A few new GIS and enterprise technologies

The pace of development of both communications and computer hardware and software capabilities continues to be quite rapid, resulting in a number of new technologies for GIS (geographic information system) and enterprise information systems. One of these is technology for performing rapid spatial queries on information stored in standard relational databases either within an organization or on servers scattered across a network. Another is object technology for embedding GIS capabilities in new or existing applications on desktop computers. A third is the ongoing development of new GIS-related capabilities for the Internet and World Wide Web (WWW), including componentized GIS capabilities and metadata standards. Other technical developments are also important. All these recent technical developments are about to make profound changes in the way in which GIS can be applied to AM/FM. By spatially enabling enterprise information systems they will leverage AM/FM investments made over many decades in some of the largest information warehouses in the world. They will pave the way for AM/FM spatial information resources to flow on the Information Highway which the Internet and the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) will soon provide. The implications of these changes are discussed.