GIS | Geographical information systems Job Specification | IT job

Geographical information systems manager: Job description and activities

Geographical information systems (GIS) managers (or geographical asset managers) are involved in overseeing the production of geographical data and analysis to help plan and deliver many different services in areas such as:

• healthcare;
• defence;
• construction;
• oil, gas, water, telecoms, electricity;
• the environment;
• local and central government;
• transport planning and operation;
• retail organisations - location planning and logistics;
• insurance and finance.

The data they work with is likely to be a combination of topographical information and social and economic data, often combined with large amounts of business information relevant to the sectors listed. GIS is becoming increasingly embedded at the core of organisations’ IT systems, meaning GIS managers work closely with colleagues in IT departments.

GIS managers do not necessarily undertake a great deal of technical work themselves, but work mainly as project managers, leading and coordinating teams of GIS officers, IT specialists, cartographers and data managers. They are likely to be involved in:

• managing budgets, project costs and deadlines;
• resolving problems and queries as they arise;
• using information gained to make informed decisions about the use of resources;
• liaising with clients to clarify the nature and purpose of the information they require;
• communicating between clients and the team providing GIS services;
• overseeing the development of new GIS software packages;
• facilitating the sharing of information across different departments within an organisation;
• recruiting and training staff;
• exploring new applications for the use of GIS.