Object-Oriented Planning and Policy Database Development: A Case Study of the Ministry of Economic Development and Corporation
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Date
1997-05
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Currently, Ethiopia is undertaking major reforms in its economic system through the
introduction of a market-based economic policy. Among the effects of these are the
increase in the volume of trade and interaction al relations and a shift ill the role of the
government in controlling the economy from macro-level to. The macro-level
management (in particular, the formulation of tangible policies and plans to
manage control macro-economic activities), in turn, requires more than any thing else
timely and complete information on sociology-economic as well as spatial variables at various
levels. However, problems in accessing even available information for the pll1pose
indicated have been repeatedly cited at the Ministry of Economic Development and
Cooperation (the government organ in charge ill this respect).
This study, therefore, was undertaken to establish the information requirements and assess
the major problems of accessing available information at the ministry, with the view of
exploring the application of the features and capabilities provided by object-oriented
techniques, in tackling the information access problems.
Experts at the ministry were surveyed. on the basis of data gathered d1lring the survey,
organization-level information req1liremellts are identified; inventory of existing
capabilities is made; the information provision problems are analyzed.
Development of an illiterate database system (with "multimedia" features, i.e., that
supports text and image), is identified as one of the requirements in tackling the existing
problem. An attempt is also made to summarize the limitation of conventional approaches
to implement such database, as well as demonstration of the application of object-oriented
development techniques (as an appropriate alternative) database thr01lgh prototyping.
Further, recommendations are made for consideration by the ministry tof1llly benefit from
the solution suggested by way of identifying major activities to be carried out to develop
the prototype database into a fully operational (mature) database.
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Information Science