GIS and Natural Resource Planning in Papua New Guinea: A Contextual Analysis

With the maturation of GIS technology, several planning scholars have turned their attention to the nature of the relationship between GIS technology and its “fit” into the planning process. Drawing various insights from the diverse fields of information systems, management information systems, and organizational theory, these scholars have started to assemble a theoretical framework from which to understand and manage the integration of GIS into the workplace. In this paper I will draw on these initial efforts to evaluate the relationship between “technology” and “process” in a Third World context. Using Nedović-Budić's conceptualization of the process of “mutual adaptation” as a conceptual starting point, I will provide an in-depth analysis of GIS implementation in the southwest Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG). PNG's experiences offer a unique insight into the dynamics of mutual adaptation and also point out the limitations of this concept. I conclude by extrapolating beyond the “particular localisms” of PNG to find that the broader political economy of the planning environment dictates the success of GIS integration. Moreover it also suggests that managing the phases of mutual adaptation in an effort to promote GIS implementation is only likely to succeed in circumstances where the broader political economy of planning is in itself conducive to the long-term integration needs of GIS.