Determining, Measuring, and Analyzing the Benefits of GIS

Edited by Stephen Gillespie, Ph. D.

By far, the most frequently asked question received at URISA Headquarters concerns the benefits of geographic information systems (GIS). Based on this, the URISA Publications Committee sought to collect the most relevant and important articles in this area and to assemble them into this collection.

Managers at all levels of government are under increasing pressure to do more with less. These papers report on dozens of case studies showing how GIS can benefit government agencies and the constituencies they serve. Identified benefits include productivity increases, cost avoidance, information security, better decisions, better customer service, personnel savings, improved modeling and planning, easier inter-office coordination, and increased citizen participation.

This publication delivers real-world examples of the benefits realized by other organizations, and also illustrates the problem, promise, and potential of GIS benefit measurement. It describes a variety of approaches to this challenging topic, from the common sense to the highly technical. No matter what your skill level, you will find practical advice allowing you to measure and analyze the benefits of GIS in your organization.

This publication is divided into three sections. Section One describes the basic problem of GIS benefit measurement. Section Two presents several approaches for solving this problem. Section Three describes various other important influences on the level of benefits actually achieved by a GIS. All sections contain actual case studies to help you fully understand this complex subject.

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