However, before the logistics comes the logic - one needs to understand what is needed, what systems are needed to have access to and how much systems cost today and how much it will cost in the future.

"Maintaining and expanding public services and making available timely and accurate information are among the most important functions on the government agencies' agenda today," said Bill Armstrong, MD at Intergraph Systems Southern Africa. "We are currently working with a number of local and provincial authorities in implementing GIS solutions to help deliver the kind of service the public requires by providing products and services for collecting, managing, analysing and sharing data as information."

Solutions for all of these needs have spatial information at their core. Whether it is a water network model, an assessment parcel base or an environmental audit, spatial data is the glue that holds these complex operations together. Armstrong said: "Intergraph continues as the worldwide technological leader in this field, merging GIS with information technology and business process improvement tools to meet business-critical needs and to enable data sharing across the enterprise."

Finding the solution

The scope of a problem always determines the scope of its solution. Constrained problems fit well into pre-designed solutions. Unique problems require additions or modifications to a pre-designed solution. And projects with a long life cycle that involve diverse disciplines benefit from consulting with industry experts with large project experience. Solving problems requires all or some of the three major components of a solution: state-of-the-art products, processes, and people. A true system solution includes implementation services since every system is, by its very nature, unique. One-size-fits-all solutions cannot address every organsation's structures, work rules, or environments.

System solutions enable data sharing across the entire enterprise. The data may be distributed across a division, a campus, or a region. It may be stored in a range of different formats. However, from the user's viewpoint, it is one general store of data and information. A system solution eliminates redundant data, and people have easy access to the data their tasks require.

"It is therefore extremely important to understand the complexity of the solution and what would be required in terms of technology, processes and people to deliver timely and accurate information to meet the expectations of all stake holders," concludes Armstrong.

Intergraph Systems Southern Africa

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