What do you think of this?
Something that hasn't changed much is the general public still may not know they're using GIS, but they are using GIS applications in everyday life now more than ever.
I think what has changed is the expectation for information to be served up on demand with dynamic map that they can pinch/zoom and see the surroundings on. Many consumers have come to expect that type of interaction whether they're making a huge decision like buying a house or just want to see where their pizza is in-transit or figure out if they can squeeze in an outdoor activity before the rain hits.
Dynamic mapping and GIS applications are so pervasive the general population just expects it as part of their social fabric and part of their day-to-day planning. I don't go anywhere new without looking at a map first. So naturally they expect it of their utility company to provide information this way too.
They want to see when a tech is going to arrive on their property or figure out when power will be restored to their neighborhood. And the stakes on that are much higher than a pizza delivery.
Well Stated
Yes! there is no doubt about it. I had seen in my early days of career that the field crew going with paper forms & Printed Maps with Unique ID Labels to collecting the data. Then by evening or next day morning the form will be delivered at field offices and the data entry team used to enter the data in excel the GIS operator will then Join the excel table with Spatial Data. Laborious & hectic right? From there its been changed to Offline Data Collection Instruments and now to Connected Devices, A Desktop Application to Web & Mobile application. Its a change I never thought of in 2000's.
Thanks for commenting
Oof. Alright, let's go line-by-line...
1. Software products -> Platforms and APIs
2. Client/server -> Web Services and apps
3. Standalone desktop -> Connected devices
4. Printed maps -> Web maps, dashboards, other apps
5. Static data -> Data services, live streams, big data
6. Custom applications -> Interoperable packages, libraries
7. Single, all purpose application -> Focused apps
8. Proprietary data -> Open Data & Shared Services
9. Using data created by others -> Combining others' data with out own
10. Limited sharing -> Many ways to share
11. Niche technology -> Ties to larger IT community: GitHub
12. Some attention to societal concerns -> Much attention to societal concerns.
Didn't mean to make this a dumpster fire, but I care about GIS and am just... disappointed. Hopefully there's meaningful change in GIS to come.
@AValenski I appreciate your response. Many in the user community are placing a high value on the advantages offered by these items.
From your background, it appears to me you are setting a high bar of expectation for the future, and that is needed.