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Introduction
Objectives
Main Activities
Completed activities
Remaining activities for completion of the pilot
Experiences and lessons learnt 
DATAD Pilot Project Funding
 

1. Introduction

DATAD is a three year pilot project by AAU planned to be implemented in the period 2000/2003. In two years, the project has successfully accomplished all the in accordance to its work-plan. Ten (out of a total of twelve in the plan) universities and one social science consortium have up and running DATAD sites with well furnished rooms with two computers, a scanner, a printer, and at least five staff trained for data entry, editing, and posting on the respective campus network. Mechanisms for transferring data to AAU have been established and all management and policy issues settled. At AAU (the coordinating unit) a Sun Solaris server has been acquired and configured and currently an SQL database is being designed to load the records from the institutions and host the DATAD Home Page. 
 

2. Objectives

The main objective of the DATAD pilot is to set up a prototype that will gradually and systematically grow into a powerful regional research resource, an important input to higher education in Africa and the world. With detailed information about the areas of research conducted in higher education, names of researchers, contacts, supervisors, access provisions, the DATAD database will grow to become an unparalleled quality contribution to scholarship world-over. Strategically, the database development process ensures long term sustainability, quality control, and institutional capacity building.
 

3. Main Activities

Preparatory work: Office set-up, establishment of contacts, selection of participating universities, set up of management teams, set up advisory committee, signing of memorandum of understanding, selection of software, hardware specifications, preparation of procurement and delivery schedules, site visits
 

Database building and quality control: Site installations, training of trainers, data entry training, data entry, quality control, designing and setting up the integrated server (at AAU), and CD-ROM production
 

CD-ROM production, dissemination: Publicity, marketing, development of copyright guide, web server development, and project evaluation.

4. Completed activities

All preparatory work was successfully completed. 

Acquisition of facilities and equipment: Selection of software and hardware was completed and facilities acquired for each institution. The equipment include for each institution, two Dell computers with a CD writer each, an HP scanner, a printer, Corel Word Perfect 8, Omnipage Pro 11(Scanning software), McAfee-Anti-virus: purchased from LINK company in the UK and directly delivered to University of Zimbabwe, Addis Ababa University, Cheikh Anta Diop University, University of Dar es Salaam, Eduardo Mondlane University, Ain Shams University, Yaounde1 University, University of Ghana and Makerere University. The bibliographic management software (Procite) and web posting software (Reference Web Poster) were purchased from the Digital Services Center (DISC) company in the Netherlands.
 

Training of Trainers (at AAU): Procite training for three staff at AAU took place at the Catholic University Leuven, Belgium in June 2001. This has been supplemented by further in-house training for scanning, installation and configuration of the Reference Web Poster, and data quality control. 
 

Site visits for data entry training and discussion of institutional project management issues: This activity was carried out by the Program Officer and the IT Staff. The visits provided the opportunity to discuss major institutional policy issues as they relate to the project: access, copyright, project management, quality control and sustainability. The IT Staff facilitated installation and configuration of hardware, software local area network, and data entry training. It took two to three intensive working days in each institution to accomplish the work. Traveling in Africa is relatively expensive, problematic and time consuming. To reduce the number of trips to each institution so as to operate within the limited budget, thorough preliminary preparations were done by e-mail, fax and/or telephone. Physical visits were planned to address both management, technical and training and done after equipment delivery to the institution. However, where project management issues demanded initial visit, as was the case for Addis Ababa University and Ain Shams University, this was done irrespective of the associated problems. Site visits were accomplished for University of Ghana, Eduardo Mondlane University, University of Dar es Salaam, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), Makerere University, University of Zimbabwe, Yaounde I University, Addis Ababa University and Ain Shams University (ASU) in Cairo. The Ain Shams University Network(ASUNET) is the legal depository for all theses and dissertations in Egypt. With more that 170,000 records indexed in various formats and software. ASUNET is currently developing its Internet server on MySQL. AAU is also developing the Internet server in MySQL and closely working with ASUNET to share experiences for in this undertaking.
 

