FOR INMEDIATE RELEASE
October, 2008

“ESRI Press Publishes a Spanish Language Edition of Thinking About GIS: Geographic Information Systems Planning for Managers ”

Aeroterra S.A.( Buenos Aires),October 9, 2008 - Dr. Roger Tomlinson's book Thinking About GIS: Geographic Information Systems Planning for Managers, considered a must-read for any organization planning to launch a geographic information system (GIS), is now available in Spanish.
Pensando en el SIG: Planificación del Sistema de Información Geográfica Dirigida a Gerentes, Tercera edición is the first Spanish language book published by ESRI Press.

In this volume, Tomlinson shares his time-tested methodology for planning a GIS that he honed during a long career as a GIS consultant. Widely recognized as the "father of GIS" for his pioneering work developing the Canada Geographic Information System in the early 1960s, Tomlinson also spent more than 30 years consulting on GIS projects for clients including government agencies in Canada, the United States, and Australia; the World Bank; and many private companies.

Tomlinson walks readers through his meticulous planning techniques, from the first step of defining the organization's purpose and what mission GIS can fulfill to the last step of developing a detailed strategy to launch the system. The other eight steps include one Tomlinson considers critical: describing the information products the GIS will need to produce. "What do you need to keep track of? What information do you need on your desk?" Tomlinson asks. "This is what must come out of the GIS."

Besides focusing the project on what the organization's employees truly need to do their job well, clearly defining the information products will help planners make better decisions later when they buy the GIS hardware and software, Tomlinson says.

The book also covers planning the technology system needed for a GIS. Chapter 10 includes the latest computer performance numbers and hardware pricing models as well as a new approach to calculating data handling loads and the network bandwidth and platform sizing required to support them.
ESRI president Jack Dangermond praises Tomlinson's rigorous planning method, saying the book helps clear the way for senior managers and GIS planners—whose areas of expertise often differ—to work together in identifying what's needed to accomplish their goals and develop a successful GIS.

Tomlinson is the principal of Tomlinson Associates Ltd, a firm of consulting geographers he established in 1977. He has advised an impressive list of clients, from the World Bank to the U.S. and Canadian Forest Services. He holds two bachelor's degrees; a master's degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada; and a Ph.D. from University College, London, England. He has also conducted successful GIS planning seminars worldwide.

Aeroterra S.A. is a privately held organization that since its creation in 1973 has been a leader of the geo-processing field in the Latin American market. As an exclusive distributor of ESRI Inc. and LEICA Geosystems in Argentina and Uruguay, Aeroterra has an installed base of over 8,000 licenses in more than 1,000 sites. According to market researches from the Inter-American Development Bank (1995) and the Government of Canada (1997/98), Aeroterra accounts for more than 80% of the GIS software market in Argentina. The company is composed by a multi-disciplinary team of professionals fully dedicated to tasks related to geo-processing using the most advanced tools available for providing geo-related solutions to clients throughout the world. The company has several strategic alliances with international organizations and a wide network of distributors and business partners.