One goal of this initiative is to provide direct assistance to NATO JFC and ISAF in refining and implementing the INTEQAL (“Transition”) plan for Afghanistan, which will strengthen Afghan sovereignty, ownership, and leadership across all functions of government.  The plan includes a framework for the transfer of responsibilities from the international community (including NATO ISAF) to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in areas that extend from security and governance to economic development.  More generally, the goals for the SAS Specialist Team, which plans to complete its work by September 2011, are

• Develop and help implement a data plan that encourages consistent data collection, management, and analysis among the nations 
• Develop mechanisms for sharing data among the stakeholders (ISAF. Host Nation, NGOs, International Organizations) in easy-to-use formats
• Develop a metrics, data collection, and data sharing framework for the initial phase of INTEQAL (Transition) that will be useful to senior decision makers

By September 2011, the team plans to produce a report that summarizes the core metrics for measuring counterinsurgency and transition progress, a description of the population data that is currently being collected by each nation (including the processes used to collect the data, the associated storage and collection media), and a best practices guideline for the consistent collection, sharing, and analysis of data.  The team will also compare the data collection, storage, and management activities and challenges of each nation.  Recommendations will be made regarding the management and resourcing of data registries / repositories and guidelines for data verification and validation (V&V).