Observatories to Back up Decision-Making. A Study Case: The Coronavirus Metric Observatory

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this paper is to show the functionalities and different services which an observatory must perform in order to back decision-making on the part of executives, researchers, and other users, according to the Coronavirus Metric Observatory at the University of Pinar del Rio, Cuba.

Methods  and  techniques:  In this research, theoretical and empirical methods were used for understanding and analysis of the topic. Comprehensive document and bibliographic  reviews  were  conducted. In-depth analysis-synthesis permitted to model functionalities and services with value added, for decision-making, based on the main trends  of  the  state  of  the  art.  Additionally,  direct  observation  was  used  in  the construction  of  different  customized  laboratory  products  and  services,  along  with modeling,   and   systemic-cultural   analysis,   to   create   an  informative   platform  that integrates several types of information to support and document decision-making.

Main results: It allows for identification, analysis, and evaluation of relevant information to back up documents used during scientific research, from a broad range of high value services,  including  search  and  recovery  of  scientific  articles  and  patents,  and  the filtering of maps and graphs of relations that represent the underlying knowledge of the scientific domain.

Conclusions:  All  these  data  contain  a  high  strategic  level  within  the  sector  of biotechnology, as well as in any other context. Knowing how to use them properly for management   and  decision-making  is  a  pending  task.  It  does  not  rely  on  the observatory, but on humans, and their capacity for analysis and discrimination to make right decisions.