At the GIS Managers Summit in July, attendees were able to submit questions for our live panel. While we had some great answers, there were dozens of questions we didn’t have time for, so we’re going to answer them here!
Our panelists will be posting, Q&A-style, over the next several weeks, so check back here regularly!
This week, @MatthewLewin1 (Matt Lewin) answered some question addressed to him:
Q: For Matt,
Your e-books and content are making an impact!
1- How about designing a focus course for managers on geospatial essentials for managers?
2- Any plan to build geospatial canvas templates, where we can use and get the most of the geospatial strategy framework?
A: Thanks for the kind words. The 2 strategy e-books were a labor of love. You can find them at these links:
Volume 1 - https://resources.esri.ca/ebooks/geospatial-strategy-essentials-for-managers
Volume 2 - https://resources.esri.ca/ebooks/geospatial-strategy-essentials-for-managers-volume-2
Indeed, we are working on course material based on the book. It will be focused on management and executives audience and will aim to provide insight into the role of GIS in modern business and provide approaches for building strategies and programs.
The strategy on a page canvas and geospatial solution canvas can be accessed currently by sending me an email at mlewin@esri.ca
Q: What was the name of the tool Matthew recommended?
A: The planning tool I mentioned was the value proposition canvas. You can find it here: www.strategyzer.com/library/the-value-proposition-canvas
It's an excellent tool for aligning business needs/pains/gains with the features and capabilities of your solution, solution portfolio or entire entire program.
Q: To Matthew or others - What is the most successful org structure you’ve observed? (IT vs Business placement, what level of centralization, etc)
A: There is no one "most successful" organization structure. It's a question of fit for your business. You need consider your overall business strategy and model, the goals and priorities of your geospatial strategy and the culture of your organization. I've described several types of org structures in the article at the link below and I provide an approach to selecting and designing a structure that works for you.
https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/arcuser/find-the-best-way-to-organize-your-geospatial-talent/
Q: What are some good communication practices, to non-GIS-professionals, to convince them how it helps data accuracy, rather than the conventional methods? Love Matthew Lewin to answer
A: In general, communicating effectively with non-GIS professionals involves minimizing the GIS jargon and focusing on their interests. Try to get an understanding of their business needs and goals and then describe how geography or a geographic approach can help them get there. Rather than talk about specific tools or technology or data models, try and talk about data analytics concepts like Describe, Diagnose, Predict, Prescribe as it relates to understanding spatial relationships. On the data accuracy front, perhaps flip the conversation on its head and describe how data accuracy suffers without sufficient spatial context.
