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Explore avenues for accessing IT expertise, including search engines, vendors' support sites, and collaborative platforms like wikis and blogs. Learn about expert rosters and quality control methods. Discover past projects and future opportunities in census technology. Stay updated on the latest trends through regional workshops and global forums.
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Modalities for exchanging census IT expertise in the region Ilpo Survo, United Nations ESCAP, Bangkok, survo.unescap@un.org for UNECE Training Workshop on Census Technology for SPECA member countries, Astana, 7-8 June 2007
Accessing information about technologies – Desk search and e-mail • Search engines, search techniques • Vendors' support sites • User communities • Local IT specialists – public and private sectors • Censuses conducted elsewhere • Leading national web implementations • Advanced statistical offices abroad • International organizations
Sources of expertise • Own organization • Technology is evolving rapidly -> past censuses or ex-colleagues may not be the best source • Past project management and application evaluation expertise useful • Own country • Character recognition and space-based technologies are universal • So are web-based technologies • Innovative solutions can come from other sectors • Bilateral exchange with another country/office • Regional and global forums, meetings
Conventional technology E-mail for one-to-one communication Discussion groups: Usenet groups Mailing lists (listservs) Web sites dedicated to IT Link collections on favourite third-party resources
Collaborative content creation - New opportunities for the 2010 round of censuses • Wikis • Blogging • Online partially self-managed browser-based rosters
Wikis • Born in mid-1990's • The largest is Wikipedia online encyclopaedia, since 2001 • Using simple mark-up language editors anyone can initiate articles • Additional information, cross-references and citations are added by others, making the content dynamic, if not volatile • Cumulative, escalating content creation • Reliability of information sometimes questioned
Blogs • A blog is a chronological diary, containing text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic • Provides little structure of classification • Potentially useful but not tested in census planning and taking • Weblog/blogging software • User hosted • Developer-hosted • Corporate blogs • CEO • Internal • External
Other • Sharing of bookmarks, rating of content • Tele and videoconferencing - Voice, video over IP • Online and downloadable multimedia introductions to technology, training courses
Expert rosters (1/3) – Technology and challenges • Maintain as an online database • Experts update their own information • Challenges • Management of the roster • How to attract interest of experts • Quality control: who can be recommended • Keeping information up-to-date • Sustainability
Expert rosters (2/3) – Management • Many initiatives but few sustainable • Requires resources to set up and maintain • How to review submissions? • Language • Facilitator's role critical
Expert rosters (3/3) - Quality control • Screening questions • References • Testimonials • Evaluation of undertaken assignments
ESCAP project 1997-2001: Application of New Technology in Population Data Collection, Processing, Dissemination and Presentation • Standing working party of experts assessed new technologies • Continuity was provided in a multi-year project setting (UNFPA funding) • Results were channelled into • Guidelines on technologies and good practices • Training and exposure workshops • The WP had active members from developed and developing countries • Recommendations were credible and pilot-tested
ESCAP regional census programme for 2010 round • A survey on census technologies (June-July 2007) will include questions on available expertise • Expert Group Meeting on effective use of IT for population and housing censuses (3-5 October) • UNSD/ESCAP regional workshops for Asia (use of maps/GIS) and for the Pacific (on IT more broadly) • If additional resources can be obtained: • Promoting Global Census Principles and Recommendations: Regional workshop, guidelines • Establish and manage a resource pool (database) • Advisory missions • Exchange of expertise • Web-based knowledge sharing forum
Recall ongoing and planned activities of UN ECE: Eurostat: Others:
Exchange of IT expertise for SPECA countries - Discussion Options: • Bilateral exchange of expertise • Establish a SPECA regional resource pool? • Establish a Russian language roster? • Request specific assistance from the above agencies • .. • ..