GIS is a computer-based information system that performs the activities of capturing, storing, manipulating, analyzing and displaying both spatial and non-spatial data in order to solve complex research, planning and management problems. It is a system of hardware and software that performs the above-mentioned activities on the information about the areas of the earth.
Purpose of the Global Information System (GIS)
The four main purposes of GIS modern survey is:
- Support for General Research
- Collection, manipulation, and utilization of spatial data in database management
- Standardization and Customisation of cartographic production
- Supports the decision-making process based on spatial data.
The fourth purpose can be explained by an example, where the engineering geologist evaluates the slope stability conditions of the area through GIS in order to decide a new and best route.
Architecture of global information system
FIGURE – INTERNATIONAL /Global INFORMATION SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE
The major dimensions for developing an international information systems architecture are the global environment, the corporate global strategies, the structure of the organization, the management and business processes, and the technology platform.
- GIS has many potential uses in architectural research and practice, especially in the areas of urban design, community planning, and the site selection process.
- GIS can also be used in conjunction with other visualization tools, such as AutoCAD,Google Earth, Adobe Illustrator, and Google Sketchup, to create dynamic and complex models.
- Information on an area’s geology, soil type, infrastructure, and demographic information, for example, can all be taken into consideration when planning a structure or selecting a site.
- The benefit of GIS lies in its analytical capabilities, wherein multiple phenomena can be linked by location and viewed through a spatial lens.
Building Global Information System Architecture
Business processes that have to respond to the demands of the global business environment have to be supported with a global information system architecture. Such an architecture is largely defined in terms of the backbone telecommunications .Aside from telecommunications, architectural plans need to include the processing hardware and software, as well as the design and siting of databases. In addition, global information systems development projects are more difficult because of greater variability of circumstances as the projects are carried out, the need to work in environments unfamiliar to some of the developers, and the complexity arising from these different environments.
Special Considerations of a Global Information System Architecture
1. Hardware and Software in Global Architecture
The barriers to a global information technology platform that are presented by the variety of computer equipment, and by the variety of systems and applications software, are not that different from the barriers encountered in a distributed system that is local to a single nation. There are the existing legacy systems to contend with and there are parochial interests of local management.
2. Databases
The challenge of defining a uniform structure of data for all business units across multiple national boundaries is more daunting than in a national case because of a greater variance among local business practices. The considerations of country risk, such as a potential threat to data centers, may necessitate other than the technologically optimal choice for the database sites, more stringent backup and disaster recovery policies, and a replication of databases.
3. Telecommunications Networks
A global telecommunications network is the principal platform of the corporate information system architecture of a multinational corporation. It is also the component that presents the toughest challenges
Implementation technology
• Providing an IT backbone that spans all countries the firm and its supply chain partners
operate in;
• Ensuring the exchange of highly structured information across the world while allowing
local customization in each country;.
• Managing a vast amount of information, including border procedures, duties and tariffs
and exchange rates; and
• Providing a host of optimization techniques to facilitate the efficient operation of the
global logistics network.
challenges to globalization of information systems. They include:
1.Cultural Differences
Cultural differences go to the very root of the national identity. At their worst, these differences express themselves as nationalism, the belief that one’s own nation would benefit from acting autonomously, rather than by harmonizing its initiatives with other members of a global community. Only be understanding the long-term incentives of the global division of labor can the nations and their decision makers overcome the tendency toward self-sufficiency and opportunism.
2. Language Barriers
Language barriers are often absent at the management level, but they manifest themselves acutely when information workers are expected to use systems with foreign language interfaces. Internationalization of software, with interfaces in local languages, is beginning to catch up with the needs. More difficult to overcome are the culture-based differences, such as perceptions of how absolute are time commitments, or the loyalty one owes the community versus loyalty to the employer. Personal exchanges and multicultural teamwork create better understanding and the ability to work around the differences. This understanding can be maintained by collaboration using various forms of teleconferencing and electronic meeting systems.
3. Political Risks
Multinational operations create by their very nature additional risks. Some of these political risks include legislation, punitive tax codes, and the instability of authority. Labor unrest or a threat to data centers can emerge in a given host country and it should be possible to move operations elsewhere rapidly.
4. Differences in tax laws and accounting procedures
Differences in tax reporting and accounting procedures among countries of the world may be expected to become narrower, but not disappear. In order to produce uniform consolidated results necessary for global coordination, it is necessary to deploy specialized information systems that perform such translation.
5. Legal differences
National laws and regulations differ widely. Particularly pertinent are the distinctions with respect to the labor laws and the protectionist laws trying to shield local information industry from the international competition. Legal differences discussed include the issue of laws limiting transborder data flows – the ability to bring data and information in and out of a country. Also discussed is the technological obstacle to global networking – the widely differing national telecommunications capabilities and regulations. In some countries of operation it may be necessary to deviate from the corporate hardware and software standards and acquire products of local vendors in order to accommodate expectations of good corporate citizenship.
International Trade 