ABSTRACT
Data integration and information sharing are becoming recognized as increasingly important issues in the development and implementation of geographic information systems (GIS). This chapter considers the thesis that is implicit in a political standpoint and examines the antithesis which draws attention to the strengths of a departmental standpoint. It presents some of the findings from a comprehensive survey of the impact of GIS on local government in Great Britain which are discussed in relation to the assumptions of both the thesis and the antithesis. The basic thesis underlying the case for information sharing in local government revolves around the need to regard information as a capital asset. A critical factor in both cases is the nature of the geographical information that is being used. A number of studies have been undertaken in the public administration and information science fields that raise questions about information sharing in the geographic information field.
