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SpatialNews.com Press Release
IDC:Changes in Spatial Information Management That Will Impact Most IT Companies
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FRAMINGHAM, Mass., December 8, 2005 – According to a newly published IDC
study, the spatial information management (SIM) industry has experienced
sweeping changes over the last 18 months, involving fundamental shifts in
platforms, vendors, and users. The study, which presents IDC's five-year
forecast and 2004 vendor shares for the spatial information management
industry, finds that spatial information management has transformed from
a specialist application to a technology with broad relevance within
many IT ecosystems.
"From enterprise areas like master data management to Google Maps, SIM
technology is becoming pervasive," said David Sonnen, IDC's consultant
for spatial information management. "Most IT companies and users will
be affected to some degree by this change."
Fundamental shifts in the spatial information management industry include
basic changes in the nature of geospatial work, and transitions in the
broad IT environment toward easier integration and support for business
processes.
The study finds that geospatial data, and not the map, has become the raw
resource for creating location-specific information. Therefore, efforts
to convert paper maps to digital data have been replaced as geospatial
data is used to generate new maps, decisions, and automated processes.
The study, which separates technology categories from market segments,
reveals that geospatial capabilities will have to be tightly integrated
into applications as those capabilities are needed, and that geospatial
capabilities must increasingly be managed as part of secure, adaptable
information systems. It also finds that information will be managed and
accessed within service-oriented or event-based architectures and
standards-based integration platforms. This standards-based environment
will allow information systems to freely exchange data and business
logic to create information that supports dynamic business processes
in real-time.
"The SIM user base increasingly includes a broad range of enterprise
users, developers and consumers. In 2004, the packaged SIM software
market reached $1.99 billion, representing a growth rate of 5.9%," added
Sonnen. "Now, vendors like Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft are carving out
their own SIM niches and IT infrastructure vendors like Oracle and IBM
are establishing SIM capabilities within their enterprise solutions
platforms (ESPs)."
The study, Worldwide Spatial Information Management 2005-2009 Forecast
and 2004 Vendor Shares (IDC #34321), addresses the radical changes in
spatial information management (SIM) technology that have occurred in the
past 18 months. SIM's migration from a specialty technology to a broad
enterprise resource poses both threats and opportunities for geospatial,
IT infrastructure, Internet, and business analytics vendors. The study
provides the 2005-2009 forecast and 2004 vendor shares for the worldwide
SIM market. Also provided is analysis of SIM technology categories,
market segments, and vendor performance, along with essential guidance
for vendors. The study examines five spatial information management
technology categories: geographic information systems (GIS) technologies,
geospatial IT enabling technologies, geolocation technologies, spatially
enabled information infrastructure, and data, which surrounds and engages
all technology areas. The study analyzes three SIM market segments: GIS,
enterprise location services and software, and personal use.
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