Spatial Technologies: An Evolutionary Framework and Case Study Analysis of Company Strategies

An evolutionary framework is presented for spatial information technologies in business. The framework has the three dimensions of extent spatial applications are customer-facing, the extent geography influences the business, and the extent of presence of spatially-enabled web integration platform versus traditional spatial platform. The evolution of the framework over time is towards more customer-facing, greater extent of geography in the business, and greater extent of spatiallyenabled web integration platforms. The framework is tested by interviews of twenty case study companies that vary in size and industry. Case study methodology is utilized. The research question asks whether strategic spatial focus is related to one or more of the framework dimensions. Results indicate that greater strategic focus of a company is associated with increases of spatially-enabled web integration platforms and extent of geography in the business, but not with the extent spatial applications are customer-facing. The findings are compared to literature on frameworks of classifying spatially-enabled firms.