Regional Constraints Analysis for GIS Adoption: Tools for Advancing Regional Planning Applications

Abstract

A number of organisations with physical planning missions and mandates adopted geospatial information systems (GIS) in the 1990s, and GIS has become a common and necessary tool for urban and regional planning. A state-wide study was conducted during the last decade in Australia to advance the implementation of GIS for use in urban and regional planning and other mandates of local government. One of the research objectives was to identify constraints for GIS adoption at the local government level. Questionnaires were used as an instrument for data collection in two phases, the first in 1991 and again in 1999. The profiles of the survey participants have been published already along with some of the initial research findings (Otawa, 2002a; Otawa, 20mb). Specifically, this paper examines 12 factors hindering GIS adoption in the 22 urban and regional planning organisations in the State of Queensland, Australia that returned the questionnaire. These obstacles were identified first by in-depth reviews of the GIS-related literature published during the 1990s, and questions were formulated from these reviews. Respondents in both surveys ranked the obstacles on a scale of 1 to 4, that is, from least to most important. Statistical analyses of the two surveys have revealed both common and varied obstacles to GIS implementation throughout the state. Some obstacles are unique to a particular organisation, while the majority of the responding entities have others in common. The comparative analysis of the survey results indicates that the early obstacles may have been overcome or have given way to different types of obstacles in the late 1990s. The pattern of change is generally unique to individual organisations, although some present similar trends. Further, this paper suggests general strategies for advancing GIS into the next stages of implementation based on the findings from our long-term research. The constraints-analysis tool used in the research project proved valuable in assessing the efficacy of GIS in planning organisations.