Implementation Of Geographic Information System Research Articles

An integrated GIS approach for sustainable aquaculture management area site selection

Within New Zealand, growth in the aquaculture industry has led to the diversification of aquaculture sites from more sheltered bays and harbours toward open coast locations. Coastal zone managers, along with the aquaculture industry, aim to ensure the long-term sustainability of any ‘new’ sites selected. Through targeted data collection programmes and the subsequent implementation of Geographic Information System (GIS) based models, the most suitable and sustainable locations for Aquaculture Management Areas (AMAs) can be identified. This approach is applied within the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, with specific reference to suspended mussel ( Perna canaliculus) aquaculture. Within the region, areas where maximum sustainability may be achieved make up 18% of the total area considered, with conflicting uses and other constraints accounting for 46%. Whilst further site and development specific studies are required to determine explicit carrying capacities, the effort required has been considerably reduced by eliminating unsuitable locations and identifying those where sustainability can be maximised.

A Historical Perspective on the Use of GIS and Remote Sensing in Natural Resource Management, as Viewed through Papers Published in North American Forestry Journals from 1976 to 2005

Since the introduction of geographic information systems (GIS) to natural resource management in the 1970s, there has been a logical increase in the use of GIS by natural resource management organizations. This article assesses the literature in applied North American forestry journals, which are read mainly by forest practitioners, and illustrates the trends of technological adoption by natural resource management organizations. We conclude that the diversity of GIS technology use in forestry is increasing and evolving to a high and complex level. While small-scale (local) and site-specific natural resource applications predominate the use of GIS in this literature, landscape applications have gained more attention and importance in recent years, mainly in the western and north-central United States. Although several of the journals we reviewed emphasize the practical nature and value of information, few papers were located that illustrate GIS implementation in natural resource organizations or advances in GIS technology. The professions associated with natural resource management have traditionally been adopters of technology (rather than developers), but, since GIS is so closely tied to the management and assessment of landscapes, it is possible that the issues that arise in natural resource management have had a significant impact on the development of GIS analytical techniques. We suggest that surveys be performed frequently (every five years) so that the natural resource management field can stay current with changes in technology and in employer expectations. This assessment has pointed out the trends and gaps in the forestry-related literature and suggests opportunities for future dissemination of information. Research papers lead the widespread adoption of technology by a decade or more; thus, through this work, one can envision what might become commonplace a decade from now. Those unaware of the relatively short history of the technology and how it has evolved may gain some understanding from this brief history of the use of GIS in natural resource management.

Standard data models for interoperability of municipal infrastructure asset management systems

Efficient management of infrastructure assets depends largely on the ability to efficiently share, exchange, and manage asset life-cycle information. Although software tools are used to support almost every asset management process in municipalities, data exchange is mainly performed using paper-based or neutral file formats based on ad hoc proprietary data models. Interoperability of various asset management systems is crucial to support better management of infrastructure data and to improve the information flow between various work processes. Standard data models can be used to significantly improve the availability and consistency of asset data across different software systems, to integrate data across various disciplines, and to exchange information between various stakeholders. This paper surveys a number of data standards that might be used in implementing interoperable and integrated infrastructure asset management systems. The main requirements for standard data models are outlined, and the importance of interoperability from an asset management perspective is highlighted. The role that spatial data and geographic information systems (GIS) can play in enhancing the efficiency of managing asset life-cycle data is also discussed. An ongoing effort to develop a standard data model for sewer systems is presented, and an example implementation of interoperable GIS and hydraulic modeling software is discussed.Key words: data standards, municipal infrastructure, asset management, data models, interoperability.

Europe and the United States: the implementation of geographic information systems in secondary education in two contexts

Since its inception in the early 1990s, geographic information science and its related technology, geographic information systems (GIS), have diffused slowly into select groups of K‐12 classrooms worldwide. The technology has not been adopted at a rate commensurate with expectations. The purpose of this article is to explore GIS implementation by comparing the variable status of GIS education in pre‐collegiate education in the United States and Europe and factors that appear to play a role in diffusion. The authors use a model of internal and external factors that influence adoption of education innovation as a heuristic to compare and draw conclusions.

