1. Presentation :Kisoensingh, A & Amatsoeran, G Date: 15 th of October 2014 Place: Banquet Hall, Torarica SURINFOSURINAMECENSUSINFO

2.  DevInfo is a powerful database system for monitoring human development. It is a programme of support to UN member states that focuses on promoting the use of national statistics in evidence- based policy and planning dialogues at the global, regional and national levels.  This programme is termed the “DevInfo Initiative”. At its core, DevInfo programming is based around a database system that provides a method to organize, store and display data in a uniform format to facilitate data access at the country level among government institutions, their development partners and the general public.  In 2004, DevInfo was endorsed by the United Nations Development Group (UNDG) to assist countries in monitoring achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The DevInfo initiative originated as ChildInfo and is managed by UNICEF on behalf of, and with support from, 20 member agencies of the UNDG.

3.  DevInfo is an integrated desktop and web-enabled tool that assists countries in their reporting on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other national and international development targets.  It has user-friendly features that can be used to create tables, graphs, maps and other visual outputs for inclusion in reports, presentations and other advocacy or planning materials. The software supports standard indicators, such as those used for monitoring the MDGs at the international level, yet it can also be customized to fit the requirements of local indicator and monitoring frameworks at the regional or country levels.  Whether you are a UN professional, a government executive or policy maker, an NGO worker, or a concerned citizen, you will find DevInfo an indispensable tool for your research, analysis and advocacy tasks.

4.  DevInfo 7, the latest version of the core DevInfo package, was released in October 2012. This version represents a complete overhaul of the system and brings it in alignment with the most modern standards in information technology and data exchange. DevInfo 7 is more user-friendly than previous versions and allows users to not only access data more quickly but also to present and visualize it in a wider variety of formats. Below please find an overview of key features of the system.  Accessing DevInfo 7 : DevInfo 7 is a web application hosted on a web server. The application can be accessed using an Internet browser, using either the global site URL (www.devinfo.org)www.devinfo.org or another URL provided by your site administrator. A desktop version of DevInfo 7 is currently under development and will be subsequently made available via CD-ROM and download  Earlier versions of devInfo are: ChildInfo, DevInfo 5.0, DevInfo 6.0 and CensusInfo 1.0.These versions were all desktop versions.

5.  It is free go to the website : www.devinfo.orgwww.devinfo.org  It is User-friendly  You can make various presentations types in just a few seconds such as a tables, graphs and maps  You can add Metadata  You have the ability to import data from a excel sheet online and create a map, graph and a table.  You can combine data from Suriname and other countries and make comparisons.  You can share your presentations on facebook, twitter or email them to someone.  You can put your map into Google earth  You can save your Graphs, Maps and Tables by using the Save as option, or the download option.

6.  The GBS has more than 5 years of experience with devInfo starting with DevInfo 5.0. This was a desktop version. The next desktop version DevInfo 6.0 was more user- friendly than DevInfo 5.0. And the newer version DevInfo 7.0 has more options, its is free and is also very user-friendly.  In the period 2009-2013, two (2) DevInfo 6.0 databases were launched on a CD- rom on May 2010 and November 2011. Six (6) CARICOM countries launched a webversion of DevInfo database : 1. Jamaica. Launched the following databases, JAMSTATS and Edustats ( 4 nov. 2008) and Childprotection database ( 3 juli 2012) 2. St. Lucia. ( HelenInfo). Launched on 13 th of April 2007, based on DevInfo 5.0, but the present HelenInfo was migrated to DevInfo 7.0 3. Grenada- SpicelsleInfo (October 2010) 4. Trinidad and Tobago (CTTInfo) 5. Guyana( GuyD_info- Census 2002 data)- December 18th, 2013 6. Suriname- 15 th oct.2014 ( SurInfo- MICS data and other social and economic ind.) + SurinameCensusInfo ( Census 2012 data) In 2009 the CARICOM Secretariaat launched a web-based version CARICOMINFO (2009) which provides key statistics for countries across the region.

7.  Launch more databases online for example,MDG 2012 and an Environment database.  Get the different Ministries interested to contribute to the National database.  It is important that Suriname launches its own databases so that the correct and up to date data is available.  Also the correct map of Suriname. The original Devinfo mapping uses the incorrect map of Suriname. ( see example later )  You will see that for some indicators where data is not available estimates are made by the Un, that are not represented with the real situation.