DLK Consulting recently completed comprehensive research to identify the most cost-effective solution to pool the IT resources needed to plan and manage structural and transport developments within Western Cape government geographic information systems (GIS).
This is research is expected to be the groundwork for the development and roll-out of policies, standards and procedures to all municipal, provincial and national departments working with spatial information.
DLK`s exhaustive research pinpointed key issues needing to be addressed and set out a strategy for the application of spatial information.
These include the need to define and adopt hardware and software standards for all users of spatial information, determine which GIS application best serves the needs of the specialists, develop policies and procedures for managing and maintaining spatial data, and the need to determine the needs of GIS professionals within the public service, such as training and career planning, to ensure their continued service.
DLK Consulting was appointed to research the Provincial Administration of the Western Cape`s GIS needs and develop a strategy for the application of spatial information within the Department of Public Works and Transport which was frustrated by the inefficiencies of having to work with disparate systems and technologies, which made sharing information difficult.
Workshops and in-depth interviews were held with a core team of about 30 people representing the needs of employees working with spatial information across the department`s business units in Cape Town, Paarl, Beaufort West and Elsenburg.
IT co-ordinator for the department Jobert Roussow said DLK`s execution of the task clearly demonstrated the company`s professionalism and "it was evident that through their experience in the field, they were able to speak with authority".
Hendricks says the research was complex as restructuring of departments was under way within PAWC. "Apart from the expected complexity of assessing what IT was in place in various business units and determining people`s needs we needed to be sensitive to personal issues that affect people whose work environment is being restructured. Our professional and impartial approach cut to the core issues and delivered a report which gives the administration a firm foundation to move forward."
The report should help plan the steps needed to achieve the administration`s vision of a "map on every desktop".
"We believe our proposals have the staying power within a very fluid and fast-changing environment and, taking pending legislation on spatial information into account, form the groundwork for systems which will help government planners easily make well-informed decisions."
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DLK Consulting is a Cape-based specialist IT consulting company with a track record of developing and implementing customised solutions to government and business customers, particularly in the areas of record and library management, distribution systems and project management.
CEO Leon Hendricks was a finalist in the 2002 Vodacom/BMF Entrepreneurial Initiative Award.
DLK`s client base includes the City of Cape Town, Nampak, Caltex, Provincial Administration of the Western Cape, De Beers Marine and Wesgro.
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