Activities include : I.Consolidation of the team of partners and identification of users' needs. Project partners are associations active in the electoral field (Tunisia and Morocco), of international NGOs and researchers (Tunisia, France and Morocco). The four workshops organized during the project have helped to familiarize the partners with Elyssa's objectives, clarify their expectations and identify their needs in terms of access to and analysis of electoral data The collaborative approach adopted for the implementation of the project also integrates the testing of tool and its functionalities, both with partners and experts. II. Collection, verification and formatting of electoral data. Significant efforts were made to collect, compile, and organize electoral data from various sources, including official election results, reports from electoral commissions, and independent monitoring organizations. Data collection concerns both the electoral data and the data related to the election environment (administrative divisions, socio-economic indicators, etc.). Data from the past 6 elections inTunisia were carefully curated to ensure accuracy and completeness. Main tasks performed include (i) Multisource complementary data collection , (ii) Data digitization (iii) data tables formatting, (iv) Harmonisation data content, (v) Data quality control through statistical verification. III.Construction of the database, data model and development of the technical system. The data processed from the various sources were formalized and stored in table form in a SQL DBMS (database management system), in our case PostgreSQL . The formalization carried out in order to migrate the collected data to the DBMS is based on a conceptual data model, made up of related classes. The technical system allows for the physical management of the stored data using the relational Database Management System (DBMS) PostgreSQL. Data Access to and modification is made possible through a data server system built around the three-tier MVC (Model View Control) principles and allows CRUD (Create Update Delete) operations on database tables and controlled entries and imports of data, as well as data consultation and rendering from public APIs).III. Development of the interactive platform and of the visualization tools. The interaction of users with electoral data is made possible by the frontend of the Elyssa project, which comprises two distinct interfaces for different user needs. The first interface is a straightforward JavaScript-based platform designed for public usage, providing an intuitive and accessible way for users to interact with the electoral data. The second interface is a Streamlit dashboard tailored for a more data-driven approach. This dashboard empowers users with advanced analytical capabilities, leveraging the power of Python libraries to perform in-depth data exploration, statistical analysis, and hypothesis testing . The frontend facilitates intuitive visualisation of electoral data through interactive maps powered by deck.gl. Two types of base maps have been prepared: a) Electoral constituency maps and b) Administrative division maps with 3 levels: sector, delegation, and governorate. Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies were employed to overlay electoral data onto maps, allowing for spatial analysis and visualisation of electoral trends.
ELYSSA's achievements are manifold: (i) establishment of a comprehensive and reliable electoral database covering several elections, which will serve as a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers and civil society organisations interested in understanding electoral processes and outcomes in the region; (ii)development of the Interactive Elections Platform, whose intuitive interface and interactive features provide access to electoral information and analysis tools for a wide range of users with varying levels of technical expertise to easily explore and interpret electoral data, (iii) consolidation of an action research team made up of researchers, developers and civil society organisations, who have committed themselves to continue their collaboration, in particular through the organisation of training sessions on the use of the interactive platform and the elaboration of a project proposal that will allow the sustainability and extension of the activities to other countries, as well as the valorisation of the achievements of the PoC.
