Dears,Who am I and Who are You? I and You define our identity in different terms but would be there be credibility factor attached to it and You may ask the question is that really matters to know Who am I , I would say like any other motivational speaker you are the most wonderful person in this world and your identity matters.
The national identification number or National Identity Card number is used by the governments of many countries as a means of tracking their citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents for the purposes of work, taxation, government benefits, health care, and other governmentally-related functions. The number will appear on an identity card issued by a country.
The ways in which such a system is implemented is dependent on the country, but in most cases, a citizen is issued a number at birth or when they reach a legal age (typically the age of 18). Non-citizens are issued such numbers when they enter the country.Many countries issued such numbers ostensibly for a singular purpose, but over time, they become a de facto national identification number. For example, the United States originally developed its Social Security Number system as a means of disbursing Social Security benefits. However, due to functionality creep, the number has become utilized for other purposes to the point where it is almost essential to have one in order to, among other things, open a bank account, obtain a credit card, or drive a car.
Worldwide every Nation is looking forward to implement a National Id program and to name few countries initiated such project are
Bahrain, Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan ,Libya,India ,Macau, Malaysia ,Morocco, Oman Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa ,Taiwan Thailand ,United Arab Emirates & Yemen
Implementing a new National Id project has lots of merits and at the same time requires mammoth effort from govt depts., NGOs and IT and Non IT Technical service providers. Introducing a national ID card scheme would cost around $50 million (minimum) for the first four years. The nationwide scheme normally would be implemented in three phases. Phase one involves the collection of data on citizens and non-citizens aged 16 years and above. The second phase covers citizens and non-citizens aged between six and less than 16 years and, the third phase will involve citizens and non-citizens between ages of zero and six.The national ID system will ensure a successful national development and enable the government to know people living under its jurisdiction and make the provision of essential services easy. But, one must ask - how exactly is the national ID card going to work? Besides individual cardholder statistics, what type of information would be required in a database that backed up the ID cards? The information on individuals would be recorded on the National Database upon which a National Identification Card would be issued to an individual. The idea sounds great. But the problem is, demographic databases don't work that way. It should be remembered that, a database does not operate in vacuum. The demographic data is a geographic distribution, a spatial database infrastructure is needed for the development of the type of national database.
Does your country have a national spatial data infrastructure upon which the said national database would be developed? Let me introduce some examples to explain how it's done. In Canada and the United States the agencies responsible for disseminating census data provide a number of digital datasets that can be input to a Geographic Information System (GIS). Census and other statistical data are provided in the form of attribute datasets coded by geographic location linked by means of street addresses, postal/zip codes and census tracts. City streets network data, utilities, municipal boundaries and other geographic features are also represented in digital form and, are used as a spatial database to which census data can be related. The dataset are used primarily with census attribute data like population, household income and employment statistics etc. for planning, tax assessment, locational analysis, utilities network analysis, business information management and emergency dispatch services etc. Statistics Canada organizes its datasets, known as Area Master Files Data, by the city block-face. A city block-face consists of one side of a street between two successive intersections.
The national identification system is a broad-based project, which will provide a one-stop ID cards which will enable state institutions such as the Passport Office, Social Security , Births and Deaths Registry, Banks and the Electoral Commission to function more efficiently. In the US, one cannot open a bank account, apply for drivers' license, State ID, Social Security Number or passport using a post office box number. It is also worth noting that, efficiency of the US system is derived from the uniqueness of a Social Security Number system based on a geocoded data structure, and backed up by street addresses and Zip Codes. I will explore the Financial and other Economic inclusion in my Next article :)
Moreover, it can be argued that, once some demographic data has been collected, it is by definition out of date due the dynamic nature of population distribution. This raises two questions
(1) how often is a national database update required for a particular program or policy formulation? (2) what role would the national ID cards play in monitoring trends in internal migration?
It may be appropriate to note here that, an ID card isn't an ordinary piece of card bearing a name, date of birth, place of birth, a photo and a series of numbers. It is a means of storing spatial data about a particular individual. It is therefore necessary to record the location of an individual to whom an ID card is issued. The location is usually referenced to a street address. This explains why addresses are printed on national ID cards and drivers' licenses used in many countries. If you've lived or live in the United States, you've probably changed your State ID or drivers' license when you moved house. I don't know about other States, but in Washington State, citizens are required by law to change their drivers' license or State ID within ten days of moving house, to reflect their current address. Thus, government databases are constantly updated, eliminating the need to spend billions of dollars to compile new databases.
Development programs to be implemented in the country require a lot of micro level information and planning such as identifying suitable locations and target people, allocation of funds, project monitoring and assessing the results. There are many cases in the past and present in which many development programs faced difficulties in achieving the desired objectives or even ended in total failure. The reasons of failure may be attributed to misuse of funds, political influences and the lack of accurate data to formulate realistic strategies and policies etc. It is therefore important for to recognize that, the national database is essentially a demographic model, therefore, should be designed to mimic all aspects of what is happening in homes across the nation. As a demographic model, the national database should have the capability to answer questions about what exists now or what will happen at some other point in time. The national ID cards scheme is a program that would continue until Armageddon. Hence, project duration and the technology upon which the equipment is built are the major deciding factors. It is also necessary to consider the pace at which the equipment technology is changing.
The application development software packages including Oracle’s and Microsoft’s of the World with MapInfo and Arc View etc.. I will explore the benefits and technology framework required to implement a national id program in my next article on this subject.
Have a Great Weekend
Your Partner and Companion
Dinesh Chandrasekar (AKA) DC*
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