Bikas Udhyami Launches "Nepal in Data: A Gateway to Development Statistics on Nepal"
January 27, 2017- Bikas Udhyami launches “Nepal in Data”, an open data and statistics portal, which makes development data on Nepal from 1950 to present available, accessible and discoverable. The www.nepalindata.com portal aims to serve as a single point of access from where users can access, interact with, compare and use data and statistics relating to different aspects of Nepal’s development. The portal was officially launched by Chief Guest and Honorable Member of the National Planning Commission, Dr. Swarnim Waglé. Mr. Chinta Mani Siwakoti, Deputy Governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank and Director General of the Central Bureau of Statistics, Suman Raj Aryal also attended the program and gave their remarks.
The portal provides access to more than 400 datasets, spread over 12 sections covering various sectors including agriculture and land, social and human development, state and politics, infrastructure communication and technology, civil society and foreign aid, economy, market and finance, state and politics, the sustainable development goals, etc. Users can choose from more than 400 indicators and compare different indicators with each other. The portal allows users to interact and visualize their data selection in tabular, chart and map format and download and print data. In addition, a discussion forum structured around specific indicators allows users to initiate or join discussions on specific datasets. A community section provides access to the latest news, resources to support the analysis and use of data and statistics, and practices on how development data and statistics provided through Nepal in Data are used in reality. An interactive timeline displays major events in Nepal’s development trajectory from 1950 till present. The portal has been developed by Bikas Udhyami together with Techkunja, a young IT startup.
By making data available and accessible for others to use, the Nepal in Data portal seeks to support government in using data for evidence based policy making and decision-making on development issues. The portal also aims to provide the general public with access to information to facilitate citizen participation in public affairs and to allow them to monitor progress towards development outcomes. The portal facilitates the use of data by civil society and development agencies to inform their development programming. In addition, by providing information on key sectors, the portal also hopes to support the private sector to make more informed business and investment decisions. The data provided on the portal will also assist students, research institutions and media in using data for analysis, research and reporting and will enable developers to use data to build solutions for Nepal’s development challenges.
The data on the Nepal in Data portal has been collected from a wide range of publically available government sources including Government of Nepal websites, publications and reports. Going forward, the data portal will be expanded further to include more datasets, statistics and historical events and features such as projections. Furthermore, activities will be undertaken enhance data literacy by building capacity to use and analyze data, developing infographics and working with stakeholders to address specific data needs so that they can understand and use data and statistics in meaningful ways in their work and lives.
Bikas Udhyami is a social innovation hub led by young Nepali professionals from different backgrounds, who share an entrepreneurial spirit when it comes to seeking ways to do development differently. Its vision is a Nepal in which young Nepali are actively engaged in shaping the development discourse through the identification of innovative and smart solutions to existing and emerging challenges in order to achieve positive change.
Visit Nepal in Data: www.nepalindata.com
