虽然地理信息系统（GIS）是管理图形和非图形信息并对这些数据应用智能的强大工具，但通常很难将其集成到水系统的日常操作中。尽管大多数水系统处理类似类型的数据，但每个水系统在工程应用或操作和管理工具方面的需求并不相同。此外，公用事业公司并不总是拥有必要的财务资源来开发数据、应用程序和工具。因此，对水行业的支持服务（顾问、供应商、软件开发人员等）必须做好准备，利用地理信息系统（GIS）固有的灵活性，以经济高效地将GIS与所需的应用程序集成。 当个人和组织团体的知识结合在一起以实现一个共同的目标或一组目标时，这种整合就会发生。这些目标通常可分为以下几类:设施管理、规划、设计、系统或设施运营，以及客户服务。为了获得最大的灵活性，这种应用程序整合将涉及在相同或不同的平台上使用不同的程序来实现一个目标。经验表明，综合信息系统可以从不同的信息孤岛上构建，不需要新系统或旧系统的完全分解。本文描述了这种集成系统的方法如何不像一个全新的系统那样提供无缝的系统，但它潜在的破坏性更小，而且通常更具成本效益。 给出了案例分析。

While a Geographic Information System (GIS) is a powerful tool for managing graphic and nongraphic information and applying intelligence to that data, it is often difficult to integrate into the daily operations of a water system. Although most water systems deal with similar types of data, every water system does not have the same needs in engineering applications or operation and management tools. Also, utilities do not always have the financial resources to develop data, applications and tools as desired. Therefore, the support services to the water industry (consultants, suppliers, software developers, etc.) must be prepared to take advantage of the flexibility that is inherently avaliable through geographic information systems (GIS) to cost effectively integrate GIS with the desired applications. This integration can happen when the combined knowledge of the individuals and organizational groups are brought together to achieve a common goal or set of goals. These goals and objectives can often be classified as follows: facilities management, planning, design, system or facility operation, and customer service. To obtain maximum flexibility, this consolidation of applications will involve the use of different programs on the same, or different, platforms to achieve an objective. Experience demonstrates that an integrated information system can be built from diverse information islands and does not require a new system or the complete dismemberment of the old system. This paper describes how this method of integrating systems may not provide as seamless a system as a completely new system, but it is potentially less disruptive and often more cost effective. Case studies are given.