Culture Information System /Sistema de Información Cultural
The core objectives of the Culture Information System include:
- Collecting and standardising information regarding programmes, projects and actions carried out by the MEC´s National Directorate of Culture;
- Centralising and disseminating culture-related information across the country;
- Generating new information, studies and research regarding the reality of culture in Uruguay;
- Designing, evaluating and monitoring of cultural policies.
As part of the Viví Cultura (Try Culture) project, the DNC announced in 2009 the introduction of a culture information system with the objective to “generate information and data regarding all areas of cultural activity in the country and make them available to cultural agents, decision-makers, researchers in the field of culture and the general public.”
Within the framework of strengthening the cultural industries, the Culture Information System (SIC) is supposed “to map cultural industries”, using a number of “stops” to offer information about the following areas of cultural activity: the cultural actors of each area, value-chains, quantitative data regarding each sector (number of companies, number of jobs, wages, evolution of production, money earned and spent, sales, exports, etc.), relevant institutions and documents, and links to sites with further information.”
In addition, the area of Territory-based Project Management carried out research work and standardised information, part of which was a survey of cultural institutions and infrastructure that would serve as the starting point of the Cultural Map of Uruguay, a tool, which provides access to key, geo-referenced information about the culture sector to artists, managers and citizens in general. Users can find out about the location of cultural institutions, creative industries, traditional festivals and celebrations and book fairs all over the country. They may also access specific information for each department, browse through the offer or make a selection following their categories and sub-categories of interest (Please refer to Appendices).
The SIC will be strengthened as a tool for the centralisation and standardisation of existing and upcoming information about agents, activities, infraestructure and cultural industries, in short, about the cultural reality of the country, which will be at the citizens´ disposal.
The SIC will be directed by the DNC, acting in coordination with all stakeholders within the Ministry of Education and Culture and other public entities in the area of culture. It will also rely on the input provided by other producers of related content.
The SIC has a budget allocation of $9,000 dollars for the first year.