The GIS industry has undergone a significant transformation over the years. From being a niche domain meant for experts, it has evolved into a versatile tool used by a wide array of users for diverse applications. This evolution has been facilitated by the adoption of SOA, the rise of SaaS models, and continuous efforts to address security concerns. As technology continues to advance, GIS is expected to become even more accessible, intuitive, and powerful, catering to an ever-growing range of applications and users.

If you worked in the Utility industry you must have heard of ESRI Utility Network model(UNM). The UNM is a newly developed network model answering challenges the industry is facing. The challenges include delivering affordable, reliable service to customer safely, efficiently and in a cost-effective way. Many utility companies still using GIS system that designed and developed 20-30 years ago. Those systems are hard to maintain and difficult to collaborate or exchange data with other systems. UNM adopted Service oriented design and easy to scale up/or down. GIS data can be shared easily with internal and external users. However, the new technology also require professional personal to design, develop and maintain.

In the realm of local governance and community services, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have emerged as a revolutionary tool, dramatically transforming how citizens interact with their surroundings and access public data. This transformation is not just technical but also societal, bringing data-driven decision-making to the forefront of municipal management. The potential of GIS in municipal governance is immense. As technology progresses, we can anticipate increasingly innovative GIS applications, such as augmented reality in urban planning and advanced analytics in resource management.