Global information system
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Information Systems are more and more developed in and for the global market. This field can be seen as a research discipline in the Information systems domain but has a variety of specific challenges [1]. Typical questions regard
- How to design information systems for a global market. Should there be standardized or localized products and services?[2]
- How to organize the distributed work processes when working in different locations?
- How to adapt / localize specific components of systems, such as adapting the user interfaces?[3]
- Which factors (such as national culture) influence development / adaptation / deployment processes?[4]
- How to enable efficient communication and collaboration?
These questions are not complete but show some key issues for the field in research and practice.
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[edit] Definition
There is a variety of definitions and understandings of a Global Information System (GIS, GLIS), such as
- A global information system (GLIS) is an information system which is developed and / or used in a global context.[5]
- A global information system (GLIS) is any information system which attempts to deliver the totality of measurable data worldwide within a defined context.
Common to this class of information systems is that the context is a global setting, either for its use or development process. This means that it highly relates to distributed systems / distributed computing where the distribution is global. The term also incorporates aspects of global software development and there outsourcing (when the outsourcing locations are globally distributed) and offshoring aspects. A specific aspect of global information systems is the case (domain) of global software development.[6] A main research aspect in this field concerns the coordination of and collaboration between virtual teams.[7][8] Further important aspects are the internationalization and language localization of system components.
[edit] Tasks in Global Information Systems Design
Critical tasks in the design of Global Information Systems are
- Process and System Design: How are the processes between distributed actors organized, how are the systems distributed / integrated.
- Technical architecture: What is the technical infrastructure enabling actors to collaborate?
- Support mechanisms: How are actors in the process of communication, collaboration, cooperation supported?
A variety of examples can be found - basically, every multi-lingual website can be seen as a global information system. However, mostly a GLIS is referred as a specific system developed or used in the global context.
== Examples ==56 Specific examples are
- Systems developed for multinational users, e.g., SAP as a global ERP system
- Global Information Systems for Education: The Global Learning Objects Brokered Exchange
- Support systems for global cooperation: Systems, e.g. Palantir
- For the specific case of data integration : http://data.un.org, http://www.internettrafficreport.com, http://www.unhcr.org/statistics.html, http://www.globalhealthfacts.org/ etc.
[edit] More information / courses
- Global Information Systems at the University of Jyväskylä
- MSIS 647 - Global Information Systems course at the University of San Francisco [1]
- Resources on Global Information Technology at AIS World
[edit] References
- ^ Damian, D., Moitra, D., “Guest Editors' Introduction: Global Software Development: How far Have We Come?,” IEEE Software,23(5), 17-19, 2006
- ^ Prikladnicki, R., Audy, J. L. N., Damian, D., Oliveira, T. C., “Distributed Software Development: Practices and challenges indifferent business strategies of offshoring and onshoring,” Int’l Conf on Global Software Engineering, 262-274, Germany, 2007
- ^ Marcus, A., & Gould, E. W. (2000). Crosscurrents: Cultural dimensions and global web user-interface design. Interactions, 7(4), 32–46.
- ^ Leidner D, Kayworth T (2006) A Review of Culture in Information Systems Research: Toward a Theory of Infor-mation Technology Culture Conflict. MISQ, 30(2), S 357-399.
- ^ Pawlowski, J.M.: Globale Informationssysteme (Global Information Systems). In: Kurbel, K., Becker, J., Gronau, N., Sinz, E., Suhl, L. (Eds.): Online Lexikon Wirtschaftsinformatik Online Encyclopedia Business Information Systems, Oldenbourg, 2008.
- ^ Sangwan, R., Bass, M., Mullick, N., Paulish, D.J., Kazmeier, J. (2006): Global Software Development Handbook, Auerback Publications, 2006. ISBN 0849393841
- ^ Carmel, E. (1999): Global Software Teams: Collaborating Across Borders and Time Zones (High Performance Cluster Computing) - ISBN 013924218X
- ^ Garton, C., Wegryn, K. (2006): Managing Without Walls: Maximize Success with Virtual, Global, and Cross - Cultural Teams, MC Press, US, 2006.
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