Project Overview
From June to August 2020, Naroman served as a Technical Development Adviser for the COVID-19 Website, Dashboards, and Mobile Apps project in Timor-Leste. Funded by the Government of Australia through the Governance for Development program and implemented in collaboration with TIC Timor-Leste, this initiative aimed to provide accessible, accurate, and timely information about the pandemic situation to both government decision-makers and the general public.
Project Context
As Timor-Leste faced the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an urgent need for centralized, reliable information resources. This project addressed that need by developing comprehensive digital tools that could present critical data in user-friendly formats, helping government officials make informed decisions while keeping the public well-informed about the evolving situation.
Key Deliverables
Infographic Dashboard
Developed an intuitive dashboard visualizing the COVID-19 situation in Timor-Leste, with specialized views for both decision-makers and the general public.
Data Integration
Created systems to ensure dashboards remained accurate through API calls to source data, consolidating information from various existing sources for a unified view.
Mobile Applications
Developed dedicated mobile apps for iOS and Android that referenced back to both the COVID-19 website and dashboard as a single source of truth.
Website Enhancement
Optimized the existing COVID-19 website for mobile delivery and improved ease of updating for non-technical users managing critical health information.
Multi-Ministry Integration
Integrated information from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion, creating a comprehensive resource across government sectors.
Capacity Building
Organized and facilitated learning sessions to transfer skills to Junior Professional Developers at TIC Timor, ensuring local sustainability of the platform.
Technical Approach
The development of these tools required a sophisticated technical approach to ensure reliability, accessibility, and sustainability:
Beyond Health Data
A unique aspect of this project was the integration of data beyond traditional health metrics to provide a more comprehensive view of the pandemic's impact:
- Financial indicators showing economic impacts and response funding
- Social welfare data highlighting support programs and beneficiary reach
- Media monitoring to track information dissemination and public messaging
- Gender equality metrics to ensure inclusive pandemic response
- Cross-sector impacts on education, employment, and essential services
Capacity Development Focus
Beyond delivering technical solutions, this project placed significant emphasis on building local capacity:
- Organized structured learning sessions for junior developers at TIC Timor
- Created comprehensive documentation in both technical and non-technical formats
- Established sustainable workflows for ongoing data management and updates
- Provided post-handover support to ensure smooth transition to local management
- Mentored local staff in both technical skills and project management approaches
Project Impact
The COVID-19 Dashboard and associated tools made significant contributions to Timor-Leste's pandemic response:
- Provided reliable, centralized information during a critical public health emergency
- Enhanced data-driven decision-making capabilities for government officials
- Improved public access to accurate pandemic information through multiple platforms
- Built valuable digital skills among local technology professionals
- Created a model for cross-ministry data integration and visualization
- Established infrastructure that could be adapted for future public health monitoring
Collaboration & Recognition
This project was made possible through collaboration with multiple partners:
- Government of Australia (funding through the Governance for Development program)
- TIC Timor-Leste (implementation partner)
- Ministry of Health (data provision and requirements)
- Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (social welfare data)
- Catalpa International (technical collaboration)
- Junior Professional Developers at TIC Timor (local development team)