The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in partnership with Microsoft Corporation and Infusion, will help the Haitian government launch a technology platform to provide secure communications, host critical information systems and recover key databases lost in the January 12 earthquake.
The Haiti Integrated Government Platform (HIGP) will equip the Haitian public sector with state-of-the-art tools to generate, store, share and analyze information needed to plan, execute and monitor activities. The platform is also aimed at increasing transparency and efficiency in the use of reconstruction resources.
HIGP is based on Microsoft technology leveraging cloud computing and hosting capabilities. Its open architecture will foster collaboration among government agencies, avoiding a proliferation of isolated IT systems. One of its first goals, which is expected to be reached in a matter of weeks, will be to provide a secure e-mail system for Haitian officials.
The IDB approved a $3 million grant for the project, which will be executed by the Office of the Prime Minister (Primature). Microsoft will provide technical expertise and remote hosting services. Infusion, a Microsoft worldwide government public sector partner of the year, with recognized technical expertise in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, is building and designing the HIGP and its initial applications.
One of the key features of the HIPG is a web-based dashboard that will display data on the reconstruction process. Information will be available in English, French and Creole, the language most frequently used in Haiti.
The dashboard will aggregate information generated by the Haitian government, the Interim Haitian Reconstruction Commission and other partners in the reconstruction effort, such as the United Nations Development Program and Development Gateway, NGOs and the private sector. Besides data, the application will be able to display documents, video and photographs.
In addition, the HIGP project team is working to coordinate its activities with other international partners involved in Haiti’s reconstruction, including the World Bank, the Organization of American States, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development.