GIS as a Communication Process: Experiences from the Milwaukee COMPASS Project

Abstract

We examine the role of GIS in communication and decision-making processes by re-interpreting the experiences of the Milwaukee COMPASS Project (Community Mapping, Planning and Analysis for Safety Strategies) in the light of Enhanced Adoptive Structuration Theory. Using numerous practice-derived examples, we conclude that GIS not only facilitates and strengthens communication, but can be used to defuse political constraints to collaborative decision making.