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South Africa’s Western Cape Education Department Shares and Manages Information With WebFOCUS
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
Applicable Industries
- Education
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
Use Cases
- Predictive Quality Analytics
- Real-Time Location System (RTLS)
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
The Western Cape Education Department in South Africa was faced with the challenge of analyzing and distributing information from thousands of schools in a consistent, cost-effective way to help prioritize investments and allocate funds. The department needed to supply flexible, simple, self-service reporting via an intranet and extranet so managers have immediate and accurate answers to their questions. In addition to textual reports, the department wanted to make the data available graphically through geographical information system (GIS) views. The department supports a staff of 29,000 educators and 8,000 staff responsible for schools throughout the province. In addition, the department coordinates and monitors many adult education programs, early childhood development centers, and further education and training colleges.
About The Customer
The Provincial Government: Western Cape Education Department, South Africa, is a second-tier government department responsible for over 1,500 public schools. The Western Cape Province is home to almost 4 million people residing in an area of nearly 130,000 square kilometers. It has a strong network of higher educational institutions, comprising universities, technical trade schools, and many other training institutions. With a budget of just 5 billion rand (about US$740 million), the Education Department must balance its role as an agent for social change with limited financial resources. It supports a staff of 29,000 educators and 8,000 staff responsible for schools throughout the province. In addition, the department coordinates and monitors many adult education programs, early childhood development centers, and further education and training colleges.
The Solution
The Western Cape Education Department implemented Information Builders' WebFOCUS business intelligence (BI) and reporting technology. The technology was chosen for its strength as an information management platform, scalability, and ease of deployment. The department worked with Fujitsu Services, the sole representative for Information Builders in Southern Africa, to create a self-service reporting system that is available to authorized users throughout the province. The department also deployed geographical information system (GIS) technology from the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), along with the WebFOCUS ESRI Adapter, to perform mapping and spatial analysis. The ESRI adapter provides dynamic, bidirectional integration with many useful GIS functions.
Operational Impact
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