Augmenting Organizational Knowledge Management Using Geographic Information Systems

Abstract

Many firms are realizing that to thrive in complex and dynamic environments, they must be swift and flexible in their operations. Key decisions are now becoming more dependent on understanding and coding complex information acquired from knowledge management systems. GIS technology has the ability to incorporate this requirement. GIS has developed into an important part of many disciplines and cuts across all areas of the modern information society. It offers a framework for planners to devise things more efficiently. Thus GIS is a computing application capable of creating, storing, manipulating, visualizing, analyzing and interpreting geographical data in many ways that show relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts. Thus, this chapter emphasizes the role of knowledge management for the development of organizations, and therefore, the importance of GIS in organizational knowledge management. The key issues and strategies for effective and efficient organizational knowledge management using GIS are discussed.