Thinking About GIS: Geographic Information System Planning for Managers

by Roger Tomlinson

Overview

Thinking About GIS: Geographic Information System Planning for Managers presents a planning model for designing data and technology systems that will meet any organization’s specific needs. Designed for two primary audiences, senior managers who oversee information technologies and technical specialists responsible for system design, this book provides a common platform on which to conduct GIS planning. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781589483521
Publisher:	Esri Press
Publication date:	09/26/2013
Series:	Thinking About GIS , #5
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	250
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Dr. Roger Tomlinson created the first computerized geographic information system in the 1960s while working for the Canadian government. Born in England, he settled in Canada after military service and university, where his work in geomorphology led to applying computerized methods for handling map information. Tomlinson has had a distinguished career as a pioneer in GIS and developed Tomlinson Associates Ltd., which provides geographic consulting services. For twelve years he was chairman of the International Geographical Union GIS Commission, a president of the Canadian Association of Geographers, and most recently was the second-ever recipient of the prestigious Alexander Graham Bell award from the National Geographic Society.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction xiii
Chapter 1          GIS: The whole picture 1
                        Scope of GIS projects
                                     Focus: Departmental vs. enterprise GIS systems
                                The who, what, when, where, why
Chapter 2          Overview of the method 7
                        The ten-stage GIS planning methodology
                                    Focus: Let each step inform the next
Chapter 3          Consider the strategic purpose 11
Chapter 4          Build the foundation 15
                        The planning proposal
                                Assemble the GIS planning team
                                      The enterprise planning team
                                      The management committee
                                      The crucial role of GIS manager
                                      Focus: Plan ahead for the time commitment
Chapter 5          Conduct a technology seminar 21
                        Seminar components and tips
                                      Focus: Purpose of the technology seminar
                                      Set the stage
                                     Plan the program
                                      Assess information needs
                                      Go with the workflow
                                      Rank the benefits
                                      Focus: Modeling workflow processes (new)                  
Chapter 6          Describe the information products 31
                        The individual components of an IPD
                                     Focus: IPDs, the Building blocks of GIS planning           
                                      Title                                  
                                      Name of department and person who needs it
                                      Synopsis
                                      Map output requirements
                                      Focus: Three-dimensional representation
                                      List output requirements
                                      Document retrieval requirements
                                      Schematic requirements
                                      Assess display complexity
                                      Steps required to make the product
                                      Focus: A rapid prototyping tool
                                      Focus: Maximizing efficiency (new)
                                      Assess processing complexity
                                      Focus: Measuring complexity (new)
                                      Frequency of use
                                      Logical linkages
                                      Error tolerance
                                      Wait and response tolerances     
                                      Current cost
                                      Benefit analysis
                                      Sign-offs
                                      Case study: Tracking the IPD
Chapter 7          Define the project scope 55
                        Master input data list (MIDL)
                                      Components of an MIDL
                                      Focus: Using and creating a data cache (new)
                                      Assembling the MIDL
                                      Focus: Data shoe box
                                Functions to input data
                                       Case study: Basic system capability input functions to create the map
                                Setting priorities
                                      Data priorities
                                What affects timing?
                                      Data input
                                      Data readiness
                                      Programming applications
                                      Product demand
                                      System acquisition
                                      Training and staff
                                Activity planning
Chapter 8          Create a data design 75
                       Data characteristics
                                      Scale
                                      Resolution
                                      Map projection
                                      Error tolerance
                                      Case study: Determining the required positional accuracy
                                Data standards and conversion
                                      Digital data sources
                                      Technology standards
                                      Survey capabilities
                                      Topology
                                      Temporal data
                                      Cartography
                                      Network analysis
                                      Focus:New data structure for networks
                                      Data conversion
Chapter 9          Choose a logical data model 93
                        Types of logical data models
                                      The relational data model
                                           Designing the conceptual database: Relational model
                                      The object-oriented data model
                                           Designing the conceptual database: Object-oriented model
                                      The object-relational data model  
                                Advantages and disadvantages
                                                               
Chapter 10         Conceptual system design 109
                        Determining system scope
                                      Data handling load
                                      Data hosting and user locations
                                      Defining workstation requirements
                                      Data storage and security
                                Preliminary software selection
                                      Summarizing the function requirements
                                      Classifying system functions
                                Interface and communication technologies
                                      Choosing a system interface
                                      Network communications
                                      Focus:Data capacity and data-transfer rates
                                      Client-server architectures
                                      General issues of network performance
                              Determining system interface and communication requirements
                              Distributed GIS and Web services
                              Platform sizing and bandwidth requirements
                                       Case study: City of Rome system requirements     
                                New detailed approach
                                      New approach to platform sizing
                                      New approach to bandwidth suitability
                                Other considerations
                                      Organization policies and standards
                                      Technology life cycles
                                      The preliminary design document
Chapter 11         Consider benefit–cost, migration, and risk analysis 151
                        Benefit-cost analysis and cost models
                                      Identify costs by year
                                      Calculate benefits by year              
                                      Focus:The cost model
                                      Focus: The benefit approach          
                                      Compare benefits and costs
                                       Calculate benefit-cost ratios
                                Migration strategy
                                      Legacy systems and models
                                      New considerations
                                      Pilot projects  
                                Risk analysis
                                     Identify the risks
                                     Discuss the risks in context
  &#