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ORBIS –Sustainable Indicators Regional Base Observatory, headquartered in Curitiba, was designated to manage the Brazilian Observatories Network that will be created this year to strengthen urban observatories, establish partnerships, exchange experiences, and help to procure financial resources and funds. The decision was made during the World Urban Forum held in June, in Vancouver, Canada.

Orbis was chosen to kick off the mobilization process, because it is better equipped to do it, among all the participants. The proposal requires a different observatory managing the network each year. Orbis’s main duty is to create and propose actions to stimulate the Network and set up partnerships. Luciana Brenner, Orbis’s executive coordinator, says that one of the first steps is a meeting of observatory coordinators, the Ministry of the Cities, the Institute of Applied Economic Research (IPEA), and the Brazilian Geography and Statistics Institute (IBGE). “Our main goal is to set up partnerships with these agencies for better fund procurement, and to create a standard for dealing with some indicators. “Other participants in the meeting included heads of the newly set up observatories in Belo Horizonte (MG) and Nova Iguaçu (RJ), besides representatives of urban observatories from Chile, Ecuador, and Mexico.

Monitoring of urban indicators reflecting the quality of life and sustainability of urban Paraná has long since called the attention of national and international institutions. The work developed by Orbis has whetted the curiosity of the heads of Mexico’s Guadalajara Metropolitan Observatory.

The Observatory was invited to make a presentation during the 3rd National Urban Observatories Meeting called “Calculating Urban Indicators: Problem Solving and Methodology Adjustments,” in February. Luciana Brenner talked about the experience of the observatory in following up sustainability indicators. “It was very gratifying. We were able to participate in internal discussions and get to know the difficulties and solutions in one of Mexico’s observatories network”, she tells us.

According to Luciana, the organizations that comprise the Mexican Observatory Network share a set of indicators, but their major challenge is standardizing data gathering and treatment for better comparison. Another problem arising in a network is when an observatory loses sight of its objective, becoming more focused on the network than on the community it serves. “It is necessary to have a well-defined and well-grounded line of action. The discussion is not about indicators in themselves, but rather on how to use the data to benefit the programs developed with the municipalities, institutions and businesses, trying to monitor their reality and the progress made in those areas,” says Luciana. ORBIS is certified by the UN Global Urban Forum and is considered an innovative experience for being independent from the public sector and supported by private initiative. “We have developed a concerted effort among the productive sector, organized society, and public authorities, and our actions and projects articulate the partnerships,” explains ORBIS’s coordinator.

Indicators - In 2004, the observatory began to map Millennium Objectives indicators like poverty, literacy rate, infant mortality rate, mother’s mortality rate, incidence of Aids, and others, in the Curitiba Metropolitan Area. In 2005, the mapping was extended to the rest of the state, with the purpose of showing the most destitute and critical areas deserving immediate intervention from the public authorities. “It is most important for people to have access to information that is easy to interpret so that we can become aware of the reality around us,” emphasizes Luciana Brenner. This year, thanks to the “Paraná Circle of 8 Ways to Change the World”, Orbis conducted a survey of sustainability indicators in each region where the event was held. The data were made available to the participants of the meetings and will be an extra tool for managers in promoting regional development and in public policy formulation.

Project Management – Entrepreneurs investing in social responsibility have difficulty in assessing the impact of their actions in the communities. To demonstrate how to manage and monitor social responsibility actions in the companies, Orbis developed a demo on how to use the Social Six Sigma, a project management strategy adapted by Orbis to be used in social projects. Approximately 45 representatives of the public sector, labor unions, universities, and social institutions learned about this methodology that diagnoses the main problems of a given region and supports decision making. It was devised to be used by companies, NGOs, and institutions to help produce knowledge and improve data production processes. The course was part of the activities developed during the National Citizenship and Solidarity Week, held on August 7-13, all over the state.

Orbis is Implementation Model for Observatory in Guarujá
The work developed by Orbis is being used as an implementation model by a Local Observatory in Guarujá, a coastal city in the state of São Paulo. Directors of Santos Brasil, a company operating in the port of Guarujá learned about the work carried out thanks to an indication from Alberto Paranhos, UN-Habitat/Rio. “The objectivity and the clearly defined focus points out Orbis’s maturity showing their competence and techno-scientific expertise in dealing with, addressing, and keeping local actors informed, since they are the reason for the observatory’s existence and operation,” says Carlos Cesar Meireles Vieira, New Businesses adjunct director of Santos Brasil.

The interest of Santos Brasil in implementing Guarujá’s Local Observatory is translated into the need for accurate and relevant information about the municipalities’ main economic and social development indicators. At present, the monitoring conducted by Santos Brasil in the region can be seen as a mere rereading of official indicators published by formally constituted institutes. “The methodology and purpose of the Local Observatory project will allow us, and the local actors, to have a more accurate vision and greater sensitivity toward the community in which we find ourselves,” says Vieira.

In the words of the adjunct director, the Observatory’s model is not fully completed, but he believes that like Orbis – an observatory funded by the private sector and effectively operated, Guarujá’s Observatory will be funded through a partnership between the City of São Paulo and FIESP – Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo.

PAHO also intends to use Orbis’s methodology and experience to build an urban health model and respective diagnosis in the cities. According to PAHO’s urban health regional assistant in Mexico, Kátia de Pinho Campos, even though Orbis is a new organization, its work is advanced by comparison to other proposals from other observatories. “The diagnoses, the ongoing projects, and its international participation turn Orbis into a reference for the region,” she says. For Campos, the observatory has two interesting features: “The first is its funding by the private sector, which provides more speed to decision-making. The second is that Orbis is not limited to gathering and analyzing indicators, but it also participates in projects aimed at strategically pushing the international agenda.”