Collaborative GIS in a distributed work environment

Digital map and chart providers are under increasing pressure to bring their original and updated products to market in shorter time frames than ever before. No longer are update cycles measured in months and years, but in days and weeks and in some cases hours. As contract production has played an increasingly significant role in government digital mapping and charting programs, workflow processes and production teams have at least been extended, if not redefined. At the same time, through the refinement of groupware tools and intranet/extranet software, applications of computer supported co-operative work (CSCW) have emerged in support of both project-driven research and corporate information management.; This report builds on earlier research conducted by the Geographical Engineering Group at the University of New Brunswick. The purpose of this program is to investigate the feasibility of collaborative geomatics production within a network environment, develop extranet-based prototypes and evaluate their effects on project management and organisational culture.; This report first compares some groupware packages currently available, including Netscape SuiteSpot and Lotus Domino. Through analysing the workflow of a selected geomatics quality control project, the functional requirements of an extranet-based prototype collaboration workspace are defined. The report concludes with a discussion of key implementation issues, including the set-up of a collaborative workspace, file management, and the integration of existing GIS and mapping software with the workspace.