Abstract

Beyond Coordinates: The New Challenges for GIS Consultants and Clients
Track: Business GIS
Author(s): Daniel Paez

Ten years ago, companies and governments required consultants to support in developing basic GIS infrastructure and analyses. GIS was new for the market and, similarly to what happened with spreadsheets 20 years ago, clients knew the need for the tool but lacked an understanding of its capabilities and limitations. Today companies, particularly those that have a retail/branch focus, are more aware of GIS. They commonly have highly developed internal capabilities and large geographic datasets to perform geospatial analysis. These new capabilities, in addition to the existence of web-based public available datasets, have modified the role, scope and extend given to GIS consultants. In this presentation I discuss the changes currently occurring to the GIS consultancy sector and the flexibility ArcGIS has demonstrated to adapt to these changes. The new needs of companies appear to be moving away from operational areas to more advanced decision-making tools and strategies.

Daniel Paez
BAH
207 / 38 Bank Street
South Melbourne
Melbourne , VIC 3205
Australia
Phone: 0421107012
E-mail: paez_daniel@bah.com