Enterprise GIS: The Minneapolis Model
Minneapolis GIS Overview
Like many large cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, has begun deployment of their
next generation Geographic Information System (GIS). The enterprise GIS program is
a departure from the traditional department-by-department application development
strategy indicative of the 1980’s and 90s.
City leadership mandated the use of a business process driven approach for the
citywide initiative. This approach was based on an enterprise vision of providing City
staff with a supportive technical, information and organizational environment for
improving the level of services to the citizens of Minneapolis. The software selected for
the program includes ESRI’s ArcIMS and ArcGIS software and Oracle’s Spatial 8i
database management system.
As identified in the following figure, the City’s business driven priorities are articulated
through three lenses that define the culture of the organization, the standards that drive
enterprise technology infrastructure, and the data environment that enables access to
the organization’s enterprise information.
The Minneapolis Model
The intricacies of the GIS program required the assembly and governance of a diverse
group of both internal and external specialists. Their objective: to build the organization,
information and technical framework necessary to support user needs across the City.
By emphasizing business process as well as organizational change, establishing new
ways of thinking and approaching problems, connecting people and groups and
motivating people to responsibly share information, these partnerships have helped
transform the organization. Key partners in this initiative include: City departments and
affiliated agencies; Hennepin County, MN; Oracle Corporation; Environment Systems
Research Institute; and EMA, Inc. The collaborative partnership approach serves as a
mechanism for building relationships among all stakeholders, helping them to expand
their effectiveness and reach of the GIS program. This collaborative partnership, has
allowed for unprecedented influence and participation on the part of the departments
and agencies involved, enabling them to transform the very nature of their organization
and inter-relationships.
In the early 90s, the City recognized the need to change the way they do business. The
City’s priorities started to focus on ways departments could work together instead of
working autonomously. A major step in this process was breaking down barriers
between agencies and eliminating IT silos. Prior to this shift in thinking, all departments
were functioning separately, but they also depended heavily on the Public Works,
Engineering Department for GIS services. The department was using automated
mapping and engineering design tools since the 1970s, primarily for mapping the City’s
infrastructure, political boundaries, and natural landscape. Engineering effectively
became a service bureau, providing a variety of mapping and design services for other
City departments. Every request from users and departments for mapping data was
sent to Engineering. As the demand increased, backlogs and delays occurred because
Engineering did not have the capacity to meet this growing need for data analysis
services.
GIS 2000/ENG 2000
Enterprise Organization Chart
