: * introduces the management, analysis and modelling of informationwithin GIS and considers some of the basic problems and pitfallsthat can occur in practice * covers the major topics of geodemographics and how geographicalinformation can be manipulated and merged into business applicationdatabases * discusses the relative merits of customised versus proprietarysolutions to business application databases * examines the range of consultancy applications of GIS forbusiness using international case studies, assessing how recentapplications have benefited from research developments * critically assesses GIS in the market place and evaluatesdifferent GIS strategies GIS for Business and Service Planning is essential reading for GISprofessionals, marketeers, GIS students and management scientists.The other contributors: Peter Batey (University of Liverpool), MarkBirkin (GMAP), Peter Brown (University of Liverpool), Martin Clarke(GMAP), Paul Cresswell (SPA Marketing Systems), David Maguire (ESRIUS), David Martin (University of Southampton), Ian Masser(University of Sheffield), Stan Openshaw (University of Leeds),Nora Sherwood (GIS World) and Robin Waters (GeoInformationInternational).