ABSTRACT
Although North America has played the leading role in the development and applications of geographical information systems (GIS), it is difficult to give an overview of the North American experience. Two countries of continental extent, federal systems of government with considerable devolution to states and provinces, a vigorous private sector and, in the United States in particular, a dislike of big government, inevitably imply great variety and complexity. No comprehensive appraisal has been attempted by
either federal government and much of the experience is not accessible in print. This overview is thus necessarily subjective,
Reprinted from 1987, International Journal of Geographical Information Systems, 1, pp. 203-218
reflecting the experience of Tomlinson Associates Ltd extending over more than 25 years, with strong inputs from academic research and the private sector and from close collaboration with official agencies of one kind and another. None the less, such an attempt seems worthwhile and the Committee of Enquiry into the Handling of Geographic Information (1987) appointed by the British Government commis-sioned from Tomlinson Associates Ltd the appraisal on which this article is based. In it, the author seeks to provide both an overview of what has happened over the past 20 years, with particular emphasis on the last decade, and some indication of lessons that can be learned and of prospects for the future.
