[Aust-NZ] GIS is dead

[Tim Bowden]

On Mon, 2007-10-08 at 09:09 +1000, Bruce.Bannerman at dpi.vic.gov.au wrote:
> 
> Tim, 
> 
> IMO: 
> 
> 
> In a world of climate change and water shortage issues just begging
> for some good spatial/image/temporal analysis, I find it difficult to
> understand that 'GIS is Dead'. 
> 

Ok, so the GIS is dead claim is a little tongue in cheek, but only
slightly.  If we look at traditional GIS, we see a bunch of tools that
are designed for use by highly trained experts.  We see vendors creating
GIS ecosystems that are closed environments; "walled in gardens" for
want of a better expression, that try and limit interoperability with
other vendors tools.  We see a big disconnect between GIS systems and
general IT systems.

Now compare that to what's happening in the wider spatial world.  Google
maps and similar offerings (for all the technical shortcomings of the
various systems) have helped create a mindset change about how spatial
data is being used.  The big advances in integrating spatial data into
everyday IT systems mostly isn't coming from companies like ESRI.  If
you want to have a look at what's happening, you're better of turning to
companies like Nokia, who are taking spatial data and integrating it
into everyday systems.

There are people doing "GIS" now who haven't even heard the term.  Think
accountants doing spatial analysis on asset management systems,
insurance brokers doing spatial risk analysis, transport managers using
mapping capabilities build into their scheduling software.  They don't
know what GIS is, and they don't need to know.  They just need the tools
that allow them to make use of the spatial data they have, and that's
happening.  Look at the spatial capabilities of python, java, perl or
whatever your favourite development environment is.  All the standard
"GIS" capabilities are available there.  It's our responsibility as
"GIS" professionals to try and make these tools as "idiot proof" as
possible, and help guide people in the best use of them, but for good or
ill, there are probably more people using them who don't know GIS than
who do.  There will increasingly be more spatial activity outside the
traditional GIS space than inside it.

OK, so mostly it's not high end GIS analysis by any means, but that type
of integration between spatial data and general IT systems is where most
of the action is, rather than traditional GIS. In other words, we're
seeing spatial become just another component of enterprise solutions.
Traditional proprietary GIS vendors from what I've seen by and large
haven't moved with the times (ok, I'm thinking of one vendor in
particular here...).  They're still pushing the "walled in garden"
closed ecosystem, which doesn't make for a good enterprise spatial data
management approach.  Enterprise solutions need to be able to manipulate
data using any number of tools, and have the data available in open
accessible formats.  Spatial data then becomes just another attribute in
bigger enterprise wide data sets, rather than being in a separate
specialised system that only GIS experts can access.

That's why traditional GIS is "dead".  

Sure, there will always be a need for specialist GIS services, but heavy
analysis tools are increasingly going to be a smaller and smaller part
of the spatially enabled enterprise solution set.


Anyone want to chip in on this?  If you think I'm wrong, I'd like to
know!

Regards,
Tim