Aurora, Colo., March 1, 2007—The Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA) announced the publication of the very first ROI workbook and CD, Building a Business Case for Geospatial Information Technology: A Practitioner’s Guide to Strategic Financial Analysis. The comprehensive, 212-page workbook and CD set contains customizable financial templates, real-world case studies, an extensive literature review, and much more, and is designed to take companies from start to finish as they implement GIS at their enterprises.

GITA; the American Water Works Association Research Foundation, Denver, Colo.; the U.S. Federal Geographic Data Committee, Reston, Va.; and GeoConnections Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, began work on a joint research project in the fall of 2004. In addition to the contents listed above, the project captured basic project data from more than 200 water, wastewater, gas, and electric utilities; government agencies; and pipeline organizations in order to define best practices and provide tools to support geospatial information technology (GIT) business case development. Survey statistics are included in a handbook for GIT investment analysis.

“We’ve been working on this workbook for a long time, and we’re really proud of it. It’s a very unique tool that we hope will be key in the expansion of geospatial technology into new markets,” said Bob Samborski, GITA Executive Director.

The workbook can be ordered online through GITA’s Bookstore (http://www.gita.org/book_store/default.asp) starting Monday, March 5, and order forms will be available at GITA’s Annual Conference 30, set for March 4-7, 2007, in San Antonio, Texas. The price is $495 for GITA members and $635 for nonmembers.

A seminar focused on the workbook, “Estimating ROI for Your GIS Investment,” will take place on Monday, March 5, at GITA’s Annual Conference. The book will be available at a significant discount to seminar participants.

GITA is currently developing an online community to go along with the organization’s new Web site (launched in December) and there will be an exclusive community for those who purchase the ROI Workbook and CD. More details will be available soon. For more information, please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 303-337-0513.

About GITA
The mission of the Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA) is to provide excellence in education, information exchange and applied research on the use and benefits of geospatial information and technology in business, utility and government applications worldwide. GITA’s Annual Conference 30 will be held March 4-7, 2007, in San Antonio, Texas. Visit GITA on the Web at www.gita.org.