C A R I B B E A N C O M M U N I T Y S E C R E T A R I A T FIFTEENTH MEETING OF THE REGIONAL CENSUS COORDINATING

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1 C A R I B B E A N C O M M U N I T Y S E C R E T A R I A T FIFTEENTH MEETING OF THE REGIONAL CENSUS COORDINATING COMMITTEE RESTRICTED RCCC/2007/15/11 Paramaribo, Suriname 8-9 November November 2007 DEVINFO: A HARMONISING TOOL FOR STORAGE, EXCHANGE AND DISSEMINATION OF CENSUS INFORMATION Please find attached Paper entitled DevInfo: A Harmonising Tool for Storage, Exchange and Dissemination of Census Information submitted by UNICEF. *****

2 DevInfo: a harmonising tool for storage, exchange and dissemination of Census information Fifteenth Meeting of the Regional Census Coordinating Committee (RCCC), 8-9 November 2007, Paramaribo, Suriname

3 Structure of the presentation 1. Census 2010: challenges and opportunities 2. About DevInfo and Census Info 3. DevInfo in the Caribbean region 4. Ways forward

4 1. Census 2010: Importance of dissemination of Census information Census data is universal and can be used as denominator to derive vital statistics and other indicators It is intended to provide: exhaustive data at the lowest administrative level a cross-sectional snap-shot of the demographic, social and economic statistics of the population data at regular intervals for reliable trend analysis It is made to be used For policy making, planning and administrative processes For research purposes For business, industry and labour... Census data is vital to make informed decisions

5 Challenges of censuses in the CARICOM region Dealing with a multitude of data, how to most efficiently organise it? How can data most effectively be presented and used? How to best foresee storage and exchange of data? How increase harmonisation, standardisation and comparibility of census data structures?

6 Challenge Milestones Standards Partnerships Tour DevInfo.org

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8 Challenge Milestones Standards Partnerships Tour DevInfo.org

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10 Challenge Milestones Standards Partnerships Tour DevInfo.org Indicators - SDMX Statistical data and metadata exchange (SDMX) ISO/TS 17369:2005 developed by BIS, ECB, EUROSTAT, IMF, OECD, UN and World Bank Sources - DDI/DC Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) and Dublin Core (DC) ISO 15836:2003 Information and documentation Digital Maps - UNGIWG Geographic information metadata ISO 19115:2003

11 Challenge Milestones Standards Partnerships Tour DevInfo.org Customized Databases More than 80 national statistics organizations and other agencies have adapted DevInfo

12 Challenge Milestones Standards Partnerships Tour DevInfo.org Customized Databases More than 80 national statistics organizations and other agencies have adapted DevInfo

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15 PANAMA Population density

16 Challenge Milestones Standards Partnerships Tour DevInfo.org 10,000+ Trained Many professionals have been trained in the use of DevInfo for improved statistical literacy and database administration

17 Good practice: DevInfo and CensusInfo India The database system helps to monitor and report on the MDGs at the national and sub-national level. It contains data on 301 indicators spread over 59 time periods from 31 sources and up to four administrative levels. It serves to provide theme based data to help monitor locally relevant goals such as the National Health policy, National planning goals, etc. Good Practices for Implementation Ownership by the Govt. of India Good IT infrastructure and computer literacy among the stakeholders Strategic partnership with Census of India in obtaining official boundary maps to the lowest levels and electronic versions of voluminous Census data

18 CensusInfo India Census India 2001: 200 million households Need of Office of the Registrar General of India (ORGI): electronic data dissemination - demystifying the Geographic Information System (GIS) and putting it into public domain at negligible cost for its wider use and application Choice: DevInfo: Project team with senior Census officer, IT officer, data manager, DevInfo developper and development agencies Tasks of team: Digitization of Maps: 5600 boundary maps - 8 months implementation Data management and capacity building: training of ORGI personnel on DevInfo administration and uploading of data High level launch of CensusInfo (vice-prime minister) and regional workshops to promote the product

19 CensusInfo India- Outcomes CensusInfo India 2001 V1.0 is a database system that helps to organize and present data on census indicators. The database consists of the following elements.»indicators,» Time Periods,» Geographic Areas,»Sub populations»gender,» Urban/Rural,»Age Groups,»Units,» Sources,» Data values. The system provides access to indicators organized by sectors, goals, themes and other data management schemes.

