Because of its nature and applications, GIS initiatives frequently cross line function areas. Previously this was eliminated by setting up miniature GIS departments, in every line function. However, due to the fact that sharing information across functions is so valuable and duplicating systems are expensive, management are increasingly bundling GIS pockets of expertise together into a single GIS department to serve the complete organisation. Whilst this may be a good idea, it can be difficult to implement because more often than not, GIS experts are herded together under the IT department. As a result these implementations fail because of human resource issues.

To facilitate this process, AfriGIs believe that it is necessary to put GIS or spatial information strategy in place, which allows everyone to understand where they fit in and what their responsibilities are. According to the company, the GIS strategy must form an integral part of the IT strategy, which forms an important part of the organisation's overall strategy. This strategy should not be seen as an afterthought, but rather as part of the strategic planning process.

By knowing which data sources are freely available and what information can be captured at what costs, informed decisions regarding business processes can be made. For example, models utilising address based per capita income can be built instead of regional models, if the decision-makers are aware that certain datasets exist at an affordable price. This can fundamentally influence the complete financial management and marketing effort and it started from the information strategy.

To get the process moving the relevant role players must be allowed to state their requirements and jointly, a road map must be laid out, explaining to everyone how the GIS will be implemented, when to expect what, and what the final goal is.

This strategy must address, amongst others, the areas of core-software and datasets. The roles and responsibilities for data maintenance must be clearly defined. Custom application requirements need to be identified and planned for. Integration with existing systems must be addressed and functional processes and data flows must be set out. The hardware requirements also need to be evaluated as part of this extensive process.

AfriGIS is currently in the process of assisting numerous government and national companies to evolve their GIS strategy. The company first addresses an immediate and specific requirement, and then does the coordination in terms of ensuring future integration of current diverse initiatives across departments and fields to ensure that a framework exists in which the development work is done. According to the company not setting out on this road timeously, leads inevitably to huge expenditure at later stages, leaving one with the old mainframe legacy system type problems where data variables are missing and information needs to be recaptured.

AfriGIS

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