Geographic Information Systems: A Tutorial and Introduction

This tutorial provides a foundation in GIS including its basic structure, concepts, and spatial analysis. GIS is a new field in business schools and presents opportunities for research. It is derived from about a dozen disciplines, some unfamiliar to most IS researchers. Following an overview of vertical-sector uses of GIS, the paper introduces their costs and benefits. The links of GIS to related technologies such as GPS, wireless, location-based technologies, web services, and RFID are examined. Conceptual models and research methodologies are discussed, including Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS), and GIS in visualization, organizational studies, and end user computing. Suggestions for future research are presented.