DUSHANBE, December 20, 211, Asia-Plus — The University of Central Asia’s (UCA) Knowledge Management (KM) team recently implemented the Osh Business Mapping Project (OBMP) spearheading the use of innovative methodologies and affordable technologies to gather and organize information in the region, UCA’s newsletter, issue 107, reports.
The project was reportedly commissioned by the First MicroCredit Company (FMCC) interested in mapping businesses in the city of Osh in Kyrgyz Republic to support its planning and marketing strategies. The data collection was conducted using smart phones programmed with advanced survey technology and virtualization. Implemented between August and November 2011, the survey yielded selected data elements specified by FMCC on all businesses in Osh city in an efficient, non-intrusive manner that minimized operational costs and time.
The KM team developed the innovative survey design using affordable Android-based smart phones (Samsung Galaxy series) and free open-source software (LimeSurvey). Six teams administered the questionnaire in the city of Osh using the smart phones, which were also programmed to automatically capture geographical locations and mark them on a centralized Google map managed by the KM team in Bishkek.
According to the newsletter, this methodology may rely on new technology but it makes perfect sense in low resource settings with young populations. Young teams of enumerators were comfortable with the technology and energetically covered the city of Osh, gathering data efficiently and in a cost-effective manner. The KM team centrally managed the data in Bishkek to ensure quality control” said Emanuele Costa, Head of KM at UCA, who led the team in designing and implementing the survey.
The Project had strict quality control and quality assurance measures including a control team that monitored data collection sites and ensured that information was correctly entered into the system. A geographical information systems (GIS) expert from UCA’s Research Program developed advanced quality control tools, such as a web-based control panel to locate and track team members in the field.
In less than four months, the Project mapped over 9,500 businesses in Osh, generating data in an accessible format. Work continues to create different GIS map layers and highlight diverse variables, including business type, clients, number of employees and monthly turnover. The data will be used by FMCC to better understand microcredit needs in the city and to strengthen its programs.
The design and implementation of the OBMP brought together the KM team’s technical resources and multi-disciplinary approach. The team is led by KM Head, Emanuele Costa with project members; Dr Gullette, social anthropologist, Evgeniy Novikov, Software/User Interface Developer, Nargiza Sarkulova, Software Developer, and GIS expert and UCA Senior Research Fellow, Dr Ainura Nazarkulova, who also serves as Director of the Kyrgyz GIS Association and Deputy Director of the Austrian Central Asian Centre for GIScience.
UCA’s Knowledge Management Unit provides technical support and expertise to UCA’s programs and partners, supporting UCA’s vision of becoming a regional centre of information and knowledge through the creation of library resources, communication and knowledge databases. A core function of UCA’s KM program is to coordinate and consolidate existing knowledge, capture new knowledge and enable various stakeholders to share and disseminate information. UCA’s knowledge databases are designed to facilitate access to information and collaborative projects with UCA scholars that can continue to sustain and enhance knowledge resources in Central Asia. An additional goal is to use these knowledge resources to collect and store longitudinal monitoring data to establish critical indicators on economic, social and environmental factors and inform efforts to develop the region.
The University of Central Asia (UCA) was founded in 2000. The Presidents of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Tajikistan, and His Highness the Aga Khan signed the International Treaty and Charter establishing this secular and private University; ratified by the respective parliaments, and registered with the United Nations.
