Geographic Information Systems: An Introduction, 3rd Edition

17.5 Review of Others' Experience with GIS

All organizations and activities have their own particular requirements. Nonetheless, a review of the experience of others is useful whenever new technology is implemented. As is the case with all technologies, operating GIS facilities falls into three broad classes:

1. State of the art or leading edge. Usually only a few organizations are at the forefront of the field, because keeping abreast of the latest developments is expensive and requires expertise to deal with unproved approaches.
2. Proven. In the burgeoning field of GIS, most facilities now in operation comprise off-the-shelf hardware and software adapted to specific tasks and proven in operation. Directly or indirectly, the cost-benefit ratio of such a facility is usually near optimum.
3. Outmoded. Aging facilities in the proven category are often reliable producers. However, as constituent parts or whole facilities become outmoded by newer designs, cost-benefit ratios are less favorable because greater benefits may be realized through upgrading.

All organizations have their own requirements, but in most cases the experience of organizations with proven facilities are the most valuable in defining user needs. The majority of facilities now in operation comprise commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and software, but realization of user needs should be balanced against the availability of new technology. Usually, only a handful of organizations are able to stay at the forefront of ...