Introduction of GIS - A Strategic Decision 
Dr.-Ing. Franz Steidler 
born & partner AG 
Information technology for people 
Langhagweg 6 
CH 8600 Dübendorf, Zürich, Switzerland 
ISPRS-Congress Vienna 1996, IUSM session GIS/LIS 
Invited paper 
KEY WORDS:  GIS, strategy, requirements, work processes, objectives 
ABSTRACT 
The introduction of a Geographic Information System requires various aspects of consideration. Although in many cases technical 
criteria may be fulfilled, GIS projects fail because their objectives had not been clearly defined or were non-existent. GIS is 
generally a decision making tool. Various forms of information are coupled together for the purpose of providing a wide range of 
efficient analyses. 
To make a GIS introduction a success, the goals of the organisation must be analysed. From these results, the objectives of all 
concerned departmental levels are derived. This process leads to the requirements of the system to be introduced. Furthermore the 
business and work processes must be analysed as they relate to the GIS application. This process requires a broad acceptance by all 
end users and top management. This acceptance is the most important precondition for a successful project. This paper will discuss 
the combination of strategic and technical aspects for the successful introduction of a Geographic Information System. 
KURZFASSUNG 
Die Einführung eines Geografischen Informationssystems hat nach unterschiedlichen Gesichtspunkten zu erfolgen. Obwohl 
vielfach technische Kriterien erfüllt werden, scheitern GIS Projekte, da ihre Ziele nicht klar definiert wurden oder gar nicht 
existieren. GIS ist ein Werkzeug zur Entscheidungsfindung. Unterschiedliche Arten von Informationen werden für weitreichende 
und umfassende Analysen zusammengefaßt. 
Um eine GIS Einführung erfolgreich durchzuführen, müssen die Ziele der Organisation analysiert werden. Aus diesen werden die 
Ziele der untergeordneten Bereiche abgeleitet, woraus auf die Anforderungen an das GIS geschlossen wird. Darüber hinaus müssen 
Geschäfts- und Arbeitsprozesse mit ihrem rüumlichen Bezug in die Evaluation mit einbezogen werden. Dies erfordert eine 
Akzeptanz auf breiter Ebene vom Endanwender bis zum Top-Management. Diese Akzeptanz ist die wichtigste Voraussetzung für 
den Erfolg. Im folgenden wird die Kombination strategischer und technischer Aspekte für eine erfolgreiche GIS-Einführung 
besprochen. 
availability of relational data base management systems has 
1. INTRODUCTION played an immense role. 
Now in the information technology age, the possibilities of GIS 
are immensely expanding due to the accessibility of various 
diversified data sources found in many distributed locations. 
This has resulted in transforming a GIS from a documentation 
tool into a decision making tool. The management of medium 
and larger size organisations are able to use GIS for monitoring 
and advancing their strategic and organisational objectives. 
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been 
commercially availably since the early eighties. They 
originated as systems primarily used for the documentation and 
cartographic representation of spatially related information 
especially related to surveying, cadastral and utility 
applications. The decision to introduce a GIS in an 
organisation was founded by the demand for the automation of 
manual workflows. The initiative was taken by EDP 
departments which were capable of handling large software 
systems. 
Still many GIS projects fail. Very often the involved people do 
not really understand why. In most cases it was mistakably 
believed , that it was the fault of the software manufacturer for 
not providing the necessary tools. The truth is they fail because 
of many reasons. These reasons are not necessarily on the side 
of the software vendor. This paper discusses these reasons and 
shows ways to overcome problems. 
Once a GIS was introduced to application departments, the 
initiative was transferred to people which possessed a wide 
knowledge in the usage of GIS. This was supported by great 
improvements in hardware and software technology where the 
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