Extending the realm of GIS applications. [geographic IS]

The author traces a programme of geographic information system research in the electricity supply industry which has been based on a combination of technical and human factors. The stimulus for the programme was the increasing rate of innovation in computing and telecommunications and a realisation of the potential that this had for a dispersed business such as electricity distribution. The work used a combination of task and user need analysis and technical development. After several cycles of analysis and development emphasis is now on the communication of information, particularly spatially referenced data, into the field. This forms the basis of work just commencing