Using Web-based GIS For Earth and Environmental Systems Education

Web-based inquiry educational modules using Geographic information system (GIS) maps are ideal for earth and environmental systems education. GIS maps display and manage a rich array of spatially referenced data, which can be combined in user- defined ways to study most natural systems. The maps can be served over the Web to create flexible and portable educational modules for science education. We describe the use of GIS maps for an ongoing pre-service teacher graduate education course at Lehigh University and show applicability to other traditional disciplinary courses taught in many secondary and introductory college classrooms. Like Earth system science, use of GIS maps transcends traditional natural and social science disciplinary boundaries. GIS can be used to track how natural systems are functioning and changing in response to human activities. Similar to Earth system science, GIS maps provide a framework for integration of environmental data across a range of temporal and spatial scales. Instructional use of GIS helps students integrate disciplinary perspectives to appreciate a broader, systems viewpoint. The implementation of Web-based GIS in conjunction with other content materials enables learners to analyze and synthesize large amounts data that would be much more difficult in other formats.

The implementation of geographical information systems for land administration in Ghana

The current procedures for land administration in Ghana are outdated, time-consuming and inefficient.The land sector agencies have not fully embraced the information and computer technologies that arenow available for storing, manipulating and displaying information about land and properties. Afterintroducing the policy context and problems relating to land administration, the focus of this paper is onthe articulation of a strategic framework for the research and development tasks required to implementgeographical information systems (GIS) in the Lands Commission Secretariat (LCS) in Accra, the agencywith primary responsibility for the administration of public lands. We identify the key requirements for GISadoption and report the findings of an applied research project undertaken to introduce GIS in the LCS.In addition, a series of wider recommendations for GIS sustainability in the broader context of the landsector in Ghana are presented.

Development of an implementation plan for a geographic information system: case of Lincoln County

Many small to mid-size public agencies are facing a problem of how to develop and implement Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies in their operations. Since most of the information in government agencies has a spatial context, GIS has significant capabilities to integrate data from disparate databases and display information in new and unique ways for decision-making. GIS technologies can have applications and benefits across the enterprise; however, this enterprise-wide nature often hinders implementation. Local government agencies face significant organizational issues including serving a diversity of interests for data quality and database integration, oversight by publicly elected officials, and a lack of resources and technical expertise. This fictional and normative case describes a typical situation in a mid-size county. The case portrays an organizational environment that provides the basis for students to put themselves in the role of a County Administrator to develop a GIS implementation plan. This plan requires an analysis of the formal and informal organization. Major investigation areas include insight into the organizational issues of personnel relationships, GIS project identification and resource prioiritization. Above all, the goal is to plan development of a functional GIS that will be integrated into ongoing Lincoln County operations to improve organizational efficiencies and to increase services to various stakeholder groups.

Geographic Information Systems: A Tool to Support Geography and Environmental Education?

Geographic information systems (GIS) education is at a crossroads in the United States. Since its inception in the early 1990s, GIS has diffused slowly into select groups of K-12 classrooms through the efforts of geography and environmental educators. However, many of the assumptions underpinning the initial period of enthusiasm for the technology are now being questioned. This paper reviews issues identified as barriers to dissemination in order to help shape and inform the next phase of GIS implementation. First, the existing arguments for GIS in elementary and secondary education in the United States are reviewed and evaluated. Second, considerations related to developing an improved pedagogical foundation for GIS are explored. Finally, implications and suggestions for guidelines for the next decade of dissemination and implementation of GIS are discussed.

