CAD System Still Strong in GIS Markets
WIn a comparably quite way, CAD systems have taken a large share of the GIS market without really trying.
By J.D. Wilson

In the GeoTechnologies hierarchy, Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) technology may be considered the older, awkward brother to the sophisticated and more talented geographic information systems (GIS).
      Like George Bailey, the James Stewart character in the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life," CAD seems to stay home and tend the dull, plodding family business, while younger brother, Harry, goes off to become a war hero and industrial tycoon. Like Harry, GIS seems to get all the glory.
      But in a comparably quiet way, CAD systems have taken a large share of the GIS market without really trying and without offering much of the high-level functionality deemed necessary to GIS applications.
      Carmi Neiger, a long-time GIS industry specialist now with Autodesk, defines the GeoTechnology software pecking order in three tiers based on the level of sophistication needed in their digital mapping applications:

CAD. The first level is simple mapping, such as that done in most civil surveying and engineering and public works departments. They need good maps, but may or may not have attribute data. For these applications, the intelligence lies primarily in the graphics.
      Following the adage that software should never be more complex than the job requires, for these functions, CAD products typically are more than sufficient. This is the lowest and largest region of the mapping world, Neiger said. It includes a significant portion of municipal needs and a lot of what is done in most utilities.

AM/FM. At the next tier, to which Neiger assigns those systems usually referred to as Automated Mapping and Facilities Management (AM/FM), users require a seamless map base over a larger geographic region. At the least they must edgematch multiple files to accommodate features which cross map and file boundaries. There is a greater level of data, and often a link to an external database structure.
      "You see some polygon operations, but the real need is for network connectivity," he said. "A great deal of analysis relies on topology and relationships between points or objects." Neiger points out that there are still a lot of users at this level, although far fewer than at the CAD tier.

GIS. At the high end, Neiger assigns traditional GIS. Here there is need for multiple databases and highly developed polygon processing. These are the scientific endeavors, such as tracking the concentration of air pollution based on traffic volume and time of day, or determining the level of ground water contamination from an overturned tanker truck full of chemicals.
      Instead of the network analysis performed in AM/FM applications, high-end GIS focuses on multi-layer, multi-variable analyses that rely on sophisticated statistical analysis tools that typically are not part of the graphics or database.
      "In my view of the world, most people need the middle level functionality to do their work and solve their problems," Neiger said.
      In the real world, of course, the boundaries between categories are not so clear cut. "For a long time users have stretched PC-based CAD products to their limits," explained Kathryn Hale, senior industry analyst for Dataquest, San Jose, Calif. "You see a lot of users pressing it into GIS service it wasn't originally designed to perform."
      She explained that, in a municipal setting for example, the engineering department has used CAD for a long time to produce and maintain its maps and drawings. Planning departments have frequently borrowed those CAD-based maps and uploaded them as the basis for their GIS database.
      "The stand-alone CAD products market is becoming more articulated," Hale explained. "We're seeing the introduction of modular applications to enhance specialized applications."
      At Bentley Systems, Exton, Pa., which develops the Microstation line of CAD-based software, experience agrees with the research.
      "The creation and maintenance of maps has always been our forte, but 20 to 30 percent of our customers already use Microstation for GIS functions," noted Yoav Etiel, vice president of product marketing. "There is an undefined line between engineering and planning. We're moving that line."
      Bentley is acting quickly to bring new products to market, such as Microstation Geographics, which add functionality, like polygon overlays and image processing, to its base products.
      While analysts may say that CAD is making inroads into GIS markets, it may be more accurate to say that GIS has not fully succeeded at carving out its niche in the CAD marketplace.
      In 1994, the CAD-AM/FM-GIS-etc. software market totaled $5.6 billion worldwide. But the lion's share of business remains in the mechanical and electrical/electronic design segments, which account for nearly three fourths of the total.
      In fact, less than 20 percent of sales go to GIS-related functions, such as land information, forestry and agriculture, AM/FM, infrastructure management, cartography, etc. And even in these geographic oriented areas, CAD software still holds a strong position.
      Joe Nicholson, director of GIS marketing for Autodesk, uses the metaphor of the recent book, "Crossing the Chasm," by Jeffrey Moore.
      Moore contends that for every new technology early adopters will embrace the technology taking their lumps along with developers while its kinks are worked out. But there is a large chasm between the early adopters and mass-market success, which not all technologies can cross.
      "CAD made it into the mainstream a long time ago," Nicholson declared. "It's PC-based, a strong developer platform and the training and support mechanisms are in place."
      By contrast, higher level GIS packages may not have made the leap to mainstream appeal yet. "There are implemented systems out there that, for various reasons, haven't been fully successful," Dataquest's Hale concedes.
      Consequently, users are taking a more cautious approach to GIS implementation, slowing the double-digit growth the market has enjoyed for the last five years.
      For CAD developers and users, however, it is a wonderful life right now. CAD can expect to be a top performer while the rest of the industry appears to be slowing down (although only slightly - Dataquest projects overall growth of 14 percent in 1996).
      For users, increasing functionality and add-on modules promise to increase their capabilities while staying with the core systems that they know and understand like trusted friends.

About the Author:
J.D. Wilson is a freelance writer in Denver, Colo., specializing in the GeoTechnologies. He may be reached at 303-751-7636 (phone) or 303-322-3702 (fax).

Back