The Lao DECIDE info Project

The Lao DECIDE info Project seeks to stimulate data and information sharing between relevant sectors and administrative levels to improve evidence-based socio-economic planning and decision-making in Lao PDR. Funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the project supports the Lao Department of Statistics in providing user-friendly statistical and spatial data to a wide range of users. 

The project builds on the achievements and outputs of the Poverty Mapping and Socio-economic Atlas project of the Lao PDR, which developed a comprehensive spatial, socio-economic database of the country. The resulting atlas demonstrated the value of making detailed socio-economic data widely available, and increased local demand for access to such information. Through a set of practical tools and procedures, the project provides web-based open access to detailed socio-economic data and information in various formats. Its application in Lao PDR has developed national and sub-national capacities in the use of such information for analysis and planning, and facilitated data and information sharing among government institutions.