But Will it Sell in Poughkeepsie?
NSP is not alone in this effort; there are 13 energy companies in the states and Canadian provinces surrounding Minnesota, and each is developing GIS technology. NSP’S initial feasibility study of GIS was undertaken with the understanding that, at a minimum, a fully functional GIS would be required to provide the same level of service as our competitors.
Developing a cutting-edge technology is not enough, however. GIS represents a significant paradigm shift on the part of potential users and managers. For NSP to receive the performance required to justify the cost of developing GIS, it must ensure that the new system will achieve acceptance by the people who use it.
Obtaining user acceptance is often made more difficult when a new system requires substantial changes to existing operating procedures. Users often expect implementation of new systems to be fraught with difficulty, including little or poor training, little support, little application to their every day work, little input into the system’s development, and little time to adjust to the new work paradigm. In addition, challenges such as the user’s indifference, morale, and machine anxiety may act as roadblocks to the successful implementation of the new application. This paper will describe how an organization can not only manage to gain the acceptance of GIS by the users, but even their enthusiastic support for this new technology.
What is GIS?
Building User Knowledge of a New Technology
A Geographic Information System is a process combining users, data, hardware, software, and procedures. It starts with collecting information about the real world such as gas mains, gas regulators, electric cables and transformers. Most of this information is gathered from existing maps. Some of the information, like city streets and building footprints, are purchased from other sources. The information is compiled and edited (scrubbed) and then sent to a conversion vendor. The conversion vendor converts the maps to an electronic format before sending it back to NSP, where it is translated and added to our production database. The data, once translated to the production database, becomes a formidable asset in its own right, and can be used in many other applications. Additionally, tools built into the application, such as an address locator tool, eliminate much of the paperwork and file shuffling inherent in a modern organization.
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