Enhancing stated preference surveys in transportation research: the contribution of geographic information systems

In this paper we argue that visualization, data management and computational capabilities of geographic information systems (GIS) can assist transportation stated preference research in capturing the contextual complexity of many transportation decision environments by providing respondents with maps and other spatial and non-spatial information in graphical form that enhance respondents' understanding of decision scenarios. We explore the multiple inherent contributions of GIS to transportation stated preference data collection and propose a framework for a GIS-based stated preference survey instrument. We also present the design concepts of two survey prototypes and their GIS implementation for a sample travel mode choice problem.

Geographic Information Technologies and the History of a Shoreline: The Case of Chapter 91 in New Bedford, Massachusetts*

This article discusses the use of geographic information technologies to assist researchers in the exploration of historical databases. The case study is a pilot project in which we used geographic information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems (GPS) to study the history of the Public Waterfront Act (the “Chapter 91” program), a policy designed to balance private property rights, public interest, and environmental protection in the Massachusetts tidelands. The issues discussed range from the role of GIS in society and its limitations as a representational tool to the ability of current GIS to deal with historical data and to manage temporal attributes. *William Campbell, Richard Gelpke, and Alberto Giordano at the University of Massachusetts Boston directed the Chapter 91 pilot project. We wish to thank the many students at University of Massachusetts Boston who helped us complete the work, especially during the stages of data collection and GIS implementation. Special thanks also to Magdalena Pavlak at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for her support and guidance through the intricacies of Chapter 91. This work was financed partially with federal funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Massachusetts DEP under Section 104(b)(3) of the Clean Water Act. Disclaimer: The contents of the project do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the EPA or of the DEP. Nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

GIS: An Updated Primer on a Powerful Management Tool

Abstract One of the most significant technological developments for forest and natural resource organizations during the past century has been the advent of geographic information systems (GIS). For a variety of reasons, including increased mapping and analytical capabilities, affordability, and accessibility, GIS has become a standard planning and analysis tool for many organizations. This article presents a brief history of the development of GIS and examines some current challenges and opportunities facing GIS use in forest and natural resource management, including those related to data collection and accuracy, data structures, personnel, legal issues, and user certification. Organizations that use GIS should be aware of these challenges and opportunities, and be prepared to address them if GIS implementation is to be successful.

The Implementation and Effectiveness of Geographic Information Systems Technology and Methods in Secondary Education

Geographic information systems (GIS) technology and methods have transformed decision-making in society by bringing geographic analysis to the desktop computer. Although some educators consider GIS to be a promising means for implementing reform, it has been adopted by less than 2 percent of American high schools. The reasons behind the interest in GIS, its slow implementation, and its effectiveness in teaching and learning are unclear. To address these concerns, this research describes the extent to which GIS is being implemented in American secondary education and assesses the effectiveness of lessons that use GIS. A survey of 1,520 high schools that own GIS software, along with experiments and case studies in three high schools, provided primary data for assessing the implementation and effectiveness of GIS.

Modeling Angle Accident Risks at Four-legged Signalized Intersections and Its GIS Application

In this paper, the risk evaluation model for traffic accident at signalized intersections is developed for two type of angle accident, which are an accident between through vehicles from different crossing legs and an accident between trough vehicle and turn oriented vehicle. The parameters of the model are estimated from various data of 190 intersections in Tokyo and the result are plotted on the map in GIS (Geographical Information Systems). Implementation of GIS using existing risk model reveals some important characteristics about angle accident such as high-risk accident intersection lied along the ring road or national highways.

