I’ve been coming to the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority (MIMRA) in Majuro since 2013 during my stint at FFA and it impresses me today, 6 years later, the progress that they’ve made.
The dream then, as it still is today, for MIMRA to have their national fisheries data and information accessible in a national system at their fingertips.
They’ve always been ambitious (and vocal) in what they wanted from their fishery and how it would benefit their country.
Anyone who knows Glen Joseph, MIMRA’s Executive Director, will know what I mean.
They recently moved into their impressive new headquarters – certainly the best national fisheries administration building that I’ve stepped foot in in the Pacific.
In the early days, together with a couple other countries RMI was a thought-leader in advocating for a national fisheries Management Information System (MIS).
The dream then, as it still is today, for MIMRA to have their national fisheries data and information accessible in a national system at their fingertips.
One of my regrets from my time at FFA is that we didn’t help them and other national fisheries administrations achieve that, for various reasons both political and technical.
Hopefully, now that I’m on the outside I’ll have a role in helping MIMRA realise that dream.
Post-FFA IT Consulting
Shortly after leaving FFA I started consulting for MIMRA under their World Bank funded Pacific Regional Oceanscape Program (PROP) to do several ICT related tasks including:
- Designing and operationalising their Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) Operations Center
- Reviewing their ICT team structure and roles
- Drafting MIMRA’s first ICT policy, and
- Helping them identify the equipment for their entire ICT infrastructure
MCS Operations Center
I was tasked with designing MIMRA’s MCS Operations Center.
When I received the blueprint for the building their original center could only fit 4 cubicles – about a third of the size it is now.
Their ambition for what the MCSOC could become for RMI meant we had to revise the blueprints to create more room for operators/analysts and included a planning room adjacent to the center.
Reviewing MIMRA’s ICT Structure and Policies
With the type of investment MIMRA have made in their ICT infrastructure for their new headquarters it made sense to ensure there is adequate ICT support on their team, with the right roles, and with adequate policies to ensure a safe and optimal ICT environment for staff.
Today we had our first all staff session where I got to explain what their ICT policy involved.
It was as well received as any other type of ICT policy meeting but a step in the right direction for the MIMRA team.
Kenneth Katafono 