[July 03, 2009] P5-M virtual library to be put up in Davao Region Tweet DAVAO CITY, Jun 30, 2009 (Asia Pulse Data Source via COMTEX) -- A P5-million virtual library will be put up to provide up-to-date and state-of-the-art resource information about Davao Region and its localities. Maria Lourdes Lim, regional director of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), said the project is primarily aimed to promote local and regional development through information sharing specifically addressing issues relating to data gaps, duplicating data for specific indicators and other issues that may arise due to faulty information. Lim said the House of Representatives, local government units and regional line agencies in the Davao Region have recently signed a memorandum of agreement to come up the project, formally dubbed as Davao Region Geographic Information Network (DR-GIN). However, he said the virtual library can only effectively operate as desired if all members in the network could convene and unify the regions major data sources. Lim said the project would require other government agencies like the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Agriculture (DA), Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and others even including the private sector, the academe and the Informational and Communication Technology (ICT) to take part in the gathering and consolidating of information. "This project is expected to facilitate the promotion of the region's localities for trade, investment and tourism and cater to the needs of the private sector for business planning and research," Lim said. She said the Davao Region's virtual library will be able to provide geo-referenced information about the region's geophysical characteristics, demographic and socio-economic performance, business prospects and others. ?This can be of a big help as it aids in the generation of information needs of political leaders for more efficient planning, policy formulation and service e-delivery. It could also be the answer to the professional and business information needs of the private sector for research, business planning and investment,? she said. The P5-million funds will cover the software, hardware, manpower requirements and operational requirements of the network for two years. To make it sustainable, the network plans to expand its operations by providing other Information Technology (IT) services for a fee such as web hosting, web mail, teleconferencing, online advertisements, among others, she further said. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]