Measuring Up: The Business Case for GIS

I picked up this book at an ESRI User Group meeting. I had seen it advertised and asked the local ESRI rep about it. He gave me the book! It is an excellent resource. It cites specific studies of GIS use to illustrate how GIS can pay for itself several times over. There are plenty of examples to cover a broad spectrum of GIS uses. There are several government examples, as well as some less known uses. There is also a slide show / outline based on the book that can be downloaded from the ESRI website.

GIS, intelligent digital geographic information systems - are turning geography into a business science, and Measuring Up: The Business Case for GISprovides case studies about companies and government agencies which have implemented GIS solutions in their business goals and plans. Chapters show how to save money and time using GIS-based systems, how to use GIS to generate revenue and help budgets, and how to manage the resources and information bases resulting from GIS systems. The inclusion of over seventy articles from over twenty business sectors span the globe in experience and setting, creating a very specific, detailed set of insights on new GIS-driven business processes. Highly recommended.

This is an outstanding resource for increasing the return on your GIS investment as well as to get new comers up to speed in understanding the benefits to GIS. As a GIS veteran who has trained new users as well as managers new to GIS in the public, private and non-profit sectors, this is the best book that I have come across to expose them to the importance of GIS and how it has specifically reduced costs, streamlined and improved service as well as perform analysis not feasible in the past. I gave five books to a world class City Planning, Info Tech, Neighborhood Services & Law Enforcement department managers (and kept one for me). What I specifically enjoyed is that this is a "non-technical" book that focuses on several real world examples of how GIS technology has been used by real people, in the real world, in modern times and budgets and how they benefited as well as how much "$" it saved them. Full of color images and very easy to read. By seeing case studies of what others have done, I am now implementing some of the same uses. So even a GIS dinosaur like myself has been able to steal some wonderful ideas that make my bosses look great. Making them happy keeps me happy. A lifesaver for the new GIS person (especially management) and a resource for the GIS Veteran. Well done & highly recommended.