Population data 'at our fingertips'
KEY population data will be at the fingertips of the States to aid major policies and operational decisions thanks to its new rolling electronic census.
This was the message from Chief Minister Jonathan Le Tocq and the States' chief information officer, Colin Vaudin, pictured, who hailed the world's first electronic census combining existing data from numerous governmental databases and producing quarterly updates with the latest available information.
Mr Vaudin said that every government should be basing its decisions and policy making on data and normally would generate this every five to 10 years using a traditional census or create bespoke data on a particular topic.
'What this allows you to do is have at your fingertips the data you need to support every piece of policy work or operational plan you are developing,' he said.
'No one else has got this. It is a global first. It has saved money and has saved people filling out more forms that just replicated data we already had.
'More importantly, it will enable us to provide better customer service. It puts Guernsey in an enviable position regarding access to population statistics and therefore in a much better position to develop policies and plans based on real, accurate and timely information.'
