ITQAN provides IT support for Abu Dhabi Planning and Economy Dept. surveys

Abu Dhabi, 23 June 2007: The Abu Dhabi Department of Planning and Economy (DPE) recently signed a contract with ITQAN, the leading systems integrator in the region, to provide IT services to implement the department’s Household Expenditure & Income Survey and an industrial survey.

Under the terms of the contract, ITQAN will provide DPE with more than 500 personal digital assistants (PDAs) which will be used in the data collection phase of more than 420 families participating in the Household Expenditure & Income survey, which is currently underway. Data collected will be fed into the PDAs that are supported by a “dot net” system, which are readily downloadable into the computers at eight support centers that are directly linked with the main server in the department.

ITQAN will conduct training for 25 DPE employees on technology usage who, in turn, will train some 168 researchers who are conducting the actual survey. ITQAN will also provide a team of technicians and supervisors to the Department who will oversee the technical operation of the program.

According to H.E. Buti Al Qubaisi, DPE Undersecretary, the Household Expenditure & Income survey aims to provide an accurate statistical data on the social, demographic and economic aspects of the families who participated in the survey, including information about their expenditure habits. “The information gathered will greatly help officials and decision-makers in tailoring strategies and plans that will help enhance and develop each individual’s life style,” he said.

Commenting on the partnership, Al Qubaisi said: “We are very confident on ITQAN’s capability to handle this project for the department. They have a commendable track record of operating in this field for about 23 years. ITQAN is also developing the DPE portal.”

“We are very pleased to be a part of this initiative and to be the technology partner of DPE for this project,” said Feras Al Jabi, General Manager, ITQAN

Al Jabi said ITQAN is also providing IT support for the Industrial Survey (Abu Dhabi 2007) that DEP is conducting. The survey will cover 500 industrial establishments in Abu Dhabi .

ITQAN has been the IT service provider for the National Census in 2005 and are the provider of unique solutions such as eKawader HR & Payroll and eDiwan, the content management solution, Al Jabi stressed that the company has accumulated considerable experience in the field of conducting statistical surveys.