| Our Services Where does AfDevInfo’s information come from?
How do you decide what information is used, and from what sources?
How can I tell how accurate AfDevInfo’s information is?
What if I think something is wrong or inaccurate?
What if I want to contribute some information?
How often is AfDevInfo’s information updated?
Technical Issues When I try and download a report nothing happens
What is a MindManager report?
What is a CSV document?
How do I view a CSV document?
I downloaded a MindManager report but can’t read it.
Subscriptions Does my purchase include VAT?
Can I pay without using the internet (by cheque for example)?
How can I be sure that the server is secure?
Our Services Where does AfDevInfo’s information come from? Most of our information comes from the public domain, and is sourced, checked and pieced together by our team of researchers. Our reports might use government websites and publications, multilateral resources, news reports or even briefing papers and conference reports. In theory it is possible for anyone to piece together themselves what appears in our maps – though this would take a very long time! The value of our work therefore lies in bringing together disparate sources of data into manageable and useful formats. How do you decide what information is used, and from what sources? This depends on what we are researching. If data is abundant we will use a range of sources, cross-referencing and checking to make sure the most up-to-date and accurate information is used. If data is scarce, our researchers will use their own subject knowledge and experience to make a judgement on what we use. In the fields of politics and development, people and projects are always in flux. Our reports are regularly updated to reflect this. How can I tell how accurate AfDevInfo’s information is? We would love to claim that our products are always 100% accurate, but in reality this would be impossible. Our research reflects a changing political and economic environment, so there will inevitably be changes in people and places. Our researchers use live newsfeeds to keep up-to-date with events in Africa, and endeavour to provide the most accurate service possible. If, however, you disagree with something, or know a piece of information to be incorrect, please let us know using this form. What if I think something is wrong or inaccurate? If you think we have used out-of-date information, or you know something to be wrongly indicated on one of our reports, please let us know. You can give any feedback using this site, or write to us at: African Development Information Services
Unit 1; 30a Highgate Road
London, NW5 1NS What if I want to contribute some information? We are always pleased to hear of new information becoming available. If you think you can help us, or want to make a suggestion as to where we might improve, please get in touch. Our product is a live, ongoing project that is continually being updated, so we are always open to new suggestions! How often is AfDevInfo’s information updated? Our researchers will update their records as and when new information is found. Ours is a fluid product, which changes according to the dynamics of African politics and development. So, if a cabinet is reshuffled, or a permanent secretary is replaced, we will reflect this in our reports. Our reports are published in versions, and we aim to offer a new version regularly. All changes that have taken place within this time will be reflected in the most recent version, and are included in your subscription. If you need an updated report more urgently, please get in touch and we can arrange this. Technical Issues When I try and download a report nothing happens Have you selected which document format you want (MindMager, PDF, CSV) by selecting one of the radio buttons to the left of the Download Button? If you have and still nothing happens the likely cause is that your browser is blocking pop-ups. In your browser options set www.afdevinfo.com as a trusted site and allow all pop-ups from this site. What is a MindManager report? MindManager is “mindmapping” software that is becoming increasing popular in corporate and academic circles for brainstorming and planning exercises. It allows you to easily transform traditional scibblings into graphic flow-diagrams. We us it as a report writer because it allows us to present complex organisations in a format that is easy to follow: massive organigrams with notes, pictures and hyperlinks. What is a CSV document? CSV stands for Comma Separated Values. It is a common format for the transfer of data records between different databases or spreadsheets. Systems that recognise the CSV format will use the carriage returns and linefeeds in a file to distinguish between records or rows, and commas (other than those with quotation marks) to separate data into separate fields or columns. How do I view a CSV document? Open it with spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel. The CSV does not store any formatting, so you will have to open up the columns to readable widths. I downloaded a MindManager report but can’t view it. To view MindManager reports you need to download the free reader software from Mindjet. Subscriptions Does my purchase include VAT? Although there is no VAT on published (meaning ‘published on paper’) material in the UK, the authorities still insist that electronic publishing is subject to VAT. Institutional subscriptions in the UK are subject to VAT. We assume that institutional subscribers from the rest of the EU are businesses who will account for VAT in their own country. Individual subscribers throughout the EU are required to pay VAT. Can I pay without using the internet (by cheque for example)? Institutional subscribers may pay by Sterling, US Dollar or Euro cheque or bank transfer. Unfortunately administrative costs prohibit us from offering this service to individual subscribers. How can I be sure that the payment server is secure? Our electronic payments are handled by WorldPay, an internationally respected channel for secure internet payments. |