Intersect
G E O W O R L D / O C T O B E R 2 O O 9 18 agreed upon. But try to remember that IT and GIS have a lot in common. We share a respect for tech-nology, a love of data and enthusiasm for sharing our digital world with others. By keeping those goals in mind when working together, agreeing to agree should come easy. As Oscar Wilde once said, I'm not young enough to know everything. But I do know that sharing, speaking up and staying positive are some of the best ways to intersect successfully. Remember that out of sight and out of mind doesn't have to create anxiety for GIS or IT if there's a mutual understanding of what you expect, and don't expect, from each other. IT Mark says.... This is probably one of IT's biggest pet peeves: people who think our out-of-sight work habits mean we're not taking care of them. Most people don't think of what's happening behind the scenes, but, little do they know, we're planning for world domination or at least a secure and stable network. They see IT folks coming late in the morning, or leaving early, and think we aren't really doing anything. Let me debunk this myth. Most of us are diligently working late at night (or early morning) fi ghting fi res, saving server crashes, fi xing hard-drive failures and patching software, all when you're not around. If we have saved a catastro-phe and you don't know about it, we've done our job. We have a great understanding of the big picture and know what needs to be done. I know being in the loop will help GIS Janet sleep better, but having 100-percent confi dence in your IT staff should eliminate Janet Jackson, a GIS professional, and Mark Dolezel, an IT specialist, work together at McKim & Creed; e-mail: intersect@ mckimcreed.com. GIS Janet says ... Not for me. As a matter of fact, I some-times worry or think about something more when it's out of sight, just like I did when my young children were a little too quiet in the next room. Only the parent who hasn't been through the nightmare of turning the corner to see lipstick draw-ings covering the walls truly believes that out of sight and quiet is a good thing. Maybe, just maybe, your IT department keeps quiet and out of sight of your GIS world without any bad effects, but wouldn't it make you sleep easier if you knew exactly what they were doing, or had planned, for your GIS data? Here are a few tips to help eliminate IT avoidance and, in the process, become a better intersecter with IT professionals. Share commonalities. Some IT departments don't want to share their behind-the-scenes informa-tion or planning processes with GIS for a variety of reasons; mostly because they don't want to take the time to explain their under-the-hood methods. And I agree that calling lengthy meetings and demanding full disclosure of every IT detail might bog down the overall process. Discussing details that don't really concern the GIS side will only frustrate and possibly delay the IT department's start of the project. So don't beg the IT department to share everything, but remember that your GIS group needs to know some of the details. Try to keep the detail sharing to the key items that you have in common. Speak Up! Is silence truly golden? Perhaps for some it is, but I'm a fi rm believer that if you have questions, you need to speak up loud and clear. IT might never know that you need information or clari-fi cation if you don't ask them. Remember, your GIS group is probably one of many groups IT is support-ing on a daily basis. Keeping your information fl owing, stored, orga-nized, archived, transferred, backed up and distrib-uted is just the beginning of the day for them. So if you're unsure or curious about an IT process that involves your GIS data, then ask. Stay positive. One of my favorite phrases is keep agreeing to agree. And I know that's diffi cult in some cases, especially when the basics aren't Does IT Out of Sight Mean GIS Out of Mind? INTERSECT BY MARK DOLEZEL & JANET JACKSON Some IT departments don't want to share their behind-the-scenes information or planning processes with GIS for a variety of reasons; mostly because they don't want to take the time to explain their under-the-hood methods.