Centralized vs. distributed systems: academic library models for GIS and remote sensing activities on campus

Library Trends, Fall, 2006 by Joe Aufmuth

ABSTRACT

Academic libraries are a prime example of an enterprise whose mission is to support the information needs of its institution. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) are popular topics for academic research and are used globally. Two major enterprise information service and data delivery models, centralized and distributed, describe how enterprises approach information sharing. Simply stated, centralized systems provide services and data through a single individual or departmental unit. Distributed systems rely on many interconnected individuals or units to supply services and data. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, which may lead to a hybrid model of combined elements or a movement away from one and toward the other. This article discusses centralized and distributed enterprise information service and data delivery models and how two Florida university libraries deploy these models to deliver enterprise GIS services and data to their institutions' user communities.

INTRODUCTION

Information services and data products such as those associated with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) are provided by many public and private organizations. By definition, "Any organization [public or private] that needs to support multiple concurrent users accessing a shared information resource" (Rich, Das, & Kroot, 2001) can be called an enterprise. The enterprise's concurrent users can be both internal and external to the organization. Academic libraries are a prime example of an enterprise. If viewed in the context of an academic institution, one might even view libraries as an enterprise embedded in the larger institutional enterprise. At the academic institution level, administration, teaching, research, and technology transfer are intended to meet the information needs of concurrent users in society. Simultaneously, the people, information services, and materials physically owned or licensed virtually by the library directly support the mission and information needs of the academic institution, that is, faculty, staff, students, and others outside the institution. For the purposes of this article, GIS will be used to refer to both GIS and RS as combined spatial services and data.

ENTERPRISE GIS

An enterprise GIS is typically viewed as the infrastructure (hardware, software, and personnel), spatial data, and applications used to inventory, manage, and analyze an institution's own spatial resources. In "Developing Enterprise GIS for University Administration: Organizational and Strategic Considerations," McCormick discusses enterprise GIS for university administration (McCormick, 2003). He points out three GIS usage areas: technical reference (planning and facilities), public reference (cartographic visitor maps), and decision support (student recruiting, locating facilities, etc.). He also describes three scales of enterprise GIS usage: a single departmental GIS, which is created for a specific purpose; a loose confederation of departments, which might share spatial software and data; and a fully integrated enterprise system, which may even be used for detailed records management. The scale of enterprise usage may change due to success or failure at any one particular scale.

The literature reveals that McCormick's public reference category exists in academic libraries. Some articles have proposed GIS systems that provided patrons with collection location information (Xia, 2005), developed GIS interfaces to digital historic collections (Haas et al., 2005), and investigated geographical interfaces to catalog records (Haas, Aufmuth, Coleman, & Uhlinger, 2002). While GIS has been used to locate new public library facilities (Koontz & Jue, 2001), nothing in the literature suggests GIS is internally used in locating new academic library facilities, library facilities management (McCormick's technical reference), or library decision-making support.

SERVICE AND DATA DELIVERY MODELS

Two significant models for delivering an enterprise's information services and data are the centralized system and the distributed system. Simply stated, centralized systems provide services and data through a single individual or departmental unit. Distributed systems rely on many interconnected individuals or units to supply services and data. There are advantages and disadvantages to both that may lead to a hybrid model of combined elements or a movement away from one and toward the other. For instance, the single point of access in a centralized system requires users to have a high level of trust in the provider's ability to meet user needs. A lack of trust may lead a department to develop its own GIS. In distributed systems some of the services and data delivery points may be redundant and lead to consolidation to reduce costs. In a hybrid system, some features of a distributed system may become centralized, such as software licensing for multiple users.

An academic library's choice of GIS service model is influenced by current campus-wide GIS activities--or "enterprise scale"--as defined by McCormick, as well as the library's willingness to compete with other centers on campus. Libraries at institutions without GIS research centers or GIS in academic departments might initially choose the centralized system and become the hub of campus GIS activity. The centralized model may start out in a collaborative mode, but as campus departments develop GIS expertise, libraries may find themselves competing for funding and space. If an established network of campus GIS and remote sensing research centers and programs already exists, libraries might choose to provide GIS services to faculty, staff, and students in those distributed departments rather than create its own center. In distributed systems the library can also serve as a neutral place for highly competitive research and educational centers to come together. Whether centralized or distributed, library GIS services and data delivery may include data acquisition (creation, download, or purchase), data processing and analysis, data distribution, data maintenance, data archiving (institutional repositories), GIS applications (development and/or implementation), software (purchasing, licensing, distribution, and installation), hardware support, teaching, research, and consulting.