The recent Oracle Spatial Special Interest Group (SIG) event was once again a success. Charl Fouché of AfriGIS, sponsors of the event, presented a case study on the establishing of a central repository for spatial data, Spatial Data Exchange (SDE), at Vodacom. Fouché emphasised the importance of a spatial information strategy in the organisation and explained that the data component is only one small part of the bigger picture.

The design of SDE was driven by the data requirements across the organisation, the IT infrastructure, open GIS standards, as well as the processes and procedures in Vodacom. Existing relationships and agreements with data vendors as well as future data requirements played a vital role. According to Fouché ensuring buy-in from the relevant stakeholders, management and IT, proved to be as challenging as the technical aspects of the project. "On the one side one has to ensure confidence in the long term goals of SDE and at the same time show the quick wins," says Fouché. He concluded the presentation with a demonstration of the SDE interface.

André Vorster of First National Bank presented the second case study on his experience introducing the use of GIS in the organisation. One of the major challenges was to seamlessly integrate the use of GIS with the daily work processes of the bankers. "One simply had to find ways of providing GIS functionality in the normal context of the daily tasks as well as showing immediate benefits," explains Vorster. The application of the GIS has now been adopted throughout the bank, including ATM & Branch Network Planning, Risk Management, Marketing and Property Valuations. Creating awareness and ensuring buy-in were considered critical success factors in the adoption of the system.

SIG Chairperson, Alison North, concluded that it was encouraging to see how corporate organisations such as Vodacom and FNB are embracing spatial technology in their businesses.

For more information contact AfriGIS, 012 362 3114.