Development of ICT Indicator Collection - the experience of Trinidad and Tobago
January 10, 2005
BACKGROUND
Measurement of the information society by the collection of ICT indicators is considered a key input to the development of the national ICT initiatives. Initial stocktaking lays the foundation from which further progress is made and measured, but given the dynamic nature of the technologies, care must be taken that indicators remain relevant to the development objectives.
Prior to the development of fastforward -- the National Information and Communications Technology Plan[1] - indicators had been collected on an ad hoc basis to support specific policy and research projects (see Table 1). While the quality of the data was satisfactory in most instances, comparison between various efforts remained limited since questions and response options would vary between survey instruments. This also meant in many cases, that these studies would derive divergent conclusions, given the disparities in the process.
With the creation of fastforward, the quality of data must be maintained but it has now become as important that the data collection is homogeneous and can support the objectives of the plan which has a wide-reaching span, covering public and private sector developments as well as that of the civil society. Measurement and growth initiatives must be designed that would harmonize the collection of these indicators to ensure compatibility with regional and international efforts and that the relevant and appropriate comparisons would be made in benchmarking exercises.
Responsibility for the collection of this data currently lies within the Ministry of Public Administration and Information, where fastforward was developed.
OBJECTIVES FOR THE COLLECTION OF ICT INDICATORS
• Development of a national ICT database populated with reliable, current data
• Design indicator collection to support all ICT-related public policy initiatives,...