Preparation for DATAD hosting at AAU: AAU acquired a Sun Enterprise 250 Server running Solaris 8 software. Provisions for expandable memory to adequately cater for the growing database and backup are some of the considerations in the specifications. The importance of having an affordable but a relatively secure web-server cannot be over-emphasized. However, due to limited project funding DATAD has opted for the MySQL freeware. It is Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) compliant with high prospects for becoming UNICODE. These options were undertaken to allow for data migration and handling of non-roman scripts. 
 

Preparation of DATAD Methodology Manual: Although this was not in the work-plan, its preparation was inevitable as the sole handbook for both on-going and new members. The DATAD Methodology Manual specifies the minimum requirements in terms of ICT infrastructure, hardware, software and administrative support), coordination, DATAD Record Templates, data entry and subject indexing guide and includes other relevant appendices. The draft has been developed and used during site visits. It will be presented for reviewing during the DATAD workshop in June 2002 and finalized for publication by AAU in the course of the year. 
 

Workshop and Advisory Committee Meeting: This workshop will by two members from each institution (including all coordinators), and will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from June 11-12, 2002. It will be followed by the Meeting of the Advisory Committee. The DATAD Advisory Committee members have been invited to attend the workshop so as to get first hand information on project activities at the grass-roots. The workshop will provide an opportunity for sharing experiences and one day is dedicated to enhancing skills for using the project facilities. 
 

5. Remaining activities for completion of the pilot
 

Full retrospective data entry for all institutions: The intention is to have a complete coverage of all theses and dissertations completed in the institutions involved in the pilot. Besides saving to have exhaustive coverage, the totality will form a sufficient mas of records to have on a CD-ROM.
 

Completion of the design of the AAU server and DATAD Home Page: The AAU as trustee of the data and not the owner, has to ensure establishment of a technically sound basis for this reality. The current software selection strategy did take this into consideration, but for long term DATAD has still to explore for a higher security UNICODE software for DATAD migration 
 

Production of the CD-ROM version of the DATAD database: The options are in-house development or a commercial venture. With resources consideration for the feasibility of each option, this activity will be undertaken.
 

Publicity and marketing of the output : Different publicity, marketing, and appraisal strategies will be employed to enhance dissemination and improvement of DATAD.
 

Annual workshop: An end of pilot workshop will be an unique opportunity to draw up lessons, experiences and which will form a basis for planning for the next Phase of the DATAD. 

6. Experiences and lessons learnt 
 

Ownership: Institutions have had experiences of projects that were initiated with external funding that tended to be superficially accepted during the funding phase only to fade away a short time after. With this in mind, the DATAD policy is to have a methodology process that advocates a firm sense of ownership and responsibility that is translated and supported technically. For example, each institution is supported to establish its own database that is searchable. Institutions will have access to the integrated database as well their own database. This is to ensure that even if the Internet is down, they can still access their own database. AAU and DATAD have established the credibility and the political will for its continuation beyond the Pilot.
 

Data Integrity and Credibility

The AAU recognizes and respects the trust bestowed to the institutions to safeguard the intellectual property of the documents indexed in the DATAD database. The AAU recognizes its de facto role as the trustee of the information and data. This relationship will be respected and maintained.
 

'Projects that were never sustained' syndrome

Institutions have accorded significant importance to the DATAD Project and are determined to see it succeed. However, many have had experiences of initiatives that were not sustained and are particularly cautious that DATAD would not follow suit. This could be felt as was expressed in various ways and was a matter of real concern by some. DATAD is cautious to avoid the pitfalls of previous similar projects and very UNLIKELY to fall trap. The hardware and software requirements, management, the data transfer mechanisms and database maintenance are all designed to be affordable at the start and with very low running cost that can be sustained within institutional budgets. 
 

7. DATAD Pilot Project Funding

The DATAD project has been made possible by grants from the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. The participating institutions have directly and indirectly provided immerse management and logistics support by facilitating import of equipment, logistics, staff time, and intellectual input in quality control, just to mention a few. 

Implementation of project activities had to be planned strategically to accommodate the financial contingencies while maintaining members confidence and enthusiasm. 

Project implementation started with partial funding and AAU is working hard to solicit funds for its finalization and continuation.