Projects

Information and Research Centre, Cairo – Egypt

Researchers, academics and civil society organisations are frequently working on social, development and human rights issues, on which much is written in the press, however is rarely available in electronic form. This means that if research on a current topic is being done, information that is not collected first hand from the press is otherwise very difficult to obtain. Although some government publications are in electronic form, those that are not are extremely difficult and time-consuming to access from the archives. Opposition publications on the other hand, are rarely available in electronic form. Collecting information, sorting and digitizing it therefore becomes an ordeal.

Alfanar has funded the establishment of Information Technology Support, an organisation that carries out two main activities. The first is to operate a website www.id3m.com that is updated daily with all information collected from the press pertaining to topics of public interest and that is sorted using a rights-based classification. The second is to provide more detailed, client-tailored research to organisations upon demand for a fee.

Now in its third year of operation funded by Alfanar, the organisation is providing a new, unique service in Egypt that is increasingly relevant given the rising number of opposition and independent publications. Its client base is in much need of these services due to poor research skills and especially poor knowledge of how to use information technology. This is exacerbated by the difficulty in using Arabic language search engines. The project is able to cover part of its cost through charging for commissioned tailored research. To date, the organisation has developed a client base including academics, journalists, NGOs, research centres and international development organisations.

For more information, please visit www.id3m.com