1 PC-AXIS A CAMEROON POINT OF VIEW (DESA 2009) NDJE-AYEHA Jacques Robert CountrySTAT Administrator Department of Surveys and Agricultural Statistics, Yaounde Sept-Oct 2009

2 CONTEX CAMEROON IN AFRICA Welcome PC-Axis 17 Countries already linked with PC-Axis

3 CAMEROON IN THE CENTRAL AFRICA Sub-REGION 7 Countries would use PC-Axis by CountrySTAT ; Increasing of data need in the sub- region… Cameroon want to extend PC-Axis to other Central Africa Countries. Cameroon is the only country in the Sub-Region to be linked to PC-Axis PC-Axis (CountrySTAT) project in the Sub-Region is needed.

4 I- DATABASES In Cameroon, CountrySTAT(PC-Axis) is based in the Ministry of Agriculture where agricultural and food data are mainly produced. for now, data and metadata are kept in databases elaborated with DevInfo, CSPRO, SPSS and so on. Each Ministry (and others structures) produces its data. But the main general data producer is NSI (National Statistic Institute) The issue is the dissemination of those data an matadata. When looking for means and ways to solve that problem, in May 2008, FAO made Cameroon government aware of the existence of what we call CountrySTAT which is a national version of FAOSTA. Afterwards Cameroon has become one of the 17 Sub-Saharian Country engaged in the CountrySTAT Project since July 2008.

5 2- USE OF PC-Axis SOFTWARE September 2008 : Participation of a Cameroonian representative in the 17th PC-Axis Conference Group meeting ; November 2008 : Training of 4 Cameroonians at Rome in Italy to become CountrySTAT Administrators. March 2009 : Circular mission of two FAO Experts to Cameroon ( Mr. Paul NGomaKimbatsa and Mrs. Carola Fabi) to strengthen Cameroonian authorities spirit in the use of CountrySTAT and consequently PC-Axis. It was a success. July 2009 : Training in Ebolowa Cameroon of 16 members of different Ministries and organizations to become Representatives of CountrySTAT in their own structures, and lunching of transforming Cameroonian statistic data and metadata tables into PX-Files.

6 Adventages of using PC-Axis The national lunching of PC-Axis (CountrySTAT) use in Cameroon is scheduled in the last week of October The main advantage of working with PC-Axis is the easy and quick dissemination of data and metadata through the web, using PX-Web. Queries are also easy with PC-Axis. The other advantage is pivoting data tables.

7 3- MAINTENANCE Software maintenance is not limited to the correction of faults. A large part of maintenance deals with accommodating new or changed user requirements and adapting software to changed environment. It is about evolution, rather than just maintenance… Like leaving organisms and most natural phenomena, software projects follow a life cycle that starts from emptiness, is followed by rapid growth during infancy, enters a long period of maturity, and than begins a cycle of decay that almost resembles senility. (Jones, 1989) On average, more than 50% of total life-cycle costs is spent on maintenance. If we modify the software after a system has become operational (because an error is found late, or because the system must be adapted to changed requirements), we will have to test the system anew. This is called regression testing. To have this proceed smoothly, the quality of the documentation and the possibilities for tool support, are crucial factors. Adaptive and Perfective

8 Difficulties encountered when using PC-Axis ISSUES Incompatibility of PC-Axis with some Windows versions, mainly Windows Vista, Windows XP Small Business. It is known that Vista it self is not yet stable (Organizing system). I nstalling PX-Axis in computers which run with Vista and Windows XP Small Business is sometimes not easy. Some times it appears that some web pages with.Asp extension do not match. And to solve the problem we have a very long procedure Save queries to be enabled for all PC- Axis functionality where possible. SOLUTIONS Enter the PC-Axis source code: modify some lines so that the compatibility be set, or use other means. CountrySTAT Project is trying to find a way. Work inside the PC-Axis Source Code (Visual basic/ SQL) to make easy the installation in computers, or use an other way. Make an interface or something else between PX-Web and IIS/ASP to cope with that issue, or use an other way. Work inside PC-Axis SQL to make it possible or use an other way.

9 SUGGESTIONS We suggest that PX-Edit, PX-Web, PX-Map, PX-make, PX-iGraph, PX-imap, PX-Publ, PX-Excel be included in PC-Axis in order to be open inside PC-axis. Yet they are members of the PC-Axis Family but we suggest that the link be more tighten : The menu should look like this :

10 PX-Edit PX-MakePX-Map PX-iMap PX-GraphPX-iGraph PX-Publ A new look by adding some modules in the program! Proposal for The PC-Axis new Menu PX-Excel PX-Web

11 IV- SUPPORT NEED Cameroon do need support for PX-Axis extension in the whole country in particular and in the Central Africa Sub-Region in general, from UNECE, SCB and FAO; Support for SDMX data files (import and export). There are in Cameroon, besides governmental structures, several IT business companies that would be interested in a partnership with SCB…

12 PC-Axis (CountrySTAT) Role Through experience of the past, we remark that in many countries, the important mass of data coming from surveys are not entirely analyzed and used, and often their access is not easy because of a lack of an appropriate storage system.  PC-Axis gives an appropriate way of storing an analyzing with six geographic levels. Data coming from surveys are still used as reference for correcting and adjusting other data.  Putting all the data on a same platform (unique door) offers large opportunities to insure their sustainability.  PC-Axis (CountrySTAT) should help to ameliorate the accessibility and the analyzing of data coming from surveys and counting.

13 Cotton data on Excel, ready for PC-Axis by PX-Edit Year Crops indicators 328cottonproducers cottonareas cottonproduction cotton Medium price Cotton data

14 THANK YOU VERY MUCH

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