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21 Lessons learned from Indian CensusInfo Emphasis given by national authorities to a bold policy for rapid and wide dissemination of census data to all citizens of the country This dramatic visualization of disparities (female literacy, sex ratio,...) in large format posters (4 x 4 m) at numerous national and subnational launch events (along with the distribution of the database on CD and the web) rapidly 'democratised' access to this information The capacity of the ORGI team was enhanced Processed census data became available in digital format in a timely manner Robust platform for efficiently and effectively disseminating large volumes of disaggregated data in user-friendly formats: tables, graphs and maps The integration of CensusInfo with DevInfo

22 Other international experience with DevInfo-Census dissemination National statistical offices of China and Russia have visited India to learn from the country s experience in effectively using DevInfo for census data dissemination DevInfo Support Group has assisted several other countries with census databases including: Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, Philippines, Fiji.

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24 International coordination Census 2010 As Census 2010 approaches, the DevInfo Support Group is pleased to be invited to work with the UN Statistics Division on advising national authorities and UN agencies on Census 2010 activities. UNSD is proposing that DevInfo database technology be used as a key platform for distribution of census data and we are in the process of working out an agreement on the specifics. There are several opportunities in working together on Census 2010, including the harmonization of indicator names in compliance with emerging international standards for data and metadata storage and exchange and standardization of geographic areas linked to digital maps. Kris S. OSWALT Executive Director DevInfo Support Group, 6 November 2007

25 III. DevInfo in the Caribbean region JamStats: V1.0: 2003 and V1.2: 2005 DevInfo Haiti: 2003 HelenInfo: launched in May 2007 by St.Lucia government with support of CARICOM, UNDP, EU and UNICEF DomInfo: 2007 Trinidad and Tobabo: officially approved and currently in preparation In preparation with support of CARICOM: Barbados Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Dominica Guyana Suriname Caricom wide platform: CARICOM Info: 2007

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27 Opportunities DevInfo can respond to certain challenges of the 2010 Census: Dealing with a multitude of data, how to most efficiently organise it?» multiple classifications such as time, region, sector, population group,» Can include CARICOM common classifications and country-specific classifications How can data most effectively be presented and used?» Presentation features» Web-based access How to best foresee storage and exchange of data?» Protection of metadata» The same format and software enables better exchange How increase harmonisation, standardisation and comparibility of census data structures?» Compliance with international standards: Statistical data and metadata exchange (SDMX)» Enables better comparison over time and between countries Leadership CARICOM for DevInfo: technical hub for support and harmonisation of data Existence of quality training tools and packages

28 Census 2010, DevInfo and Caricom: possible steps forward 1. Consensus that DevInfo will be the platform for data harmonisation in the CARICOM region? 2. Feasibility study and Planning: building on lessons learned and using existing censusdata with national DevInfo platforms (Caricom and internationally) and linking with governance issues 3. Development of templates and guidelines («Census Info») for the CARICOM countries which: Is adapted to the core module standard census questionnaires Includes common classifications Is provided with features which enhance end-user focus Can be added to the existing national DevInfo platforms Can be adapted nationally for optional modules, classifications and presentation Enables exchange of information with reference to standardised tables 4. Technical support for implementation by CARICOM knowledge leadership: Innovation and adaptation Technical assistance Training Networking and exchange Monitoring and support on long term 5. Support for rapid dissemination of Census information

29 More information On DevInfo and Censuses:

30 Challenge Milestones Standards Partnerships Tour DevInfo.org

31 DevInfo: a harmonising tool for storage, exchange and dissemination of Census information Learning from experiences: DevInfo in the Caribbean and CensusInfo in India Joint presentation of UNICEF and CARICOM, in preparation of the Fifteenth Meeting of the Regional Census Coordinating Committee (RCCC), 8-9 November 2007, Paramaribo, Suriname 1 Introduction The investment in knowledge -through its development, monitoring and dissemination - is key for policy building. The census is an important event in knowledge generation. Census data are universal and can be used as the denominator to derive vital statistics and other indicators. It is intended to provide exhaustive data at the lowest administrative level and a cross-sectional snap-shot of the demographic, social and economic statistics of the population. It offers data at regular intervals for reliable trend analysis. Population and housing censuses are intended to be used for policy making, planning and administrative processes. The various data enable policy makers to steer and adapt policy and foresee the necessary inputs (human resources, decentralisation, etc ) administrative response to social and economic trends and needs. Censuses are also reference documents for research undertakings and may lay at the heart of investment and planning operations of the private sector. With regards to this, censuses have different challenges : Dealing with a multitude of data, how to most efficiently organise it?; How can data most effectively be presented and used?; How to best foresee storage and exchange of data?; and : How increase harmonisation, standardisation and comparibility of census data structures?. This paper is an attempt to indicate the potential of the DevInfo software tool as 1 Prepared by K.Rossel-Cambier, UNICEF Social Policy Consultant 1

