Enhancing Business Processes through Web Based Mapping

The aim of spatial information systems is to provide the ability to improve the quality and timeliness of decisions made within an organisation. Several challenges have historically limited the ease with which this goal is achieved. Issues such as the cost of access to current spatial data, the complex nature of the decisions and the cost of distributing conclusions have contributed to the scarcity of operational examples of such systems for which significant return on investment has been measured. Recently, new technologies offer a means to develop spatial information systems which focus more directly on business decision and processes. The advent of Web Services, development frameworks and improved network infrastructures have precipitated a new generation of off-the-shelf, open, scaleable and loosely-coupled applications. These new applications enable organisations to rapidly deploy systems that spatially enhance existing business processes with a significant reduction of the traditional data management, system development and process delivery overheads. This paper reviews projects that are achieving business benefits through the use of web based mapping applications. It focuses on open solutions and identifies the issues, bot