Organizational issues in the development of geographical information systems: A case study of U.S. Army topographic information automation

This paper is a case study of issues that have frustrated and slowed the development of a geographical information system for automation of topographic information processing within the U.S. Army. The findings, which are universal to all large organizations attempting to develop an initial capability, reinforce the notion that today most problems in the development of geographical information systems are rooted in organizational rather than technological issues. An iterative prototyping approach is suggested as a means of preventing similar situations when introducing such technology into large organizations. This 'hands-on' approach allows the organization and the people to adopt and evolve in parallel with the technology and improves the chances for success.