32 a response to these issues. It will refer to the different developments of Devinfo in the Caribbean region and will draw lessons from the experience of India adapting DevInfo into a«censusinfo». About DevInfo DevInfo is a powerful database system which monitors progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. The product branding and packaging have been designed for broad ownership with the option to customize the package to country-specific requirements. It generates tables, graphs and maps for reports and presentations. DevInfo has been developed in cooperation with the UN system and has been adapted from UNICEF ChildInfo (the predecessor to DevInfo) technology. Following the successful deployment of ChildInfo, an assessment in 2002 concluded that ChildInfo, with certain modifications, would be an appropriate tool to support the monitoring of progress towards the MDGs at country level. In this context, the UNICEF Executive Director proposed to the UN Secretary General that UNICEF provide a modified version of ChildInfo, called DevInfo, to all UN Country Teams (UNCTs) to support MDG monitoring at the country level. The members of UN Development Group (UNDG) subsequently endorsed this initiative and appointed UNICEF as the lead agency to implement the DevInfo initiative. More than 80 national statistics organizations and other agencies have adapted DevInfo database technology to meet their specific requirements. The database maintains indicators by time periods and geographic areas to monitor commitments to sustained human development. The DevInfo system has been developed under UN partnership and is distributed royalty-free to all end users. National statistics offices, UN agencies, donors, NGOs and civil society can prepare reports and presentations using this common database platform. The system has been endorsed by the UN Development Group and is being used in many countries to help track the Millennium Development Goals and other national priorities. DevInfo 5.0 has evolved from a decade of innovations in database systems that support informed decision making and that promote the use of data to advocate for human development. 2

33 DevInfo and International Standards The new version of DevInfo, version 5.0, includes significant advancements in handling metadata. It conforms to standardized information sharing models for metadata storage and dissemination. These metadata standards help achieve efficiency by facilitating data exchange and harmonizing international and national data sets. They decentralize data maintenance, lower the reporting burden on data producers and reduce duplication of effort. They foster use of more timely and better quality data. They shift the process of data distribution from "pushing" data to data users to providing options for data users to "pull" data from data producers as and when new data are published. They allow for data exchange among applications on a broad spectrum of platform. DevInfo generates three types of presentations: tables, graphs and maps. DevInfo 5.0 is compliant with three international metadata standards for indicators, data sources and digital maps. SDMX (ISO 17369:2005) provides three types of statistical metadata standards: standards for data formats, standards for metadata and a registry-based architecture to implement these standards and to exchange data between systems. The SDMX initiative is gaining increasing use as an effective model for improving the data and metadata exchange amongst data producers, users and intermediary organizations. It was endorsed by the 37th UN Statistical Commission (New York, March 2006). DDI and ISO are widely used international standards for metadata, while DDI is for datasets in the social and behavioral sciences, such as household surveys. The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (ISO 15836:2003) is for a broader range of statistical data resources, such as publications. DevInfo 5.0 stores source information in DDI/DCMI format. The DevInfo Database Administration module is integrated with the International Household Survey Network. The UN Geographic Information Working Group recommends ISO 19115:2003 for metadata on digital maps. DevInfo 5.0 stores digital map metadata in this format and uses the dates of the representativity of the maps to link data to maps over time even when sub-national administrative boundaries change. A case study: CensusInfo in India The latest Census of India, which takes place once in 10 years, was conducted in This exercise implied the complete enumeration of 200 million households to collect information on a number of key 3

