ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a brief history of geographic information system (GIS) technology: how GIS professionals influenced the industry and how GIS technology reinvented local government. It discusses how rapid technological evolution rather than technological paradigm shifts influenced the geospatial industry. The chapter explains the hot topic of smart, sustainable, resilient and high-performing local government organizations and also discusses the significance of business realization planning. Geospatial technology paradigm shifts differ fundamentally from natural, albeit accelerated technological evolutions. The Business Realization Plan includes the business case, appropriate measures, benefit drivers, processes and the ongoing monitoring of geospatial technology’s benefit to the organization. The smart and sustainable phase, or “smart city” phase, includes community interfacing, citizen feedback, open data, story maps and extensive participatory GIS. A scalable GIS must be flexible and deployable in many different ways that including intranet, internet, desktop and mobile GIS technologies.
