ABSTRACT
The potential of accessing data and information for economic development and decision-making, via a real time information network, is a relatively new phenomenon, outside organisational Intranets. This potential has been realised over the past few years with the explosion of Internet usage, especially with the World Wide Web (WWW) development and standardisation of web server technology. To date, although the broad economic and social benefits of Geographic Information Systems have been identified, accepted and widely exploited using desktop and intranet technologies, the potential of expanding GIS services and systems via telecommunications technologies is a relatively new concept (Crowder, 1996; vanBrakel and Pienaar, 1997; Cole, 1997 and Heikkila, 1998).
