UN makes its Data Free and Searchable
UN makes its Data Free and Searchable
March 6, 2008: The United Nations (UN) has opened a new web service that allows users to search through global statistical data for free.
For many years now, the UN has been harvesting statistical data from its 192 member nations and has developed a sizeable database in the process. Over time the sprawling mass of information became untenable and often stored in countless separate proprietary databases, which made global comparisons untenable. To combat this problem, UNdata has been developed on the principle of pooling the databases and allowing a streamlined keyword search to access the information.
“The UN-system has accumulated over the past 60 years an impressive amount of information. UNdata, developed by the Statistics Division of DESA, is a new powerful tool, which will bring this unique and authoritative set of data not only to the desks of decision makers and analysts, but also to journalists, to students and to all citizens of the world, ” Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs said on the UN Website.
The searchable database is up and running now and can provide statistical UN content on everything from patent applications in Iraq to the balance of trade goods in Uganda.