The application of geographical information systems to important public health problems in Africa

Africa is generally held to be in crisis, and the quality of life for the majority of the continent's inhabitants has been declining in both relative and absolute terms. In addition, the majority of the world's disease burden is realised in Africa. Geographical information systems (GIS) technology, therefore, is a tool of great inherent potential for health research and management in Africa. The spatial modelling capacity offered by GIS is directly applicable to understanding the spatial variation of disease, and its relationship to environmental factors and the health care system. Whilst there have been numerous critiques of the application of GIS technology to developed world health problems it has been less clear whether the technology is both applicable and sustainable in an African setting. If the potential for GIS to contribute to health research and planning in Africa is to be properly evaluated then the technology must be applicable to the most pressing health problems in the continent. We briefly outline the work undertaken in HIV, malaria and tuberculosis (diseases of significant public health impact and contrasting modes of transmission), outline GIS trends relevant to Africa and describe some of the obstacles to the sustainable implementation of GIS. We discuss types of viable GIS applications and conclude with a discussion of the types of African health problems of particular relevance to the application of GIS.

Development of a Decision Support System based on remote sensing and GIS techniques for gold-rich area identification in SE Spain

Remote sensing techniques and spatial data analysis through Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been jointly applied in a mineral exploration context to identify gold-rich potential areas in SE Spain. Results confirm the usefulness of this integrated methodological approach as an effective tool to assess mineral potential in the studied region. Satellite and airborne image analysis have offered valuable thematic information referring both to lithology and altered zone mapping from photointerpretation and digital classification. For this goal, SPOT panchromatic and Landsat TM images were merged in order to obtain high resolution image documents for photointerpretation purposes, and the Feature Principal Component Selection technique was applied to highlight hydrothermal alteration zones characterized by hydroxyl-bearing minerals. Remote sensing results were integrated, in conjunction with existing maps and data from mineral exploration surveys, into the GIS as vector or raster layers. The GIS implementation stage consisted of the creation of a relational database, including a complete set of georeferenced data, and the elaboration of a specific user interface for spatial analysis using GIS facilities in order to establish a Decision Support System (DSS). The system was used to simulate different mineral exploration scenarios, calculating and mapping a Mineral Potential Index that was interpreted in a practical sense in terms of surface reduction and economic costs.

Geographic Information System Implementation Plan for Pavement Management Information System: Texas Department of Transportation

Integrating a geographic information system (GIS) with an existing pavement management system such as the Texas Department of Transportation Pavement Management Information System is not as simple as merely installing a new piece of software into the existing pavement management system and then operating it. A successful GIS implementation involves not only the information technologies themselves but also other elements, such as personnel and their GIS skills, the organizational structure within which they work, and the institutional relationships that govern the management of information flow. All of these elements need to be managed in an interactive manner. GIS can serve as a platform for integrating various types of data, systems, and technologies. Because of the nature of rapid changes in GIS and related information technology, a well-developed GIS implementation plan is essential. The development of a comprehensive and practical implementation plan using GIS to enhance the pavement management practice in the Texas Department of Transportation is presented. As the basis of the implementation plan, a “three-stage implementation” concept was used to assess the current practice, define the visionary system, and identify the intermediate solutions. Also presented are several key issues and aspects important to the successful implementation of GIS for pavement management.

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Geographic Information System Implementation: Illinois Department of Transportation

An in-depth investigation of the costs and benefits of geographic information system (GIS) implementation in the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is presented. The investigation addresses a critical need to determine the organizational impact and cost-effectiveness of this enter-prisewide information technology to achieve the greatest benefit. IDOT conducted an enterprise wide effort to portray GIS capabilities and to identify candidate GIS projects. Fourteen major GIS projects were selected on the basis of management priority, ease of implementation, and user commitment. A comprehensive cost-benefit analysis was developed over fiscal years 1995 through 2004. Costs were reasonably estimated from historical costs of the GIS investigation effort and future costs of GIS technical support and user area resources. The greatest portions of costs, over the 10-year time frame, were for personnel (67 percent) and consultant services (19 percent). For the more difficult benefits determination, the research employed two categories of benefits: efficiency and effectiveness. Efficiency benefits would result from the automation of previous manual efforts, such as special-purpose cartographic production, with GIS outputs. Effectiveness benefits arise from traditionally intangible areas, such as increased integration and accessibility of information for improved decision making. Effectiveness benefits were estimated conservatively for two high-priority areas: accident analysis and program development. The result of the cost-benefit analysis of GIS implementation yielded a net present value of $2.9 million and an internal rate of return of 99.8 percent over the analysis period. This provided IDOT management with knowledge for strategic resource allocation decisions.

