During 2002, considerable effort was made in protecting the institutional memory and explicit knowledge. The Unit actively led a knowledge management project aimed at developing a knowledge management strategy and gathering and protecting ICARDA knowledge base. Within the context of making the ICARDA Intranet the main source of knowledge in the center, the site design was revamped in cooperation with CODIS and a new server running the Intranet was installed. Critical data were moved from users' PCs to the network File Server.
    An Information Technology Strategy and Plan was developed in cooperation with all stakeholders in the Center. ICARDA led a CGIAR-wide project on implementing Windows 2000 Active Directory in the CG centers, and organized and coordinated the CGIAR Active Directory workshop at IMWI, Sri Lanka. The workshop agreed unanimously to adopt Active Directory design presented at the workshop.
     Travel Access Service, new users and dialup points were established to support the scientists on the move. A new local area Fast-Ethernet computer network was commissioned with minimal disruption to the service; the network performance, thus, significantly improved. New networking services were implemented using Windows 2000 platform.
     Support to ICARDA outreach offices continued. A local area network and a file computer server swere installed in ICARDA Kabul office and Internet access was made available to all workstations connected to the network. The ICARDA School was supported with the installation of a local area network, shared Internet access and hardware maintenance.
     The Unit developed and implemented a Water Inventory Database in West Asia on the web, in cooperation with NRMP, for the United Nations Convention for Combating Desertification. A Seed Management System was made operational and a number of customizations carried out for data entry and reporting. The upgrade of the Meteorological Database was initiated. The new Training Database is now being used by the Human Resource Development Unit, and a Travel Schedule Database is also operational. A discussion group for the Afghanistan project participants was set up on the web.
     For the existing Oracle Financial/Administrative Applications, 32 new custom reports and 5 new forms were developed, and 34 custom reports and 3 forms and several procedures were modified. Financial reports for all projects and personal statements for employees were made directly accessible on the Intranet with appropriate security. A new sub-system for vehicle maintenance information and charge back was developed. The Medical sub-system was debugged and reviewed, and the Finance Unit assisted in clearing the Accounts Payables balances.
     Preparations for the implementation of Oracle Applications 11i were made, which included a scoping study carried out by an external consultant, training on the new version, and review of the Payroll system. The Unit participated in testing the CIAT Project Manager software, and initiated the requirements specification for the system.
     Biometric consultancies were provided to researchers on more than 75 occasions. Designs were provided for experiments including those for evaluating response to: fungicide application in chickpea; drought stress on lentil and chickpea; faba bean entries; mixtures of wheat varieties; growth conditions and regeneration media in barley lines. Statistical analyses were carried out on data from experiments including evaluation of phosphogypsum and cropping system at Khanasser Valley; packaging treatments on seed germination; zinc concentration in Ethiopian trials; production system and gender on child-growth; bread wheat genotypes and barley genotypes; production models under supplemental irrigation. Minimum plants to estimate gene diversity in wild wheat populations using AFLP markers were evaluated using bootstrap re-sampling procedure.
     Statistical analysis of data from NARS scientists included three-course rotation trial at Sids, Egypt; the line x tester experiments on corn and sorghum in Syria and the gamma irradiated chickpea genotypes in Jordan.
     Bioinformatics support was initiated and a number of software can now be downloaded from the Intranet for estimation of QTL, detection of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, and querying nucleotide databases and presentation in various formats.
     An online biocomputing facility using GENSTAT was developed for analysis of similar trials in RCBDs, and a set of six modules for spatial variability analysis of data from unreplicated trials, RCBD trials and incomplete block design trials were made available.
     Ten NARS staff attended a training course in various aspects of statistical design, data management and analysis and 5 other staff received individual training. A student completed his PhD thesis with the Unit's staff supervision. Over 90 ICARDA staff were trained on various IT applications, software and services in a total of 17 courses.