The concept of a data repository going directly to primary data sources is one that has not been tried in the Pacific and it was not known how the primary data sources, particularly petroleum suppliers and distributors, and the government Statistics Departments would accept the concept. Therefore ESCAP selected three countries, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Kiribati to visit and interview government officials, managers of the organizations that would be the primary data sources for the repository. The three countries were selected partly because Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia are represented and the three are classed as Least Developed Countries by the United Nations and could be expected to have the most problem with data provision.
A two person team, Mr Tim Westbury from the Fiji ESCAP Office and Dr. Herbert Wade an external expert hired by ESCAP to help with the development of the repository concept visited Tuvalu from the 21 - 25 January and Kiribati from 26 - 30 January and Vanuatu from the 4 - 7 February 2014.
