Effective policy must be based on accurate information. Without the collection of statistics and other relevant data, trend analysis - essential to highlighting problems, new developments, and lessons learned as well as evaluating policy effectiveness - is not possible. The Coordination and Analysis Unit (CAU) of the UNODC Regional Office on Drugs and Crime is responsible for drug data collection since 2003. Since its inception, the CAU has served as a center of excellence gathering drug related information including drug prices and purity, individual drug seizures, drug seizures and crime statistics for more than ten years. With a team of diverse specialists and advanced computer software, CAU works in the fields of research, statistical analysis, database management and data dissemination, data mapping using ArcGIS and MapInfo software and satellite imagery analysis. CAU has established effective cooperation with each of the Central Asian Governments and provides training to help national agencies increase their capacity in data collection, analysis and statistics, MS office proficiency (MS World for reporting, MS Excel for analysis), as well as basic, intermediate and specialized training on the Geographic Information System (ArcGIS). Each course are equipped with the relevant training manual, which was developed and locally tailored by ROCA.
The UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia, the Paris Pact Initiative and the Afghan Opiate Trade project manage and update the "Drugs Monitoring Platform" (DMP). The DMP is a unique global online tool for collecting, monitoring and sharing a wide range of drug-related data and features. It provides real-time information and analysis on the illicit global trade in opiates, including details on cultivation, production and trafficking. The regularly updated information on the platform is obtained from government sources and global media outlets and is crosschecked with official records.