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UNFPA Africa Region’s experience in using IMIS based REDATAM for the dissemination

of census data

United Nations Regional Seminar on Census Data Dissemination and Spatial Analysis, Nairobi,14-17 September 2010.

Boubacar Sow, Ph.D.,Technical Adviser, SRO/WCA/Dakar

• What is REDATAM?• Characteristics of REDATAM• The Vision of IMIS• Outputs and Products• Benefits of IMIS• Implemenation of IMIS in SSA• Conclusions

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Outline of the presentation

• REDATAM acronym for REtrieval of census DATa for small Areas by Microcomputers.

• It was originally (early eighties) developed at CELADE (Latin American Demographic Center/Population Division of ECLAC, United Nations) to promote access to census micro data.

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What is REDATAM+SP? (1/3)

It’s a database management tool that administrates large volumes of census It was developed to promote access to and analysis of census and other data for informed decision making for sectoral and local development programmes and policies

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What is REDATAM+SP? (2/3)

How?– by facilitating the NSO dissemination

of microdata (taking into account confidentiality issues), graphical appearance, maps & web platform

– by providing the end users with a user friendly and fast software for processing large volumes of data

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What is REDATAM+SP? (3/3)

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Characteristics of REDATAM (1/2)•Administrates Hierarchical databases•Data stored in internal format (no access to individual or household records)•User friendly software•Highly Compressed database•Fast data processing•Multisectoral databases (combining several databases)•User can define geographical area to be processed

• Exportation of results to other software (Excel, ASCII, GIS)

• Thematic mapping & Graphs• External data can be accessed• On-line Help• Web Applications development• Access on-line databases and processing

(Redatam Web Server)

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Characteristics of REDATAM (2/2)

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ProcessProcessCreateCreate

xPlanxPlanWebServerWebServer

REDATAM+SPREDATAM+SP FAMILYFAMILY

EIM & EIF EIM & EIF Demographic modulesDemographic modules

GINI moduleGINI module

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www.cepal.org/celadeFor further information visit :

You can download Redatam+SP for free

The Vision of IMIS

A reliable one-stop shop national data source with multiple purposes including generation of indicators for monitoring

development programmes and the MDGs

Outputs and products

• Integrated statistical database

• Web-based database (intranet/internet)

• Set of relevant indicators at national and decentralized levels

• Large number of partners using the database (rapid and easy access)

• By-products : – harmonization of methodologies of data

collection, processing and analysis

– Preservation and dissemination of data.

IMIS BENEFITS 1/2

• easy and rapid access to voluminous micro and macro data

• compatibility with most usual software

• export to dissemination software such as DevInfo

• Security : data stored in compressed encrypted format

IMIS BENEFITS 2/2

• Original file no longer needed, hence removing the fear to share original data

• Selection of universe and a combination of geographical areas for specific analysis

• Enhancement of existing data systems

• Assistance to NIS to play its role of repository of statistical data

IMIS partners

• SS Africa :Kenya, Cameroon, Ghana, Mauritius , Uganda, Zimbabwe, Cap-vert, Burundi, Gabon, Central African Republic, Burkina, Eritrea, Uganda, Bénin, Madagascar , Niger, Comoros, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Guinée Bissau, Malawi, Sao Tome, Botswana, The Gambia, ….

• Regional Institutions : CELADE, IFORD, ADB, ENSEA, ISSP, RIPS, AFRISTAT

Implementation of IMIS

• Cameroon

– http://www.statistics-cameroon.org

• Uganda– http://www.ubos.org or

http://celade.cepal.org/ubos/

• http://groups.google.com/group/Redatam Africa/

• etc

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Conclusions

• Technology is facilitating the expansion and diversification of use of census data.

• But policy decisions remain a major constraint in expanding access to census data.

• Finally, there is a need to support linking of census data with other complementary sources through.

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