The benefit of GIS outweighs the cost

1. Mr Kofi Panyin Yarboi, GIS Expert kofi.yarboi@thomsonreuters.com The benefit of GIS outweighs the cost Freetown GIS Conference 2013 Supported by…

2. GIS Definition • A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a system for management, analysis and display of geographic knowledge which is represented using a series of information sets. It provides a foundation for addressing many challenges – for example, improvements in efficiency, informed decision making, science-based planning, resource accounting, evaluation, monitoring and communication. • GIS can also be said to be a computer system capable of assembling, storing, manipulating, and displaying geographically referenced information (that is data identified according to their locations).

3. The hypothetical costs and benefits of GIS

4. Cost Variation • Cost-effectiveness analysis provides a comparison of the costs of providing specific outcomes, or performing a specific task, using different means. In adding this step to the benefit–cost analysis, the organisation would compare alternative means of performing the same task; for example, the cost of providing information on property ownership both with and without a GIS. • Time also influences the level of risk and uncertainty among the benefits and costs of an organisation’s initiatives. Humans do not possess perfect knowledge about the present, and it is even more unrealistic to expect them to foresee the future with complete accuracy

5. Recipe for a successful • Enterprise GIS deployment includes four key ingredients: communication, planning, project management, and performance milestones. What do organizations risk if they don't follow the recipe? • Good communication between the GIS user community and the IT support staff is critical and not always easy to establish. There are clear relationships between user business needs, system processing loads, and required hardware specifications—and these relationships are important to understand. • Planning is where you put these relationships together. Getting it right before you start spending money on the solution reduces implementation risk and overall cost.

6. Recipe 2 • Good project management is needed to implement the plan and manage changes to the plan that impact cost, budget, performance, and the ability of the final solution to satisfy business requirements • Performance should be an integral part of your project plan, with milestones identified to validate compliance throughout the implementation process. The Capacity Planning Tool [CPT] is designed to help project managers understand performance constraints and implement GIS operations that satisfy user productivity needs.

7. The direct benefits therefore include: • Productivity gains • Efficiency gains • A possible reduction in workload • A possible reduction in labour costs • Improved accuracy which means better and more well informed decisions

8. Intangible benefits may include: • Improved data access • Public access to information that would otherwise be impossible • A possible perception of reduced liability - having a good management system in place for the tracking and monitoring of assets will go a long way in off-setting liability issues • A sense of achievement and increased staff morale

9. A journey of a million miles does not start with a STEP but the RIGHT STEP Thank You.