DHAKA: Democracy International (DI) has launched a new research tool called CATSS-Computer Assisted Telephone Survey System and a website called ‘Bangladesh Barometer’ developed by DI’s Research and Technology team.

DPR Chief of Party David Dettman inaugurated the website at Confidence Centre in Shahjadpur area of Gulshan of the city on Monday.

Addressing the function, he said, “DI is excited to launch these new research tools in Bangladesh. This technology will provide more accurate and up-to-date research data to the media, political parties, and other stakeholders, to help facilitate more responsive politics in Bangladesh.”

CATSS is a fully automated computer based telephone interview system, customized for Bangladesh context, which enables researchers to create customized random number generation, questions design, interview and data processing.

It’s a research tool for political parties, researchers, and other stakeholders. DI started using this research tool in May, 2014 and has since completed seven different mobile telephone interview surveys including media consumption, public service announcement messaging, and information gathered to help facilitate women’s political participation.

Bangladesh Barometer in an interactive online platform that includes all survey data (nationwide, face to face survey data, and telephone survey data using CATSS) conducted by DI, media monitoring data and electoral data through interactive graphs/visualization that helps to explain the political temperature of the country.

Interested parties can access the Bangladesh Barometer at: http://www.bangladeshbarometer.org/

Democracy International (DI) is a Washington, DC based organization implementing Democratic Participation and Reform, a five-year long democracy and governance project funded jointly by USAID and UKaid, has three objectives: to increase grassroots participation, enhance information access and utilization, and improve the environment for responsive politics.

BDST: 1601 HRS, AUG 25, 2014