Background
In the context of its efforts to develop the rule of law and to improve the legislative process in Iraq, UNDP’s Programme on Governance in the Arab Region (“UNDP-POGAR”) is currently implementing a project to create an Iraqi Legal Database (the “ILD Project”). The Project as originally conceived was designed to be implemented in three phases, the first two of which are virtually completed. The ILD Project’s First and second Phases consisted in archiving the Iraq’s Official Gazette, which includes every legal text that has been passed since the establishment of the Iraqi State, followed by updating the existent corpus, and documenting three Iraqi Codes (criminal code, criminal procedural code, and commercial code), each of which incorporate the relevant laws, regulations and case law.
UNDP is currently preparing to launch Phase III of the ILD Project. A number of activities will be implemented in that context, firstly with a view to completing the database and incorporating all relevant sources that have not already been added, secondly with a view to ensuring that the benefits of the ILD are shared by as many practitioners and court users as possible, and thirdly with a view to ensuring the Project’s long term sustainability.
Once completed, the ILD will be the most sophisticated and comprehensive legal database in the entire Arab region and will make an immeasurable contribution to strengthening the rule of law in Iraq. The ILD will impact the Iraqi legal profession by:
- reducing opportunities for judicial error and corruption;
- increasing efficiency both within and without the courtroom, leading to saved time and costs;
- increasing transparency and legal clarity.
Duties and Responsibilities
Delivery of ILD software and data entry program:
- Reviewing and validating the Technical Design of the updated software.
- Reviewing and updating the ILD software documentation, especially the technical and user documentation.
- Testing and validating the SQL Database.
- Testing and validating the Data Entry application.
- Testing and validating the retrieval application for Web.
- Testing and validating the retrieval application for Windows.
- Checking the development work to ensure that all products meet the required functional specifications.
- Updating the user manual guide for both web and windows applications.
Database Administration:
- Managing the loading of data; undertaking the maintenance of the SQL server database and monitoring the performance.
- Managing the users’ authorizations relating to data entry.
- Implementing safety procedures (backup, restore, etc.) to protect the database from disasters or misuse.
- Conducting periodical reorganization of the DB to optimize database performance.
Managing Data Entry Works
- Assisting the project manager in controlling the execution of the data entry works pursuant to the defined and the adopted time line.
- Assisting the project manager in defining the methodology and criteria of data entering.
- Managing the whole process of data entering with the contracted companies:
- Defining the typing and scanning specifications and conditions.
- Defining the data entering and linking specifications and conditions.
- Controlling the work process of the typing and scanning services, and ensuring that both services will be executed simultaneously.
- Controlling the quality and the good performance of typing and scanning companies’ services.
- Following up the execution of data entering and linking process, and ensuring that these services will be executed consecutively according to the defined time line.
Such services will comprise the following tasks:
- HTML, converting data to the database using the front page format;
- Linking information, such as undertaking links between the index and the related legal texts or articles of laws, links between articles of laws and related national and international jurisprudence, links between articles of laws and
national and international doctrinal references, links between articles of laws and other information (doctrinal references, etc.); - Undertaking links between synonymies (Thesaurus);
- Undertaking hyperlinks between related legal texts and articles of laws (these articles of laws could be related to same or different legal texts).
- Undertaking links between the typed document and its scanned original copy.
- Training the typing and scanning users for inserting and linking data.
- Submitting a final report on the “Content Component” of the Iraqi Database to the UNDP-POGAR Rule of Law Senior Advisor upon the completion of the above mentioned tasks and responsibilities.
Validating the ILD software:
- Validating the good running of the ILD software.
- Validating the data entry works (typing, scanning, inserting and linking services).
Publishing the ILD:
- Writing and copying CD’s for web application. In addition, ensuring context-proper packaging.
- Writing and copying CD’s for Windows application.
- Assisting internet service provider for publishing and hosting web application.
Competencies
- Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards
- Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
- Treats all people fairly without favoritism
Required Skills and Experience
Informatics Technology Expert, who will be responsible for managing the ILD software and the data entry works, should meet the following qualifications:
- University Degree in Computer Engineering or Computer Science.
- Good analytical, planning and writing skills.
- Highly motivated, team player takes initiative.
- Good technical background in the various domains of the development.
- Programming languages: JavaScript, VB Script, C/C++, Java, HTML, SQL,Visual Basic.net, ASP, ASP.NET (most of them, but not necessarily all).
Professional Experience:
- 5/7 years experience in developing legal databases, and familiar to POGAR platform databases.
- Strong experience in information technology.
- Full awareness of Iraqi legal database.