KATHMANDU, June 28 (Xinhuanet) -- The European Commission (EC) on Monday handed over the mapping component of the Population and Housing Census Project 2002-2005 to the Nepali government, a Nepali official said here Tuesday.

    "Commissioned with the assistance from the EC, the project willprovide requisite data to planers, researchers and students as well," Toya Nath Baral, director general of the Department of Surveys, told reporters.

    The project was implemented around mid-August 2002 to evolve a geo-information infrastructure platform for sharing data among Central Bureau of Statistics, Survey Department and four development-related ministries in Nepal.

    The document, which is now available at website, lists just about 210 indicators and maps presented electronically, Baral noted, adding, "This is a quantum leap from a scenario where researchers used to be left scratching their heads and tabular data."

    The website can host many more types of data as and when they are compiled, since the Survey Department will continue the work of compiling and making more data available to government institutions, Baral said.

    The highlight of the exercise comprises access to the national database hosted by the department in 33 districts of the country.

    The idea behind setting up geographic information infrastructures is to render access to information easy, Baral added. Enditem