地学における先端テクノロジー デジタル地理情報の現状と課題

This paper briefly summarizes the current status of the development and the distribution of digital geographic information in Japan and new emerging technologies associated with geographic information. Rapid improvements to computer hardware and software, together with the dissemination of computer networks, especially the Internet, have had enormous impact on the development and use of geographic information. Paper maps, which used to be the most commonly used media for communicating geographic information, have been digitized and used with a geographic information system (GIS) for many different applications. Although the digital geographic information thus acquired still has some characteristics inherited from paper maps, new technologies including Web GIS, GPS, and 3D GIS are considered to further expand the domain and enhance the potential of geographic information. Digital geographic information has been standardized by ISO, which will also streamline data exchanges between different GISs and hence reduce the cost of GIS development.Despite these new developments related to GIS, actual implementation of GIS in government offices has not been accelerated due to organizational problems associated with conventional business customs and lack of employees' knowledge and experience of IT. Although it may take some time to overcome these problems, the author sees a further expansion of the use of geographic information as Japan and its people accept new concepts and lifestyles introduced by IT.

GIS Implementation in Developing Countries: Learning from Organisational Theory and Reflective Practice

Both Geographic Information Systems (GIS) implementation successes and failures can be attributed to many factors, some that have little or nothing to do with the technology. While the discourse in the developed world has shifted from examining GIS implementation in isolation, developing countries appear to be still bogged down by many institutional barriers that impede implementation. In this context, an integrative implementation framework that takes into consideration politics and policy issues is developed to understand, explain, and assess GIS implementation in developing countries. The uniqueness of country‐specific problems is acknowledged and juxtaposed against a body of theory in order to evaluate GIS implementation efforts. Based on reflective accounts of implementation efforts in three developing countries, four overarching characteristics of successful GIS implementation across country contexts are identified. These include clarity in problem definition, forging strategic alliances, incremental planning, and developing local knowledge. GIS implementation is likely to occur only when individuals and organisations creatively challenge existing norms, organisational defensive routines, and inefficient bureaucratic practices. Therefore, successful GIS implementation in developing countries is a likely outcome of critical reflective practice that relies on the capacity of empowered individuals and groups rather than solely on organisational structures.

Applications and Issues of GIS as Tool for Civil Engineering Modeling

A tool that has proliferated within civil engineering in recent years is geographic information systems (GIS). The goal of a tool is to supplement ability and knowledge that already exists, not to serve as a replacement for that which is lacking. To secure the benefits and avoid misuse of a burgeoning tool, engineers must understand the limitations, alternatives, and context of the tool. The common benefits of using GIS as a supplement to engineering modeling are summarized. Several brief case studies of GIS modeling applications are taken from popular civil engineering literature to demonstrate the wide use and varied implementation of GIS across the discipline. Drawing from the case studies, limitations regarding traditional GIS data models and the implementation of civil engineering models within current GIS are identified and countered by discussing the direction of the next generation of GIS. The paper concludes by highlighting the potential for the misuse of GIS in the context of engineering modeling and suggests that this potential can be reduced through education and awareness. The goal of this paper is to promote awareness of the issues related to GIS-based modeling and to assist in the formulation of questions regarding the application of current GIS. The technology has experienced much publicity of late, with many engineers being perhaps too excited about the usefulness of current GIS. An undoubtedly beneficial side effect of this, however, is that engineers are becoming more aware of GIS and, hopefully, the associated subtleties. Civil engineers must stay informed of GIS issues and progress, but more importantly, civil engineers must inform the GIS community to direct the technology development optimally.