GIS diffusion in China: Theoretical considerations and preliminary case studies.

摘要

GIS and related technologies have been increasingly and widely recognized in China since middle 1990s. Following the academic and political promotion, more and more Chinese scholars and officials have devoted to the development of domestic GIS industry, the construction of national geospatial data infrastructure and the implementation of the Digital Earth. However, their visions on, and recommendations for, China's GIS development are diversified, ambitious, radical and often inconsistent. This paper introduces the theory of innovation diffusion to the study of national-level GIS diffusion, and attempts to investigate the general characteristics of GIS implementation and technical diffusion in China. It is expected to shed light on national-level GIS diffusion research and China's long-term GIS development.; It is suggested that national-level GIS diffusion research should consider three aspects of GIS: (1) GIS technical evolution and its diffusion characteristics, (2) the organizational GIS initiation, implementation and utilization, and (3) the national environments related to GIS diffusion, e.g. knowledge infrastructure, market operation and institutional settings. The process of GIS diffusion within an organization can be generalized as interactions between knowledge learning, investment decision-making, system implementation, system utilization and cost/benefit/effectiveness assessment. Knowledge learning and decision making are the two key factors in the full cycle of technical diffusion. The national factors affecting GIS diffusion mainly include: (1) the knowledge infrastructure including GIS research and education, knowledge accumulation and dissemination, and organizational learning; (2) the market mechanism including technical demand, product supply and industrial competition; (3) the social context including institutional settings, development policies and cultural traditions. The market mechanism is the most effective factor influencing on the long-term GIS diffusion.; On the other hand, quite a few GIS cases and data are collected from individual interviews, official and business websites, academic literatures, questionnaire surveys and professional databases. The organizational and institutional characteristics of GIS adoption, implementation, utilization and diffusion in China are examined through case studies and dada analyses. It is observed/concluded that China has experienced with: (1) government-led top-down process of GIS development, (2) small and fragmental GIS market with high growth rate, (3) poor availability and accessibility of geospatial data, and (4) scarcity of information/knowledge/talent and immature market mechanism. Simultaneously, implementation problems, such as the formalization of feasibility study and system appraisal, popularity of ‘one-size-for-all’ approach in strategic planning, ambitious objectives in system design, and exaggeration of GIS benefit and effectiveness, widely exist in China's GIS project management.; This research also has rich implications on long-term GIS development in China in terms of the improvement of GIS implementation and the betterment of national GIS diffusion environments. It is recommended that: (1) the practical knowledge on GIS technology and organizational management should be investigated to guide GIS decision-making, strategic planning and implementation management; (2) China's long-term GIS development is generally following the developed countries; the strategy for getting to the ‘critical mass’ of GIS adoption is more important than the ‘leapfrogging’ progress; (3) the government is suggested to nurture the market only in the fields of market failure; and its strategies and policies should be reexamined to avoid policy failure; and (4) the simple, low price, ‘single-track’ rather than strictly copyright-protected, high-price and &l