The extent of utilization of geographic information systems in California water utilities for task and decision-making support

Purpose. The purpose of the study was to (1) determine the extent of GIS utilization in water utilities by investigating its two subdimensions frequency-of-use (F.O.U.) and diversity of applications (D.O.A); (2) determine the extent to which Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are perceived to be successful in providing task and decision-making support to users in water utilities; and (3) to determine if a relationship exists between GIS's utilization and its perceived degree of success. Theoretical framework. The design of the study builds on Garrity and Sanders' research on assessing the Information Systems' (IS) success by measuring its ability to provide task and decision-making support to users in organizations, and on Pavri's research on measuring IS utilization by assessing its frequency of use and diversity of applications. The design is applied to the population of water utilities in California. Methodology. The study utilized a survey instrument to examine the two GIS utilization subdimensions, D.O.A. and F.O.U., and the two GIS success subdimensions, task support and decision-making support. Data were collected from 245 water utilities in California. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the extent of GIS utilization and its degree of perceived success in water utilities. Correlational statistics were used to determine if a relationship existed between GIS utilization and its perceived success. In addition, correlational statistics were also used to determine if a relationship existed between utilization's subdimensions (D.O.A and F.O.U.) and GIS's degree of perceived success. Findings. The study found that only 24 percent of the water utilities included in the survey have some level of GIS utilization. While only 2 percent reported an above average or extensive utilization level. On the other hand, the utilities using GIS reported a high degree of satisfaction with the GIS's ability to provide both task and decision-making support. Of the utilities that reported utilizing GIS, 80 percent were either satisfied or very satisfied. In addition, the study found that a statistically significant relationship existed between GIS-perceived success and its utilization level (0.537), frequency of use (0.579), and diversity of applications (0.453) Conclusion. It is recommended, based on the results of the study, that more water utilities consider adopting GIS into their operations. A comparatively small percentage of water utilities use GIS. However, this group finds that it is helpful in enabling them to perform tasks more efficiently and to render faster and better decisions. Furthermore, the research found that the increase in GIS utilization, frequency of use, and diversity of applications is usually associated with an increase in the perception of its success.