SIAD : our régional information system

In 2010, ORFE has benefited from European funds through the ESF, and has therefore launched the Euranec project in which ORFE exchanged with other European observatories on anticipating economic changes. On the occasion of a study visit to Turin, our team had the possibility to exchange with IRES, the Labour Market Observatory of Piedmont and CIS on the information system that had been developed in the Piedmont Region.

THE CONTEXT

Our structure is facing significant challenges that reflex the changing regional context that is subject to national and international developments.
Regional stakeholders need:
- To anticipate “economic changes”, evolutions in the productive system, and training needs;
- To improve the effectiveness of public actions;
- To find their way in complex information systems at different geographic levels.

These changes are currently affecting ORFE, which is facing major issues that require an adjustment of its activities. First, the State services being restructured, they expand their scope of intervention. It involves a modification of the expected outputs and expertise.
The specific position of ORFE as an interface between the State, the Regional Council and socio-economic partners induces new and more formalized demand for expertise.
In the Centre region, the demand for opening up to Europe also induces new working practices and requires new skills.

ENLARGING METHODS

The systemic method of ORFE that reconciles data from different sources and nature (map overlay) is now recognized, as well as the forecasting method. These tools are now recognized by the Regional Council but also at a national level and in the two European regions we met during the Euranec project.
Nevertheless nomenclatures are changing as well as the boundaries of employment areas resulting in a need to reorganize the observation tools or even create new ones.
Qualitative data is also more and more needed. It must enrich the analysis and the diagnoses of ORFE. It will be necessary to build bridges between the quantitative and the qualitative basis as soon as possible: the idea is for the user to access data while having the possibility to enhance its research or its analysis with relevant qualitative indicators.

Until then, ORFE has been a regional observatory. Its missions were focused on regional stakeholders. It is now asked to extend its observations to sub regional territories, by working in cooperation with local observatories that are created.

OUR GOALS

- To facilitate the access to statistical resources and methods of analysis on the entire regional territory through a dedicated platform: the aim is to simplify the task of field workers responsible for carrying out local diagnoses and in charge of establishing action plans.
- To support the observation missions on the territories at local and regional levels. To propose national and European comparisons.
- To pool resources with our partner observatories. To consider creating, capitalizing and making available addition information.

THE PROJECT: A SHARED DATABASE

It aims at establishing a database that is an entity in which it will be possible to store data in a structured manner and with the least redundancy. These data should be available for different users.

The concept of database is typically combined with the concept of network in order to share information. We generally refer to information system to designate the entire structure gathering the means to share data.

Building this database will not only be collecting data from partners, but it will also create new tools (interactive and dynamic interface) and materials/ studies (through references to partner websites).

 The project will include four phases:

- PHASE 1 : Need analysis
- PHASE 2 : Identification of available sources and proposal of pilot outputs
- PHASE 3 : Regional and national benchmark
- PHASE 4 : Feasibility study for the database implementation

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE

In 2011

- Construction of a regional network with regional observatories and partners
- Prototype outputs validated by the partners’ network
- Specifications: architecture and technical, financial and human parameters of the information system including the results of the study commissioned to an external consultant.

In 2012

- Implementation of the regional database – First half of 2012