Dear Colleagues, I find the conversations we have very frustrating ... they take time and rarely tell me what I need to know.
> http://www.gisdevelopment.net/thesis/thesis1/less4.htm > http://www.suny-cld.edu.lb/ui/systems.aspx Interesting ... but what do they really tell us. In the case of GIS words like "will" and "designed to" suggest that there is an element of marketing and hype, rather than hard performance information. I do not know how conclusions can be reached that the ICT GIS support is good unless there is some clear understanding of how much it cost, and exactly what results were obtained .... and a rigorous comparison with how much an alternative would have cost and how much the alternative would have delivered. When I was a corporate CFO, the staff kept trying to justify new investment when what they really needed to do was to operate the equipment they already had with some level of enthusiasm and competence. We used to refer this as a process of "spending ones way out of trouble". I did not like it or accept it in my corporate life, and I do not see why it should be acceptable in the Official Relief and Development Assistance (ORDA) world. In an environment of scarce ORDA resources, the other piece of analysis that should be done is to look at the cost and the results from one use of the resources and compare it to the use of these resources in the best possible way in the country, but perhaps in a different sector. I don't think the ORDA community ever does this, and as far as I am concerned this is a disgrace. Millions of people are dying because not enough money is reaching priority areas in crisis ... this is a choice the ORDA world and all of the experts are making, and it is creating death not much different than the holocaust of the 1930s and 1940s. John Perkins' book "Confessions of an economic hit man" raises some awful questions, and while I don't want to believe the book there is part of me that says he is 100% right ... and it stinks. I tried to highlight corruption through interaction with World Bank officers back in the 1980s, and was not welcomed with open arms, to say the least. Too much of John Perkins book rings true. How many of us are parties to the "hits" without knowing it? So back to this website information ... some nice projects. But can anyone help get the information that is really needed in order to say that they are good projects? Where is the practical application of Transparency and Accountability? Peter Burgess ____________ Peter Burgess Tr-Ac-Net in New York 212 772 6918 [EMAIL PROTECTED] The Transparency and Accountability Network With Kris Dev in Chennai India and others in South Asia, Africa and Latin America http://tr-ac-net.blogspot.com On 5/17/05, Barbara Fillip wrote: > "The Geographic Information System (GIS) dramatically increases the > accuracy of information utilized in municipal operations and planning > through computerized 'mapping' of more than seventy layers of physical, > financial, and personal data. Electronically linked to administrative > and financial databases, the system provides a wealth of information > that will be used in the planning, inspection, audit, assessment, and > collection processes. The GIS is a powerful tool that can be used by > municipal councils in assessing the needs of the community, and in > identifying, implementing, and sustaining economic development projects > related to tourism, industry, agriculture, and other sectors. > Importantly, use of the GIS will enable decision-makers to promote > transparency and accountability in the appraisal and collection of taxes > and fees, ensuring that, for example, outdoor advertising licenses and > construction permits are issued appropriately." > > From the SUNY / CLD web site: http://www.suny-cld.edu.lb/ui/systems.aspx ..snip... > Lessons that can be learned from using GIS in LGUs in developing > countries (part of a larger student thesis): > http://www.gisdevelopment.net/thesis/thesis1/less4.htm ------------ This DOT-COM Discussion is funded by the dot-ORG USAID Cooperative Agreement, and hosted by GKD. http://www.dot-com-alliance.org provides more information. To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd For past messages, see: http://www.dot-com-alliance.org/archive.html
