Costa Rica, the best destination for investment in services in Latin America

Costa Esterillos

Costa Rica is number one destination in Latin America for investment in services and also the thirteenth in the world, according to information from Costa Rican official sources, and global consultancy Tholons.

CINDE (Coalition for development initiatives), entity responsible for attracting investment to Costa Rica, said in a press release that this Central American country stood out as the best in the region in the list of the 100 best destinations for outsourced services of Tholons operations, in 2013.

The classification is carried out by specialists in business and reflects the dynamics and development of countries as venues for service companies.

The best destination for investment in services in the world is India, with cities such as Bangalore, Mumbai; followed by Philippines, Ireland, Poland and China.

In the Latin American region the destinations more attractive to this type of investment are Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Argentina.

In accordance with Tholons, Costa Rica showed an improvement of five positions in the index with respect to the 2012 and has established itself as a key player in the industry of corporate services and technologies of information in the Latin American region and in the world.

Consultant firm says good part of the Costa Rican success is due to the strong promotion of the sector of information technology and outsourced corporate services (outsourcing).

Anabel González, Minister of foreign trade, expressed her satisfaction at the "international recognition that this index gives the country in an industry that has become a key piece of the national economy".

For its part, the general director of CINDE, Gabriela Llobet, clarified that the listing of Tholons clearly reflects the great progress that has been Costa Rica as the venue for high value-added service operations.

"Today compete directly with locations very strong industry all over the world such as India, Malaysia, Poland and Ireland," said.

Posted by Costa Developers 

Smartphone app helps Tico cops fight crime

The Public Security Ministry and the “Gobierno Digital” (Digital Government) recently unveiled a new smartphone application that lets users report crime as it happens and monitor incidents in various Costa Rican neighborhoods.

The new app is in Spanish, but a ministry spokeswoman said it will soon be available in English.

Users of the app also will find tips on how to prevent crime, a list of Costa Rica’s most-wanted criminals and a map of the country’s 750 police stations.

The project, called “Seguridad Pública CR,” is an effort by the Public Security Ministry and Gobierno Digital to help modernize the police force. It was launched on Dec. 21 for the Android smartphone and soon will be available for iPhones.

The project is modeled after ones in place in other cities, including San Francisco, California, and New York, in the United States. Another benefit of using smartphone technology to fight crime is that it helps police develop informant networks. And by monitoring crime as it happens, citizens are better able to protect themselves.

If you see someone driving drunk, you can easily report it, for example, and that report goes directly to the police and all other users of the app. Basically, it’s a collaborative network aimed at [crime] prevention.

According to Gobierno Digital spokeswoman Ilse Chango, user information is kept confidential (the app requires users to register), and only police can access personal information. By mapping crime incidences, police also can track crime trends on a national level and target crime hotspots.

“This project helps Public Security Ministry officials develop a closer relationship with the community, because of the popularity of smartphone technology,” Public Security Vice Minister Celso Gamboa said. 

“It’s part of a new process to fight crime by using technical and scientific tools.” Gamboa said the app also will help police respond more quickly when crime happens.

Gobierno Digital plans on translating the app to English so that tourists can more easily use the technology, and officials plan on relying on user feedback to improve the program.

Android users can download the app at: https://play.google.com/store. It will be available for iOS users in coming days at the online Apple Store.

Features of the New App

Tips: The app gives users information on how to help prevent crime in different areas of the country, such as at beaches, in the city, at bus stops and at home.

Report Crime: Once registered, users can report crime as it happens in real time. The app then uses GPS to guide police to the area.

Police Station Locations: Users also will find a list of the 750 police stations in the country and their locations.

Most Wanted: Want to find out which dangerous criminals are on the run? The app has a list with photos of the Judicial Investigation Police’s most wanted fugitives. Users can report sightings of fugitives 

confidentially via the app.

Want To Be a Cop? The app has information on how to join the police force, how to register firearms and other tips.

Crime Map: A map compiles in real time the locations where crime is reported, keeping users constantly informed.

Posted by Costa Developers

Foreign direct investment from high-tech companies expected to reach $574 million

costadevelopers.com

Technology services and medical supplies firms are the most important.

Foreign firms from the high-technology sector in Costa Rica generated some $574 million and created 8,236 direct jobs in 2012.

The previous year, high-tech FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) was $470 million, and 7,728 new jobs were created.

One of the factors that helped achieve the record was the arrival of 40 new high-tech investment projects that set up operations in Costa Rica.

The new firms belong to the Technology Services, Life Sciences, Advanced Manufacturing and Clean Technologies sectors.

Most of them come from the United States, India, Korea, Japan, Germany, Spain, England and Colombia.

Posted by Costa Developers