As a whole, non-profit organizations face many challenges that affect sustainability of technology based applications. Frequently the challenge of maintaining an application is more difficult than actually building it in the first place. This is true in the consideration of developing a web-based mapping application to assist this organization and its local partners in their decision making efforts. Thoughtful planning of web-mapping applications is critical to the long term viability of this public health organization.
This public health organization has as part of its mandate, the responsibility to provide local partners with access to information that will help them in planning their local public health activities. Recognizing the importance of spatial context in responding to public health issues, the organization has invested in understanding and implementing desktop GIS as part of their data management infrastructure. The challenge for the organization is how to effectively utilize their GIS capacity to support a high level of local partner requests. Limited qualified resources restrict their ability to deliver on data requests, while budget constraints and prioritization of expenditures dictate that additional personnel resources are not a reasonable option.
The public health organization recognizes that a properly designed web-based mapping portal would provide their local partners with direct access to a large portion of the information they request of the organization. As part of a higher level government department mandate, resources are available to build the portal. The challenge is to map out a business strategy that will ensure the long term sustainability of the portal. The business strategy must look at overall governance within a non-profit organization, portal maintenance and advancement, data management and support resource requirements. Incorporating all these considerations, a financial model needs to be developed that recognizes the limited resources of local partners for allocation to portal utilization.
Cardinalus worked with the organization to prepare a business justification that provided for the development and long-term sustainability of a web-based mapping portal within a non-profit community health environment. The public health organization is using the business case in two ways: 1) to inform its board of directors of the viability of the proposed portal, and 2) to help it in its proposal for funding for initial portal development.