34 indicators. The Office of the Registrar General, India (ORGI) wanted to provide data to various stakeholders on a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform and the UN System offered DevInfo as a tool to disseminate the processed census data. A project team was constituted within the ORGI with a senior census officer as the team leader. The other members of the team were an IT officer, a data manager and few census data assistants from the same office. A UN and a representative of Community System Foundation (CSF), the developer of DevInfo, were also members of the team. The team met once in a month to review progress made in the project. The tasks undertaken by the project team were the digitization of maps, data management and its dissemination. CensusInfo includes 5600 boundary maps till block level in India. ORGI has a map division and it digitized these 5600 maps. CSF put the digitized maps together (a process called rubber-sheeting). CensusInfo India 2001 V1.0 is a database system that helps to organize and present data on census indicators. The database consists of indicators, time periods, geographic areas, sub populations, gender, Urban/Rural, age groups, units, sources, data values. The system provides access to indicators organized by sectors, goals, themes and other data management schemes. This process took nearly 8 months to be completed as many boundary issues came up between different geographical units, especially when attempts were made to put them together to form a national map. The ORGI data entry personnel were trained on the Administrator Modules of DevInfo and they took complete responsibility of the uploading and verification of data. CSF s role was to match the data and provide an error list to ORGI to correct the data sheets. This data management process took also 8 months to complete and was carried out parallel to the digitization of maps activity. Following a high profile launch of CensusInfo by the Deputy Prime Minister, ORGI held four regional workshops with the aim of promoting the product in the states. The capacity of the ORGI team was thus greatly enhanced. The information is available and can be ordered on CD-ROM. The benefits to non-professional users of Census data were the availability of processed census data became available in digital format in a timely manner. Moreover the census data are now available in a user-friendly environment for presentation in tables, graphs and maps. 4

35 An important aspect of the Indian 2001 census was the emphasis given by national authorities to a bold policy for rapid and wide dissemination of census data to all citizens of the country. Resources were allocated to dissemination and use of the data from early stages of census planning. It was the first time that a series of maps of India was produced with census data at the sub-district level (5000+ admin units). This dramatic visualization of disparities (female literacy, sex ratio,...) in large format posters (4 x 4 m) at numerous national and sub-national launch events (along with the distribution of the database on CD and the web) rapidly 'democratised' access to this information. Politicians, ministers, parliamentarians, researchers, journalists, international development partners and civil society representatives were all given ready access to the data. Another lesson learned was that the CensusInfo 2001 India CD-ROM, based on DevInfo database technology, provided a robust platform for efficiently and effectively disseminating large volumes of disaggregated data in easy-to-use formats: tables, graphs and maps. In prior census datasets, the results had been shown at the district level and above. This was limited for purposes linked to decentralized planning in such a large country. With CensusInfo 2001 India, data were released at the sub-district level, precisely what decentralized planners needed at the state and district levels. The system was also beneficial for the UN System in India. CensusInfo represented a significant collaboration between the UN and the Government of India, and the Government thus showed its official recognition of DevInfo. The digitized maps became available to DevInfo free of cost. Also, since these are official maps, the acceptability of DevInfo by nodal ministries was greatly enhanced. Softcopies of voluminous census data were made available for DevInfo. The annex of this paper includes a message of J.K. Banthia, Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. The National Statistical Offices of China and Russia subsequently visited India to learn from the country s experience in effectively using DevInfo for census data dissemination. DevInfo in the Caribbean region Various countries, such as Haiti (DevInfo Haiti; since 2003), the Dominican Republic (DomInfo; since 2007), Saint Lucia (HelenInfo; since 2007) and Jamaica (JamStats; two phases: 2003 and 2005) have developed national DevInfo systems which enable the storage and dissemination of national statistical data. Countries which are currently preparing for DevInfo are Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. 5

36 In June 2007, St.Lucia has launched, as first Eastern Caribbean country and with support of UNICEF, CARICOM, EU and UNDP, its national version of the DevInfo information tool, called HelenInfo. The DevInfo knowledge system organizes data by indicators, time periods and geographic areas with extensive metadata based on international standards. The St.Lucia experience has taught us that various factors may influence the realization of DevInfo such as ownership and commitment, availability of qualified staffing and human resources and the existence of IT premises. The experience has shown that there are means for leveraging through other donor support (in the case of Helen Info this was support from a.o. EU and UNDP next to CARICOM). The access to training and information was also key for the successful development of this national DevInfo platform. For the Latin American and Caribbean region, UNICEF has a specific technical support unit, DevInfoLAC, based in Panama, which aims at technically backstopping and promoting the use of DevInfo in the region, with special attention for the monitoring of the MDGs. Still, this support unit is limited because of distance and linguistic capacity problems. The CARICOM secretariat has started taking leadership in the dissemination, monitoring and support of DevInfo for its member states. It has already a strong technical capacity in DevInfo with experts being trained in various modules of the DevInfo curriculum. Currently CARICOM is preparing a multi-year strategic programme including its vision, the results expected and the different support strategies and tools, in cooperation with the different member states and key development partners such as the SPARC initiative and the EU. The organization is also developing an own CARICOM Info version, including statistical data of the CARICOM countries. Ways forward The Caribbean region has a major opportunity to prepare rapid dissemination of the census information and harmonizing its efforts for the new census round. This harmonization would enable greater costeffectiveness in the obtaining of different results elements such as quality comparable data, safe and consistent storage (with reference to international standards). 6

