KEY INSTITUTIONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL-FACTORS AFFECTING GIS LIS STRATEGIES AND APPLICATIONS

Lack of real progress in taking advantage of technological advances in geographic information system/land information systems (GIS/LIS) is a matter of record and concern in the field of public administration. A s part of a research-action agenda to deal with the problem, this arti cle establishes the fundamental requirement to relate institutional, o rganizational, and technological factors in a synergetic alliance. It then suggests frameworks for identifying GIS/LIS (as distinct from inf ormation systems [IS]) contributions to the contents and processes of public policies, plans, and programs. The frameworks provide a model f or the discussion of key institutional and organizational factors affe cting GIS/LIS strategies and applications. Sources drawn upon to exami ne the information systems/public administration systems relationship include original, multi-country research projects undertaken in the 19 60s-1970s, and the major IS/GIS/LIS benchmarking done for the Perspect ives Track at the 1992 Urban and Regional Information Systems Associat ion (URISA) Conference.