VIStA Overview

Democratic access to information

VIStA, Visual Information Systems for Action, has been set up by us, a group of professionals working in rural development and information technology, who share a common vision of all that can be achieved by a wider and more democratic access to information.

To see

The word vista means a broad mental view. It is an awareness of a range of subjects, time or events. The word vista comes from the Italian vedere, which literally means, ‘to see’.

Information: an Asset for development

The human mind and its analytical capabilities are immense and given the correct and vital inputs human beings can achieve much. Information, we believe, is the most important asset in the path to development and we hope to bring this to the rural communities of India so they can take charge of their lives.

Share information and work in partnership

We plan to work in partnership with local communities, like-minded organizations and with all levels of the administrative hierarchy for the dissemination and sharing of information wherever it is most likely to strengthen the process of sustainable development.

Aims and Objectives

To develop the capacity of the rural poor to access a broad range of different services and enhance their business intelligence capabilities in the areas of agriculture, rural livelihoods, marketing, micro-finance, and general well-being, through an enhanced range of opportunities available in an IT-enabled environment, particularly that which is graphic based.

To facilitate the development of a self-managed early warning system on:

	a.	slowdown in goods and services consumption and production which affect the rural livelihood support system;
	b.	an emerging economic distress at family or individual level.

And to provide linkages to existing support programmes so the above situations can be minimized.

To assist villagers to compile information generated from several independent sources and run through a social check for appropriate standardization, flexibility and local ownership. To transform this information into an analytical universe with the capacity to slice and dice data as per local needs.

To develop a traditional graphic-based decision support system in the vernacular language to enhance the access to opportunities for incremental improvements in living standards.

To investigative different research tools for understanding and studying the circumstances that engender poverty; and find methods and means of providing information to:

	a.	Study local needs and requirements.
	b.	Form a flexible forum and a learning platform for development scholars to undertake systematic and scientific studies.
	c.	Function as an active centre, a research body, and as a training and extension centre in community-driven development and decision support.
	d.	Develop, print, produce, publish, exhibit and distribute various types of information related to the aims of the society.
	e.	Collaborate with government and other voluntary organizations and resource persons in carrying out various human development programmes.
	f.	Study and analyse existing and emerging social trends.
	g.	Adopt an integrated multi-disciplinary approach to development.
	h.	Undertake consultancies, studies, evaluations, etc., and participate in other programmes in keeping with the ideas of the Society.