This was the question posed by Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley during the plenary session at last week's ESRI International User Conference. ESRI founder Jack Dangermond presented O'Malley with the President's Award in recognition of Maryland's pioneering GIS work, in particular the StateStat Web site, which O'Malley initiated and champions as a government performance-measurement tool.
O'Malley repeated the question throughout his acceptance speech, saying that it represents the fundamental desire people have to understand the world around them and create connections between themselves and their environment. In other words, people want to visualize where they are in relation to where other people and things are. Of course, the GIS cognoscenti have long understood this.
Maryland uses GIS to share information and make state government operations more accessible, accountable, and efficient. The state Web sites include rich GIS Web mapping applications built on ArcGIS Server and the ArcGIS API for Flex.
For example, RecoveryStat, a subsite of StateStat, provides maps of Maryland's federal stimulus spending allocations by local jurisdiction. You can also see the locations and allocations for specific projects that are underway. The Web maps are a great tool to help Marylanders evaluate whether the state is spending the federal monies wisely (and a great example for other states to follow).
Yes, well, the Web sites are interesting, but what does this have to do with training? The connection is this.
The idea of using GIS for performance measurement and efficiency is spot-on relevant for both the public and private sectors, especially given this "Great Recession" economy we're in. When budgets are tight, it pays to invest in technologies that bring long-term efficiencies and the ability to measure the effectiveness of business operations.
But, in order to get the benefits of any technology, there must be people who know how to apply the technology.
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If a software product is just sitting in its box somewhere in a system administrator's office because no one knows what to do with it, the organization has wasted its investment.
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If a software product has been installed and is being used in a production environment, but only a small fraction of its functionality is being utilized, the organization has either spent way more than necessary or it is not achieving all the benefits it intended by making the technology investment.
Consider Training Needs When Purchasing Technology
If organizations spend the time to think about training needs at the time of technology purchase, they are more likely to successfully implement the technology and realize the operational benefits. What should they think about?
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Who will use the technology (specific job titles and names)?
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Who will be involved with supporting the technology (specific job titles and names)?
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What tasks will the users be expected to complete using the technology?
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Do the users have the required knowledge and skills to complete those tasks?
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If not, what level of training will they require to perform the tasks as expected?
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What ongoing skills development will be required after the initial training?
Once this information is collected, organizations are prepared to start exploring specific training courses and formats that will best meet their needs.
Training Resources for Creating Rich GIS Web Maps
If you check out the Maryland Web sites and feel inspired to follow their example, the free training resources below are a great place to start exploring how to go about it. All are available 24/7 on the ESRI Training Web site.
When you're ready for more in-depth training, the instructor-led courses below are recommended.
Governor O'Malley talked about the power of GIS to strengthen connections. Be sure to connect with us on Thursday, August 27th for the Getting Started with the ArcGIS API for Microsoft Silverlight/WPF live training seminar. This free seminar continues this year's theme of sharing your GIS content via effective Web maps.