Is GIS profitable? This can (and should) be calculated.

0 0 0 15 January 2026

As every year around Christmas, I reach for the “bible,” Roger Tomlinson’s book “Thinking GIS: Planning Geographic Information Systems for Managers.” And as every year, I rediscover it, because with growing experience, certain aspects take on a different meaning.

Yesterday, I was “pondering” the financial aspect of individual functionalities. This year in particular, I participated in implementations where GIS was not planned. Only the purchase of GIS software was planned, and instead of discussing the processes to be implemented/supported by GIS, we talked about the functionalities to be delivered and specified in the order (I know about controls, public procurement law, etc.). Unfortunately, these systems will continue to operate at 10-15% of their capacity, generating minimal profits for the organization.

Meanwhile, in Chapter 11, “Cost-Benefit Analysis, Migration, and Risk,” Tomlinson beautifully demonstrates that a process-based approach, i.e. “breaking down” the System into information products (e.g. a map, report, or tool that supports a specific process in the company) and analyzing the costs and benefits of each of these processes, gives a clear-cut result indicating whether it is worth taking a given action or not, and whether it is profitable.

Example:

A pipe bursts, water is pouring out, and the water company begins the process of repairing the fault. A crew arrives with an excavator and starts digging. In the vast majority of cases, they have no idea whether there are power lines, heating pipes, fiber optic cables, gas pipes, etc. in that location. They dig with their hearts in their mouths. Most of the time, they are successful and do not damage other installations, but sometimes they break fiber optic cables or other cables. The cost of such repairs can run into millions of Polish zlotys, depending on the size of the company.

Meanwhile, if the foreman or excavator operator knew that they could use the Geoportal Mobile application, where they could check the underground network (National Infrastructure Integration layer) on an orthophoto map, they would know what was underneath them in a matter of seconds. It is safe to estimate that this knowledge would reduce the amount of damage by 25%. Is that a lot or a little? Compared to the cost of training with Geoportal Mobile (2 hours?), in my opinion, this is one of the most effective results.

And going further: if the operator had VR goggles, the data would be in 3D, and artificial intelligence would control the excavator, then perhaps the amount of losses would fall by another 10 percentage points. Would maintaining such a system, training, and operation be cost-effective in relation to the benefits?

This question must be answered by the GIS manager in a specific implementation during PLANNING.

On the screenshot: utility infrastructure network in the vicinity of the GIS Support office in Poznań. The GPS position is not very accurate, as it was determined from the desk. Too cold for “fieldwork” 🙂