Afghanistan: International Geo-Informatics Consultant - Rapid Assessment and Roadmap

Capacity Building for Results “CBR” Project, started since January 2012, aims to support the government’s effort to improve the capacity and performance of core line ministries responsible for national priority programs. The CBR project’s development objective is to assist the government in improving the capacity and performance of select line ministries in carrying out their mandates and delivering services to the Afghan people. This will be achieved through the implementation of specific capacity and institution building programs, which include systematic monitoring of and reporting on results.

Summary of the Position

The purpose for the Rapid Assessment and Roadmap consultancy is to assess the current situation and recommend options for the form and function of the proposed Center and an approach for its implementation. The output of the approach outlined here is to result in a high-level articulation of the vision, and potential function, form and implementation roadmap for the establishment of the NGIC within the next year. Specifically, the output of the rapid assessment is to address:

· Refinement of the Government’s NGIC vision and mission for the initiative (based on current draft endorsed by H.E. Mr. President);

· Mandate and major functions of the Center;

· Major goals and objectives (short, medium and long term);

· Suggested organizational structure (alternative scenarios for consideration) and capacity needs assessment;

· Conceptual design of the required computing infrastructure for the NGIC;

· Assess potential optimization of the scope and work program of organizations currently involved in Geo-Informatics in Afghanistan;

· Implementation roadmap.

This effort will consider and align with or build on any relevant aspects of past and present program, project and Agency efforts, including but not limited to the following:

· Afghanistan Information Management System (AIMS);

· Afghanistan Spatial Data Infrastructure (ASDI) initiative;

· Afghanistan Geodesy and Cartography Head Office (AGCHO) programs and projects;

· Afghanistan Central Statistical Office (CSO) programs and projects;

· Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigated Lands (MAIL) GIS development program;

· Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS) implementation projects;

· ADB Program – Building Resilience to Fragility in ADB-Supported Projects – Geographic Information System (GIS) and Information Technology (IT) Services;

· Ministry of Finance (MoF) development investment management activities;

· Ministry of Communication and Technology (MCIT) telecommunications infrastructure strengthening efforts;

· ANDMA, NEPA, UN projects, the World Bank DRM Project and others (to be determined).

Duties and Responsibilities

The following tasks are proposed to be carried out by the consultant:

Task 1 – Project Mobilization.

In this task, the Consultant will meet with the project sponsors onsite in Kabul to gain a full understanding of the purpose, vision and aspirations for the development of a National Geo-Informatics Center in Afghanistan as has been envisioned. This may include meetings and interviews with executive and technical champions for the initiative, as well as engagement with other individuals who may have some special interest or applicable knowledge about this subject. Input from these discussions will be used to frame the range of related programs and arrange an interview and/or information collection schedule inclusive of visits to the most relevant organizations and persons. It is expected that approximately 20-25 interviews will be conducted with government agencies, NGO’s, donors, and others as required to provide for adequate representation of needs and perspectives across the stakeholder community, however this number may be adjusted as needed by the Project Sponsor. The organizations and individuals to be consulted will be pre-identified in collaboration with the Project Sponsors. In order to expedite access, each organization to be interviewed will be sent a letter from the Office of the President explaining the intention of the effort and giving the recipient some indication of the type of information to be collected and how it is to be used.

Task 2 – Collect and Assess Existing Program Materials

In this task the Consultant will meet with representatives of all the identified organizations to learn more about their programs and projects and to collect information that may be relevant to the establishment of the Center. Interviews will focus on, but not be limited to the following:

· Current mandate and functions;

· Inventory of available relevant geospatial and statistical datasets;

· Characterization of outputs and beneficiaries;

· Identification and description of ongoing and planned programs and projects;

· Current and future funding requirements for data development and dissemination;

· Current expertise/capacities and assessment of capacity needs to effectively run the new systems;

· Thoughts regarding an NGIC, how it should function and where it should hosted.

Once collected, the above information will be synthesized and compiled to identify those issues that will need to be reflected in the development of scenarios for the NGIC. This information and findings will be summarized in a Situation Assessment technical memorandum.

Task 3 – Prepare NGIC Program Design

Information collected in the previous tasks will be used in the formulation of alternative potential scenarios for the functional model, organization and operation of the NGIC. Scenarios will focus on optimizing, where appropriate, alignment with existing data collection and dissemination programs, capturing the value of those programs, identifying gaps in the existing information framework that are needed for decision support, and identifying factors that have previously constrained the effective sharing and utilization of geospatial and statistical data for national planning, policy and decision-making. Scenarios will consider the full range of institutional and technical matters that will need to be considered in the formulation of the NGIC including:

· Functional framework;

· Data framework;

· Computing infrastructure;

· Application software;

· Technical staff capacity;

· Policies and regulations;

· Organization;

· High level breakdown of expected implementation costs.

The above information will be expressed for at least 2 alternative scenarios, each representing a feasible approach. This information along with an assessment of the issues, opportunities and challenges with each scenario will be documented to a high-level Program Design Report. The draft report will be distributed to the involved stakeholders for their reference. A stakeholder workshop will then be conducted to review and further discuss all facets of the proposed program. Feedback from the workshop will be incorporated to the program design report in preparation for delivery of the same to the project sponsor executives.

Task 4 – Conduct Executive Briefing

Information from the previous task would be consolidated by the Consultant into an executive briefing for presentation to selected individuals and groups. The information will be summarized by the Consultant to a PowerPoint presentation highlighting the findings and recommendations of the study including feedback from the stakeholder community. Each component of the study would be further discussed with the project sponsor executives and any conclusions, refinements and expression of priorities would be captured for use in refining the rapid assessment report and informing the preparation of the NGIC Implementation Plan in the final task.

Task 5 – Prepare NGIC Implementation Plan

In the final task, the Consultant will prepare an implementation plan for carrying out the development and deployment of the NGIC program design. This high-level plan will outline a staged development putting priority on those elements that can logically implemented early, cost effectively and that will have significant impact on raising awareness and appreciation regarding the value of such facility.

Deliverables:

· Project detailed outline - Revised project plan and schedule

· Stock taking - Situation assessment technical memorandum

· NGIC high level program design report including different scenarios and organizational set-ups for the new center;

· Stakeholder workshop and discussion results.

· Executive Briefing presentation.

· NGIC Implementation Plan

Qualifications and Experience:

· Minimum Master’s level degree in Computer Science, Geo-Informatics, Geography, Geo -Spatial Analysis or Environmental Studies is required;

· At least 10 years of work experience in Geo-Informatics, GIS Analysis, Geo-Spatial Analysis, Digital Cartography or Seismic Microzonation is required; Work experience for PhD level consultants may be relaxed by 2 years i.e. PhD level candidates with 8 years overall experience will be considered for the position;

· Good written and verbal communication in English;

· Ability to work well in a high-paced, multicultural environment is an advantage. _nKs=?6

HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates should submit their applications by e-mail and clearly indicate name of the position in subject line to: vacancies@cbr.gov.af

For more information, call us on +93 793 258 702