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Researching innovative methods in dissemination geoinformation: the pilot democracy and governance atlas The pilot project of the Democracy and Governance Atlas has been completed. The project funded by the French Embassy in South Africa and the HSRC, involved the identification of a set of democracy and governance indicators that were populated from a variety of databases, including the 1996 census. The output of the project was a CD Rom product that contains Adobe Acrobat PDF files that enables users to easily link between topics, maps and text (see below). One of the primary reasons the GIS Centre participated in the project was to develop a mechanism by which information could be easily disseminated to decision makers and the public. This has now been accomplished and it is hoped that the project can be extended to further thematic areas. Initially Dr Nathalie Paralieu coordinated the project as a visiting scholar to the GIS Centre. However, the scientific and technical coordination of the project has now been transferred to C3A, an NGO, to continue the work, thanks to a grant from the French research institution IRD. A copy of the pilot CD-ROM Atlas can be obtained at the GIS Center office and a demonstration can be done. Training on how to read and build thematic maps can also be provided on request. Below are examples of the themes, maps and graphics contained in the Atlas. The UMR Temps (IRD) is planning to publish an atlas showing demographic trends between 1996-2001 at La Documentation Francaise. We thank the French Embassy for the funding to initiate this project, the IRD and IFAS for its scientific expertise, training and financial resources support and the HSRC for its continued support of the project. Furthermore, we would like to thank all those individuals that have worked so hard on the pilot Democracy and Governance Atlas.
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