The First Meeting of the
Working Party on the Application of New Technology
to Population Data
Bangkok, 24-26 September
1997
STAT/WPA.1/1
29 August 1997
ENGLISH ONLY
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE
PACIFIC
Working Party on Application of New Technology
to Population Data
First Meeting
24-26 September 1997
Bangkok
Introduction to the
Project: Application of New Technology in Population
Data Collection Data Collection, Processing, dissemination
and presentation: A brief synopsis of the project
The importance of valid, reliable
and timely data for population policy and programmes
has been emphasized in various international and
regional forums, including the International Conference
on Population and Development, which was held
in Cairo in 1994. The 1992 Bali Declaration on
Population and Sustainable Development urged governments
to give priority to the application of modern
information technologies in population data production
and dissemination. However, the capacity to collect,
process and effectively disseminate population
data varies in the countries of the region, mainly
due to differences - which continue to widen -
in the ability to exploit modern information technology
(IT). This very diversity of abilities however
offered excellent opportunities for fruitful intraregional
cooperation in the area of population statistics.
Against this background, the secretariat designed
a two-and- half-year project to promote the effective
utilization of modern technology in population
data collection, capture, storage, processing,
analysis and dissemination. The basic thrust of
the project is to share experiences of the advanced
countries with other countries of the region.
The project was approved by the United Nations
Population Fund (UNFPA) for a total funding of
US$ 407,425 for implementation in late 1996. However,
due to staff resource constraints in the Statistics
Division of ESCAP, the initiation of project implementation
had to be postponed to the second half of 1997.
2.
Objectives
The project aims at improving
the capabilities of member and associate member
countries of ESCAP in the application of modern
information technology in population statistics
production. This will be achieved through formulation
and dissemination of recommendations and guidelines
on the application of modern information technology
in the field of population statistics; development
of applications utilizing modern technology in
the field in three pilot countries; and by raising
awareness of the role of computerization and sharing
information and experience.
3.
Institutional framework
ESCAP's Statistics Division,
as the executing agency, was to establish a Working
Party on the application of new technology in
population data. The Working Party, established
in April 1997, consists of eight experts from
selected countries/areas of the region as follows:
Australia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Japan, Macau,
Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The tenure
of the Working Party will be 1997-1999, during
which it will meet frequently and report to the
ESCAP Committee on Statistics. During the course
of its work, the Working Party will commission
suitable institutions in three pilot countries
to undertake activities leading to the establishment
or adaptation of IT applications in population
statistics.
4.
Project activities
The
Working Party on the Application of New Technology
to Population Data would identify priorities
and provide guidance in the systematic application
of technology - in areas such as data capture,
coding, editing, tabulation, analysis, databases
and presentation of spatially referenced data
using geographic information systems (GIS).
In particular, the Working Party is expected
to play a pivotal role in consolidating the
experiences of the countries and in sharing
them within the region. The Working Party
is expected to provide the following outputs:
Sets of guidelines on
the application of new technology in population
data collection, processing, analysis,
presentation, dissemination etc. The content
of each set of guidelines is to be designed
by the Working Party (three possible sets
are on data capture and processing, data
analysis and presentation, and data dissemination).
The guidelines will include, among other
things, the assessment of various options,
and their pros and cons. One aim of the
guidelines will be to narrow the gap between
the developed and developing countries
in the application of technology; and
Applications,
strategies and demonstrations for effective
utilization of IT for population data
collection, processing and dissemination.
The applications are to be identified,
reviewed and revised by the Working Party.
Under
the guidance of the above Working Party, specific
national activities will be commissioned in
three developing countries, leading to the
establishment or adaptation of IT applications
in population statistics. Criteria for selection
of countries will include the needs, interest,
attempts at development and infrastructure
of the countries with respect to each application.
Assistance of the ESCAP advisers in UNFPA
Country Support Teams (UNFPA/CSTs) will also
be sought in the selection process, and in
advising on and monitoring the progress of
national activities. Suitable institutions
in each of the three pilot countries will
be contracted to carry out specific activities
leading to the establishment of a pilot system
which the NSO would later apply to the whole
country.
Country
experiences in the effective utilization of
information technology to population data
would be shared through a regional newsletter.
A
training package is also planned to be developed
to raise awareness among senior and middle
level manager and planners of the importance
of technological applications to population
data.
