On March 24, 2006 the EU/UNDP funded
project “Enhancement of Living Standards in Karakalpakstan and Namangan
Region” organized a workshop on Information Management and Mapping of
Living Standards in Karakalpakstan and Namangan region. Representatives
of the ELS project, UNDP, Mahalla Foundation in Karakalpakstan and
Namangan region, Karakalpakstan Council of Ministers, the Geographic
Information Centre in Nukus and “Tahlil” Research Centre took part in
the workshop.
Living standards maps, also known
as poverty maps show where poverty is concentrated within a country.
They allow easy comparison of indicators of poverty with national data,
such as for example, access to infrastructure or services, availability
and condition of natural resources and distribution of transport and
communications facilities. Poverty maps provide information on the
geographic distribution of poverty and help develop more effective
policies to help the poor to improve their situation. The level and
distribution of poverty that are clearly visible on these maps can also
tell more to a non-specialist audience than many reports or
assessments.
For Uzbekistan and its policymakers
using these maps may be useful when, for example, planning public
investments in education, health, sanitation, water, transport and
other sectors. Education and health ministries can use the maps to
target investments so that they can reach low-income population more
effectively. Maps can also assist to link development efforts to the
objectives of the Welfare Improvement Strategy Paper and to monitor and
report on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in the
regions and districts.
During the workshop the
participants shared pilot practices and experience on socio-economic
and environmental maps for the districts of Karauzyak, Kegeily, and
Shumanay n Karakalpakstan and Kasansay, Mingbulak, and Chartak rayons
of Namangan region. The atlases cover various thematic categories such
as demography, education, economy, health, social protection,
infrastructure and environment. Relevant data collected during a rapid
assessment of living standards in the six districts is stored in a data
base that can be update and expanded to include more information when
available and to be retrieved for future use.
The National Centre of Economic research
Tahlil recruited by the ELS projects to conduct the rapid assessment
also made a presentation on the methodology for collection and analysis
of data that was used to create digital regional and district maps.
This methodology mainly revolves around the use of Millennium
Development Goal that were included in the Welfare Improvement Strategy
Paper.
The Nukus Geographic Information
System (GIS) Centre also made a presentation on the support provided to
the ELS project and Tahlil on the creation of the maps which included
digital cartography for the two regions and the mapping of the
boundaries of a number of villages (known in Uzbekistan as rural
assembly of citizens) in the six districts1.
For more on the presentations made
by participants during the workshop and the ELS project activities
please see additional resources.
[1] The GIS Centre in Nukus was established with the support of the NATO and is housed in the Karakalpakstan State University
Additional resources
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