ASSESSING ORGANIZATIONAL CHALLENGES WITHIN MUNICIPAL GIS IMPLEMENTATIONS: A CASE STUDY OF URBAN DRAINAGE SYSTEM ASSET MANAGEMENT IN ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are widely used by municipalities to track the spatial distributions and attributes of infrastructure assets. However, the potential utility of a GIS may be reduced due to organizational issues. GIS researchers and practitioners have continually faced this issue of proper implementation, as well as the overall efficacy of GIS systems within organizations. This research studies the organizational issues facing municipal GIS implementations, using a case study of urban drainage asset management from Orange County, California. Given the compounding effects of aging infrastructure, rising levels of impervious surfaces, and the greater likelihood of extreme precipitation events due to a changing climate, the management of urban drainage systems will become increasingly critical. While GIS tools may be capable of playing a large role in the life cycle management of these urban drainage system assets, there are often specific organizational barriers that prevent this potential in asset management from being fully realized. This research utilizes semi-structured interviews and questionnaires to assess the common organizational challenges with GIS implementations for urban drainage system management at both the municipal and county setting in Orange County, California. Results indicate that the most common challenges are the lack of staff, the lack of a mature Asset Management System, and inaccurate spatial data. This study concludes with recommendations and strategies to minimize the identified organizational barriers and aims to provide a framework for more effective future municipal GIS implementations