This has recently been made possible through the integration of geographic information system (GIS) technology into the mainstream information technology (IT) infrastructure. No longer do corporate IT and GIS compete for scarce funding and resources. Synergies are built that allow the harvesting and sharing of information across Intranets and the Internet. It becomes apparent that geography does matter to businesses who manage infrastructure.
ESRI, the world’s leading GIS software company, listened to its users and invested considerable resources to engineer systems that make geographic information accessible and relevant to business needs, regardless of computer platform (Windows, Uniplexed Information and Computer System (UNIX, and Linux) or location (networks, the Web, and hand-held or tablet computers). As a result, GIS has helped usher in a new era of good corporate citizenry and fiscal accountability. It puts the information needed to engage in necessary and constructive public discourse at the fingertips of power brokers and the public alike. This spans a host of situations, some of which are:
- managing exploration and production (E&P) portfolios by global geography;
- managing E&P asset infrastructure at a very detailed and local scale;
- supporting environmental monitoring and prediction first and remediation next;
- managing oil and gas transmission and storage to reduce seasonal swings in price;
- supporting realtime reaction to catastrophic decline in oil output or transmission; and
- reporting to regulatory agencies or lobby groups on the healthy state of facilities.
Are average executives aware that all this happens while they are working at their computer desk? Yes and no. Yes, they know how these reports will help tackle daily business tasks. No, they don’t know where the information actually resides or how it comes about.
The thread that ties all this together, however, is location – geography matters to almost everything the executive works on day-to-day, and its proper use will greatly enhance the decision-making process, helping the company to maintain a competitive edge.
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