Geographical Information Systems in Environmental Management: a Case Study of National Environment Management Authority Kenya
Abstract
GIS technology is a relatively new technology used to enhance efficiency in day-to-day
operations within an organization. The main purpose of this research was to establish the
usage and performance of GIS in Environmental Management. The study aimed at
examining the usage areas of GIS in environmental management, performance in meeting
organization’s objectives and the challenges associated with its adoption. A descriptive
case study research approach was adopted for this study. The target population
constituted of staff from Information Communication & Technology (ICT), Compliance
& Enforcement, Coastal Marine & Fresh Waters, and Environmental Planning &
Research. The questionnaires were mainly hand delivered to the respondents and guided
interviews done in order to get more information especially for the open ended questions.
The respondents were asked about the usage areas of GIS, the performance of the system
against the organization’s objectives and the challenges faced with adoption of GIS. The
results show that most of the respondents have been trained on GIS and therefore clearly
understand its capabilities. The interpretation drawn indicates that there is low usage of
GIS in environmental management related activities. The key areas that the system is
used within NEMA are in mapping of wetland hotspots, environmental projects and
dumpsites. There are many untapped spheres that the system can be used to increase
efficiency in environmental management. The results also indicate the system is currently
not key driver to the achievement of organization’s strategic objectives. The challenges
of the system seem to be well known and clear to the respondents with the main one
being the lack of technically savvy personnel.
Citation
Master of Business AdministrationPublisher
University of Nairobi