URISA’s GIS Management Institute

Greg Babinski, MA, GISP
Finance & Marketing Manager
King County GIS Center
Seattle, WA
URISA President
Summit Chief Editor
URISA’s GIS Management Institute
Esri Annual User Conference
San Diego, California - July 24, 2012

Origins and why focus on GIS management?
What is the business need?
What will the GMI do?
What will the GMI do in cooperation with others?
Why URISA?
Who will use the GMI and why?
How will the GMI operate?
Questions and suggestions?

Originated with basic questions:
 What causes variation in municipal GIS operations?
 Why do some GIS operations fail?
 Each municipality is unique
 City and county business focus often varies
 Population
 Nature and level of economic development
 GIS development history and funding
 GIS operational budget and staffing
 GIS strategic plan
 Municipality’s institutional expectations
 GIS operational vision – or lack of vision?

 What causes variation in municipal GIS operations?
 Why do some GIS operations fail?
Outcome: URISA’s GIS Capability Maturity Model
 Maturity for the model indicates progression of an organization
towards GIS capability that maximizes:
 Potential for the use of state of the art GIS technology
 Commonly recognized quality data
 Organizational best practices appropriate for municipal business use
 The Municipal GIS Capability Maturity Model assumes two broad
areas of GIS operational development:
 Enabling capability
 Execution process ability
See: URISA Proposes a Local Government GIS Capability Maturity Model:
http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/winter1011articles/urisa-
proposes.html

 Is there a GIS profession?
2010 -URISA Commits to Develop Tier 9: The Geospatial
Management Competency Model
URISA GMCM Core Team:
 David DiBiase
 Patrick Kennelly
 Greg Babinski
 Coordination with USDOLETA
 URISA’s GMCM delivered to
DOLETA June 8, 2012
http://www.urisa.org/gmcm_review

 Is there a GIS profession?
 What is the GIS Profession’s Moral Imperative?
 Does GIS provide value to society?
Is There a GIS Profession?
ArcNews, Summer 2012: Strengthening the GIS Profession, by
David DiBiase
What is the Moral Imperative of the GIS Profession?
The GIS profession uses geographic theory, spatial analysis, and
geospatial technology to help society manage the Earth’s finite space,
with its natural resources and communities, on a just and sustainable
basis for the benefit of humanity.
Does GIS Provide Value to Society?
ArcNews, Summer 2012: King County Documents ROI of GIS
(minimum $776 million net benefit over 18 years, $87 million
in 2010)
http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/index.html

 GIS operations are maturing – or they should be
 GIS operations manage large capital investments
 GIS operations require large operating budgets
 GIS is a proven technology for effective municipal
administration (standard of care)
 GIS operations deliver huge returns on investment
 Local agency leaders and managers must deploy GIS for
cost-effective government services (and to comply with the
standard of care)
 Geospatial technology is complex, continues to evolve, and
continues to provide new opportunities
 The management of municipal GIS operations is complex,
evolving, and requires a scientific, professional approach
What is the Business Need?

Is GIS management distinct from other types of municipal
management?
 The management of GIS requires knowledge skills and abilities that set it apart from and
above many other management domains, due to its complexity, importance for effective
services, and integrative role in local government enterprise operations.
 Proposals that GIS operations should be under the supervision of licensed engineers or
surveyors are not supported by the breadth of knowledge domains required for GIS
management.
Knowledge Domains
Management Areas
GIS Survey Engineering IT Project Mgt Geography
GIS Technology X O O
Survey O X O O
Engineering O X O
General IT X X O
PM X O X
Geography X X
Cartography X O X
GIS Science X O
Databases X X
Programming X X
Geospatial Law X
Contracting X O O X X
Governance X X O

The Ah-ha Moment:
GIS operational process maturity (aka the GIS
Capability Maturity Model)
and…
GIS management capability (aka the Geospatial
Management Competency Model)
Can both best be defined against…
A body of geospatial management best practices and
standards, or the GIS Management Body of Knowledge

 Develop the URISA GIS Management Body of Knowledge
(GMBOK)
 Maintain the URISA Geospatial Management Competency
Model (GMCM)
 Maintain the URISA GIS Capability Maturity Model
(GCMM)
 Accredit the capability and maturity of county, city, and
regional GIS operations against the GCMM
 Accredit GIS Management educational programs for
alignment with the URISA GMBOK and GMCM
What will the URISA GIS Management Institute
do?

 Include an advisory council from other geospatial
management professional stakeholders
 Include international stakeholders
 Advance the future certification of GIS Managers by
developing a GIS Managers designation of the GISP in
partnership with GISCI
What will the GMI do with in cooperation with
others?

 URISA developed and launched GISCI
 URISA developed and manages GISCorps
 URISA has 50 years of study, experience & intellectual
capital related to GIS development and management
 URISA has a portfolio of publications and educational
offerings, including the ULA, that can be aligned to
support GIS management
 URISA has a history of 31 years of ESIG awards that
form an initial resource for recognizing GIS
management best practices
 URISA has designated the development of the GIS
Management Institute as a priority initiative
Why URISA?

Who will use the GMI, and why?
Babinski’sTheory of GIS Management: As GIS Operational Maturity Improves,ROI Increases

 GIS Managers – to assess their competency against the GMCM and
GMBOK and plan their professional development
 Organizations with GIS Operations – to assess their capability and
process maturity against peer agencies and by becoming GMI
accredited against the GMBOK via the GCMM
 Geospatial professionals – to assess and align their own practices
against the GMBOK
 GIS management educational programs – to assess and refine their
curriculum by becoming GMI accredited against the GMBOK, GMCM
& GCMM
 GIS management consultants – to assess and refine their practices
against the GMBOK, GMCM & GCMM
 In the future, GIS managers will use GMI products and services to
prepare for achieving a GISP manager designation through GISCI
Who will use the GMI, and why?

How will the GMI Operate?
GMBOK:
GIS Management
Body of Knowledge
Municipal
GIS
Operations
GCMM
Accreditation
GCMM: GIS
Capability
Maturity
Model
URISA
Education
ULA & UMA
GIS
Management
Educational
Program
Accreditation
GISCI
GIS Managers
Certification
Component
GMCM:
Geospatial
Management
Competency
Model
Future:
ROI Services
Other
Accreditation
Benchmarking

 An operational program of URISA
 Possible 501(c)(6) status
 Under the management of a geospatial
management professional
 Broad geospatial advisory council
 After initial development, sustained via GMBOK
subscriptions & GMI accreditation fees
 URISA priority initiative
How will the GMI Operate?

Questions, Comments, Suggestions?
 Q: Why an ‘Institute’?
A: An authoritative organization, based on research, for the
promotion of best practices in geospatial management.
 Q: Why ‘accreditation’?
A: GMI accreditation recognizes the standards and practices of
organizations, while GISCI certification recognizes the skills of
individuals

Greg Babinski, MA, GISP
URISA President
SUMMIT Chief Editor
Finance & Marketing Manager
King County GIS Center
201 South Jackson Street, Suite 706
Seattle, WA 98104
206-263-3753
greg.babinski@kingcounty.gov
www.kingcounty.gov/gis

URISA’s GIS Management Institute

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