A semantic and ontology informational data model in UNRWA Emis Project

Mustafa Abu Tahoun (Head Gaza IT Center UNRWA)

Luca Baldini (Chief Information Division UNRWA)

Francesco Iacoboni (Architect CAPGEMINI)

United Nation relief and work agency for

Palestine refugees in the near east

UNRWA PROVIDE ASSISTANCE AND PROTECTION FOR SOME 5 MILLION REGISTERED PALESTINE REFUGEES TO HELP THEM ACHIEVE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL

IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN Member States. UNRWA also receives some funding from the Regular Budget of the United Nations, which is used mostly for international staffing costs.The Agency’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance, including in times of armed conflict.

UNRWA Mission

Education Health Protection

Social Service MicroFinance Infrastructure

Where UNRWA work

Emis (Educational Management Information System) Project

“EMIS is a live example of UNRWA efforts to provide quality services to Palestine refugees through Information Technology. The system is cutting edge in both

educational and technical design,” Ms. Melinda Young

The Gaza-based team developed – in coordination with HQ and the five UNRWA fields – three modules (for students, staff and premises) as well as a reporting tool. EMIS captures information on individual children as they enter school and progress from one grade to the next. It will integrate information on school premises, students, class sections and staff through strong linkages with other UNRWA data systems, such as the FMIS (Facility Management Information System,) RISS (Registration Information System), E-Health, and Human Resources systems.

Emis (Educational Management Information System) Logical view

The proposed solution enables a transformation process ensuring that all common data information of key UNRWA entities (refugees, students, facilities, staff members and patient) are managed uniquely and reflected properly across all systems.The core of API CDM architecture will comprise a set of

open-source applications mainly based on WSO2 products stack.

Common Data Model an ontological approach

The Web Ontology Language (OWL) is a family of knowledge representation languages or ontology languages for knowledge bases. The languages are characterized by formal semantics and RDF/XML-based serializations for the Semantic Web.

A Refugee Centric Approach

The Backbone of UNRWA Enterprise Architecture

To drive this transformation, the strategy is built upon four overarching principles:

• An “Information-Centric” approach—Moves us from managing “documents” to managing discrete pieces of open data and content which can be tagged, shared, secured, mashed up and presented in the way that is most useful for the consumer of that information.

• A “Shared Platform” approach—Helps us work together, both within and across agencies, to reduce costs, streamline development, apply consistent standards, and ensure consistency in how we create and deliver information.

• A People-Centric” approach—Influences how it is created, manage, and present services through websites, mobile applications, raw data sets, and other modes of delivery, and allows people to shape, share and consume information, whenever and however they want it.

• A platform of “Security and Privacy”—Ensures this innovation happens in a way that ensures the safe and secure delivery and use of digital services to protect information and privacy.

Agency Data Holistic View

This Architecture allow a two way data consuming. A direct syncronization of the needed master data around the application pushing data to the DB or an access layer to retrieve data with a web service call

Application View

Benefits

• Enable the beneficiaries , the donors and an increasingly mobile agency workforce to access high-quality digital agencies information and services anywhere, anytime, on any device. Operationalizing an information-centric model, it is possible to architect the systems for interoperability and openness, modernize content publication model, and deliver better, device-agnostic digital services at a lower cost.

• Ensure that as the agencies adjusts to this new digital world, seize the opportunity to procure and manage devices, applications, and data in smart, secure and affordable ways. Learning from the previous transition of moving information and services online, with the opportunity to break free from the inefficient, costly, and fragmented practices, build a sound governance structure for digital services, and do mobile “right” from the beginning.

• Unlock the power of agencies data to spur innovation and improve the quality of services for people and donors. Unlocking the API economy in the UN world

What next from operation to actions ….

Thank You!