Global information system is an information system which is developed and / or used in a global context. Some examples of GIS are SAP, The Global Learning Objects Brokered Exchange and other systems.

Definition

There are a variety of definitions and understandings of a global information system (GIS, GLIS), such as * A global information system (GIS) is an information system which is developed and / or used in a global context. * A global information system (GIS) is any

information system An information system (IS) is a formal, sociotechnical, organizational system designed to collect, process, store, and distribute information. From a sociotechnical perspective, information systems are composed by four components: task, people ...

which attempts to deliver the totality of measurable data worldwide within a defined context. Common to this class of

information systems An information system (IS) is a formal, sociotechnical, organizational system designed to collect, process, store, and distribute information. From a sociotechnical perspective, information systems are composed by four components: task, people ...

is that the context is a global setting, either for its use or development process. This means that it highly relates to

distributed systems A distributed system is a system whose components are located on different networked computers, which communicate and coordinate their actions by passing messages to one another from any system. Distributed computing is a field of computer sci ...

distributed computing A distributed system is a system whose components are located on different networked computers, which communicate and coordinate their actions by passing messages to one another from any system. Distributed computing is a field of computer sci ...

where the distribution is global. The term also incorporates aspects of global software development and there outsourcing (when the outsourcing locations are globally distributed) and offshoring aspects. A specific aspect of global information systems is the case (domain) of global software development. A main research aspect in this field concerns the coordination of and collaboration between virtual teams.Garton, C., Wegryn, K. (2006): Managing Without Walls: Maximize Success with Virtual, Global, and Cross - Cultural Teams, MC Press, US, 2006. Further important aspects are the

internationalization In economics, internationalization or internationalisation is the process of increasing involvement of enterprises in international markets, although there is no agreed definition of internationalization. Internationalization is a crucial strateg ...

and

language localization Language localisation (or language localization) is the process of adapting a product's translation to a specific country or region. It is the second phase of a larger process of product translation and cultural adaptation (for specific countries ...

of system components.

Tasks in designing global information systems

Critical tasks in designing global information systems are * Process and system design: How are the processes between distributed actors organized, how are the systems distributed / integrated. * Technical architecture: What is the technical infrastructure enabling actors to collaborate? * Support mechanisms: How are actors in the process of communication, collaboration, and cooperation supported? A variety of examples can be given. Basically every multi-lingual website can be seen as a global information system. However, mostly the term GLIS is used to refer to a specific system developed or used in a global context.

Examples

Specific examples are * Systems developed for multinational users, e.g.
SAP as a global ERP system
* Global Information Systems for Education
The Global Learning Objects Brokered Exchange
* For the specific case of data integration : http://data.un.org, https://web.archive.org/web/20190825060649/http://www.internettrafficreport.com/, http://www.unhcr.org/statistics.html

More information / courses

Global Information Systems
at the

University of Jyväskylä The University of Jyväskylä ( fi, Jyväskylän yliopisto) is a research university in Jyväskylä, Finland. It has its origins in the first Finnish-speaking Teacher Training College (the so-called Teacher Seminary), founded in 1863. Ar ...

* Resources on Global Information Technology a
AIS World

References

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