The challenge of creating a new National Observatory on Information and Knowledge Society in Dominican Republic

1
The challenge of creating a new National
Observatory on Information and Knowledge Society
in Dominican Republic
World Summit on the Information Society(Second
Phase)
Pablo Tactuk, National Director National
Statistics Office of the Dominican Republic (ONE)

• Tunis, November 15, 2005

2
What is a documental observatory?

• A tool to obtain a global and permanent vision of
  the situation and its evolution of an specific
  subject of study, which allows to evaluate its
  impact and the most feasible ways to take
  advantage from.

3
What is a documental observatory? Ordinary
Duties (1)

1. Establish a documental fund to give account of
   the issues it studies.
2. Analyze new tendencies, ongoing changes and
   associated factors.
3. Perform researches, as well as preliminary and
   feasibility studies.
4. Organize meetings of specialized experts and
   focus groups.

4
What is a documental observatory? Ordinary
Duties (2)

1. Stimulate the spreading of the ICT agenda and the
   Information Society within the media.
2. Facilitate the exchange of information between
   the different appointed offices in charge of
   decision making, researchers, professionals and
   other inspecting agencies.
3. Advise different institutions about the subject
   matter.

5
Why DR requires an ICT Observatory?

• Strategic vision of the Dominican Republics
  President, Leonel Fernández, on the key
  development issues linked to the opportunities
  the ICTs have to offer.
• Give support to the National Commission of
  Information and Knowledge Society, through the
  close tracking of the use and seizing of the
  ICTs, using appropiate indicators, comparable to
  the similar international information.

6
Dominican Response to the need of a Documental
Observatory on ICT

• Creation by Presidential Decree of the Dominican
  Republic Observatory on the Information and
  Knowledge Society
• In Spanish Observatorio de la Sociedad de la
  Información y el Conocimiento (OSIC) en República
  Dominicana

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OSIC-DR Modus Operandi

• The OSIC-DR would perform as a monitoring center
  of the development and use, from the public and
  private sectors, as well as domestic users, of
  the ICT-based products and services.
• This will be achieved through identifying the
  best opportunities from new technologies, as well
  as spreading them among DR.

8
OSIC-DR Background (1)

• The objective of the Dominican Government of
  democratizing the use, access and application of
  ICTs, to the whole population, in order to help
  reduce the Digital Divide.
• The existence of various international
  observatories around the world, as well as the
  Observatory for the Information Society in Latin
  America and the Caribbean (OSILAC).

9
OSIC-DR Background (2)

• Bávaro Declaration (11-15-02), The World Summit
  on the Information Society (WSIS) , Geneva,
  Switzerland (First Phase on 12-12-03) and the
  Declaration of Principles of Rio in year 2005,
  and the Regional Plan for Latin America and the
  Caribbean (e-LAC 2007).
• From the legal point of view, it is worthwhile to
  quote General Telecommunications Law 153-98 and
  General Law of Free Access to the Public
  Information.

10
Institutional Nature of the OSIC-DR (1)

• Created by Decree No. 212-05 dated April 11th,
  2005.
• A collegiate organism with advisory nature
  subscribed to CNSIC.
• Chaired by the CNSICs President, its General
  Coordinator is the National Director of the
  Statistics Office (ONE).

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Institutional Nature of the OSIC-DR (2)

• Its main mission is to become a reference center
  for the tracking, follow-through, evaluation,
  analysis, monitoring and spread of information
  about the development of the Information and
  Knowledge Society in Dominican Republic.

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Organization of the OSIC-DR

• The General Committee of the OSIC-DR would be
  conformed by
• The President of the CNSIC, as the head of the
  committee.
• The National Director of the Statistics Office
  (ONE), as the General Coordinator.
• The CNSICs Secretary and the Sub-coordinators.
  These will be appointed by the General
  Coordinator.

13
Users
Documentation Center
National Commission on the Information and
Knowledge Society (CNSIC)
OSIC-DR
Statistical Researches
Administrative Structure
Organizational chart of the OSIC-DR
National Statistics Office (ONE)
14
Service Channels

• Documentation centre
• Website
• Published material
• Public events

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OSIC-DR Services (1)

• Generates news on the technology advancements,
  its uses and the relevant debates associated to
  the Information and Knowledge Society, on the
  national, regional and international levels.

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OSIC-DR Services (2)

• Leading ICT companies websites tracking.
• Local media tracking on ICT-related issues.

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OSIC-DR Services (3)

• Tracking of government websites from other
  countries, as well as multilateral organizations.
  
• Linkage with other observatories with similar
  specialization.

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OSIC-DR Services (4)

• Administration of data bases from entities and
  local professionals that work with ICT-related
  issues.
• Managing an e-library.

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OSIC-DR Services (5)

• Develope and provide a list of online resources
  on tracked subjects.
• Collection of software, as well as other useful
  resources and material.

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OSIC-DR Public Events

• Congresses
• Seminaries
• Workshops
• Debates
• Forums

21
Specific inputs from ONE

• Set up of the baseline of ICT surveys at
  households, companies and government.
• Statistics.
• Indicators.
• Benchmarking with other countries.
• ICT Geostatistical information.

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Follow-up of the digital agendae-dominicana

• Strategic areas. Definition and production of
  performance indicators, measuring the impact of
  public policies and initiatives, about

• Infrastructure and access
• Social inclusion
• Training and education on ICT
• Content development
• Digital state electronic national and local
  government, the Judiciary and the Parliament
• Use of ICT among private sector

23
Contact

• www.one.gov.do
• p.tactuk_at_one.gov.do
• 809 682 7777. Ext. 277
• Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
• Many thanks for your attention.