In its annual report, the (NCSI) reviewed the most important achievements of the Center during the year 2016, which include the ISO 9001: 2015 quality management system certification, as well as the adoption of working plan for Census 2020 and various smartphone applications.
The various surveys conducted by the Center as well as its collaborations with international institutions aimed at exchanging experiences, along with the several external events organized by the Center reaffirmed the Centre's commitment to quality standards in the knowledge industry, the report noted. The Center's annual report for 2016 said that ISO 9001: 2015 was the result of the Center's efforts towards developing internal work procedures and improving the services provided, as well as establishing quality objectives and policies, thus providing significant value addition to its partners and stakeholders. The Center has been awarded the prestigious certificate by the German company TUV InterCert, considered one of the best institutions in the world in the field of ISO certification.
On July 3, 2016, the Center was honoured with the Economic Vision 2016 award for the best government project, for the Centre's statistical data portal project www.data.gov.om, which provides statistical data and economic and social indicators over a period of more than 10 years aimed at enhancing the process of creating knowledge and decision-making for both the governmental sector (working on formulating plans and strategies for economic development) and the private sector involved in this national task.
In 2016, the Center signed two memorandums of understanding with the Central Statistical Office of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Omani Broadband Company. The first focuses on the cooperation between the Sultanate and the Netherlands in many matters, including the transformation of traditional census methodology into a census based on commercial records, building capacity in the fields of statistics and information enabling the parties (the center and the Omani broadband company) to exchange data and metadata information and benefiting mutually from the specialized expertise of both parties, and holding joint training programmes. Last year, the Center conducted a number of opinion polls, including one on the satisfaction of the beneficiaries of land transport services with respect to quality of roads and infrastructure as well as safety and adherence to project implementation periods. The survey, which included citizens and residents aged 18 years and over, also focused on the extent to which public transport was used and satisfaction levels.
Consumer Confidence Surveys are conducted quarterly to gauge the citizens' satisfaction with the economic situation in Oman, such as inflation, employment, investment and cost of living, as well as their optimism in the short term. In March and June of 2016, the Center conducted surveys on fuel prices, which was designed to measure Omanis' satisfaction with changing monthly fuel prices and their impact on their lives. During the months of June and July, a poll on Omani youths' attitudes towards work was conducted. During November-December 2016, the National Center for Statistics and Information conducted a survey on prizes offered by banks, aimed at measuring their impact on attracting depositors and encouraging investments. In January 2016, the Center carried out a survey on preferred housing designs,loans and housing assistance, aimed at identifying citizens' attitudes towards housing loans and social housing programs provided by the Ministry of Housing.
Further, the Centre's statistical surveys whose outputs provide data for the purpose of planning and decision-making in the Sultanate have helped assess the effects of economic and social programmes. The Center carried out (from September 2015 until the end of August 2016) a comprehensive household survey, accompanied by a number of surveys, covering all aspects of life with a view to help formulate sound population policies through monitoring the Omani and expatriate labor force and their contribution to the national economy.
The National Center for Statistics and Information, for the 13th consecutive year, held a survey of visitors to Khareef Salalah 2016, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and the Royal Oman Police from 21 June to 21 September. The Center also conducted the annual economic survey, aiming to provide data for the preparation of national accounts.
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