37 Various countries such as India, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, Philippines, Fiji have disseminated their census information on national DevInfo platforms. DevInfo has proved to be an adequate system to deal with the multiple needs of census data and is increasingly being adapted by nation offices in the Caribbean region.many factors indicate that DevInfo can respond to certain challenges of the 2010 Census. It is designed to deal with a multitude of data and its organisation by offering the possibiilty of multiple classifications such as time, region, sector, population group,. In this way it can reflect CARICOM common classifications and country-specific classifications. DevInfo can support presentation needs because of its presentation features and its webbased access. It can be a CARCIOM wide, but nationally owned platform for the storage and exchange of data and allow the protection of metadata. There are several opportunities in working together on Census 2010, including the harmonization of indicator names in compliance with emerging international standards for data and metadata storage and exchange and standardization of geographic areas linked to digital maps. Because of the same format, it can increase harmonisation, standardisation and comparibility of census data structures and enable better comparison and exchange of date between countries and between countries and CARICOM, in compliance with international standards such as the Statistical data and metadata exchange (SDMX). The CARICOM countries may agree that DevInfo can be the data harmonisation plafrom for their region and build on existing experiences to put this experience forward. DevInfo can be a platform of exchange, part of a joint package including commong questionnaires, definitions, templates and guidelines, developed and supported by the CARICOM secretariat. A joint DevInfo template, which we could call «CARICOM CensusInfo», could be adapted to the core module standard core questionnaires and include common classifications. It could be provided with features which enhance end-user focus and be coherent with existing national DevInfo platforms. It could enable national adaptation for optional modules, classifications and presentation options and enable exchange of information with reference to standardised tables. DevInfo may be a tool to strenghten regional integration under the leadership of CARICOM, which should not not only be a political organisation but also a technical reference for the storage, organisation, harmonisation and dissemination of census data. There is a role for CARICOM knowledge leadership to encourage innovation, deliver technical assistance, offer training and capacity building, ensure networking and exchange of Devinfo and ensure monitoring and support on long term of the different datagathering and knowledge development initiatives in the region. 7

38 Annex: Message from the Census Commissioner, India The advancement in computing technology in recent years has witnessed quantum jumps in data processing speed and data storage capacities. Information Technology has also brought about radical changes in the way the data is processed into information followed by its dissemination. The popularity of Personal Computers and the advent of Internet have led to an increasing demand for data. Also there has been a paradigm shift in the quality and presentation of data demanded by stake holders and other users. New software tools have enhanced considerably the capabilities of viewing and interpreting this information. One such software that has increased tremendously the power of spatial data analysis in India is the Geographic Information System (GIS), which is fast becoming a major decision making tool for the Indian administrators and managers both within and outside the Government. In tune with the new demands of the data users, the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India decided to develop a user friendly CD-ROM that not only will provide census data through conventional tables and graphs in electronic format but also package it into a GIS tool for enhancing the capability of data presentation through maps. Demystifying the GIS and putting it into public domain at negligible cost for its wider use and application is the prime objective of this effort. CensusInfo India 2001 is the first step in this direction. This software, prepared on windows platform, helps in presenting and analysing census data through a variety of presentation tools, such as tables, graphs and maps. Version 1 of the CD-ROM is the first in a series of CDs planned to be released on the census data. This product contains the basic software and provisional data from Census 2001, on several indicators that so far have been released. The CensusInfo India 2001 version 2 or higher versions will contain only the final data sets on various census based indicators as and when released. The user in possession of CensusInfo India 2001 version 1 will only have to obtain the census data upgrades and use the software tools available in the first version to view the new data set. I would like to acknowledge with deep appreciation the assistance and cooperation extended by the UN System in India, particularly UNICEF in developing this product based on ChildInfo. I would also like to record my appreciation of the hard work put in by the officers and staff of our organization in accomplishing this important task. 8

39 CensusInfo India 2001 is certainly a pioneering effort in data dissemination in India. I hope this product will be widely used by a variety of data users within and outside the country including policy planners, administrators, educational and research institutions, government and private organisations, NGOs and those in the marketing and commercial sector as well. Wishing our esteemed data users a happy voyage through the CensusInfo India 2001! J.K. BANTHIA Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, August