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Dissertation Information for Roberta Brody

NAME:
- Roberta Brody

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science

SCHOOL:
- Rutgers University (USA) (1996)

ADVISORS:
- Jorge Schement

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- George Fagan
- Carol Kuhlthau
- Milton Mueller

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: A sociotechnical construction of process and product in a local government multi-participant geographic information system

Abstract: This case study is a qualitative examination of the process of conceptualizing and building a County-wide multi-participant geographic information system (GIS) in New York State, using an interpretive approach. Bijker's requirements for a theory of sociotechnical change were used as a frame from which to view the processes and products, the shape and the effects, of a developing GIS. A grounded theory approach was used to examine a variety of textual artifacts generated during the development process.

Three major "constellations" of themes are identified relating to different aspects of intentions, access and consequences emerged from analysis of the data: Centrality of Purpose, Information Infrastructure, and Access and Interaction.

Centrality of purpose relates to concepts that represented the efforts of individuals or groups to establish a common purpose and aim. Concepts within this constellation included: the basemap, the acronym/logo, the central figure as represented in the GIS Coordinator, and the Street Name Authority File. The Information Infrastructure constellation relates to the internal issues of access--constructing the databases and maintaining them, maintaining the data for the basemap and Street Name Authority File, and inter-agency information interchange. The Access and Interaction Constellation refers mostly to concepts relating to third party access and multi-participant activities.

Since this is a study of a system's development, rather than its implementation, findings focused on an examination and explication of the constellations described above. Findings include an exploration of the recursive instrumentality of a developing GIS, how the GIS in a political environment seemed to appropriate the technology for its purposes and how such a system appeared to take on a life of its own. Also discussed are issues relating to accessing information in a GIS information environment, how the idea of the shape of information contributes to the shape of information policy and how unintended access and unexpected consequences are an outgrowth of the social construction of electronic information.

MPACT Scores for Roberta Brody

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:10:23

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