Computerization of NSO civil registry system on track

Determined to fulfill its vision of delivering world-class service to the public, the National Statistics Office (NSO), with the help of Unisys, is pursuing its computerization project at a steady pace.

With the Civil Registry System-Information Technology Project (CRS-ITP) on track, people may soon experience a "while-you-wait" processing and a "request-anywhere" capability from the NSO.

Unisys, as of last month, has infused more than P55.6 million in investments to ensure that the project meets its schedule. It is NSO’s private sector partner in this multi-phase, 12-year computerization undertaking.

Tomas Africa, NSO administrator and civil registrar-general, said Unisys’ commitment "further strengthens NSO’s fervor, enthusiasm and creativity in delivering the outputs that respond to the changing times."

Africa added: "The good news for the public is that by the first quarter of 2001, the first Metro Manila CRS outlet will be partly operational. Both project teams from NSO and Unisys are working hard to make the CRS work for the public we serve."

One of the biggest challenges for Unisys is to guarantee that the new CRS can withstand time. "Our role as ‘architects’ is to design a system that can withstand 12 years of operation, which means that the system should be able to adapt even during upgrades and shifts in technology. The core design should be flexible enough so that it won’t be obsolete even after 12 years," said Jay Joson, Unisys technical manager for the NSO computerization project.

Joson added that the system "should be fault-resilient, meaning if a certain component is down, the entire system should be able to continue."

Six CRS outlets in Metro Manila and 78 others in the different regions and provinces will be established, achieving the "request-anywhere" capability.

"We have already set the targets. The first Metro Manila outlet will be partly operational by the first quarter of 2001. We will be shooting for two Metro Manila sites by April and then two more by May this year. By June, the central outlet will be operational in Quezon City," said Al Castro, Unisys implementation manager for the CRS project.

As per contract schedule, the rollout of the 13 regional CRS outlets should be completed by February 2002. This set-up provides a more convenient and cost-effective means of acquiring copies of birth, marriage and death certificates, without having to travel to Metro Manila.

The CRS project will also strengthen NSO’s security, minimizing fabrication and falsification of civil registry documents. Unisys responds to this challenge by developing a system that meets NSO’s business needs and guards the agency against attempts of fraud and breach of security.

The WORM technology is used to ensure this. "Once a birth certificate has been image-scanned and stored in the optical disc, you can read it several times but can’t write or erase anything on the file. It’s called WORM, or Write-Once, Read-Many," said Unisys’ Joson.

More changes will be introduced in the future to reach the project’s vision of being recognized as the central source of civil registry documents and vital statistics, and of delivering world-class service.

Carlos Alunan, Unisys project director for the CRS project, said, "It is important to let NSO and the public know that Unisys, as a company, is committed to the project. And the commitment is to complete the system within the required schedule nationwide."

Unisys is an electronic business solutions company whose 36,000 employees help customers in 100 countries apply information technology to seize opportunities and overcome challenges of the Internet economy.