Selected country experiences​
Namibia focused its digital cartographic mapping on capturing detailed information about built-up structures and developing a Statistics Business Register and National Dwelling Unit Frame. The questionnaire gathered data on household heads, contact details, room counts, and access to services like water and electricity. The mapping application was built using ArcGIS Survey123, and a pilot exercise tested the tools and logistics. Public awareness was raised through flyers, posters, radio, and community meetings. The pilot results informed improvements in tools, planning, and resource estimation.
Kenya aimed to update its geographic files with detailed village and EA data. Two household listing forms were used for rural and urban areas, collecting GPS coordinates and elevation. Initially, Open Data Kit (ODK) was used, but ArcGIS Survey123 was later adopted for its integration with map production and monitoring dashboards. A pilot tested devices, applications, and logistics. Publicity involved media campaigns and community meetings. Mapping teams were scaled up a total of 400 temporary mapping assistants in 40 teams with each team assigned specific areas. Data collection used mobile phones with GPS, and GIS technicians supported map production. The process included digitisation, EA delineation, verification, and correction of errors, with 32% of EAs requiring adjustments.
Sierra Leone aimed to create a verified locality list with unique codes for all administrative levels. The mapping questionnaire captured building use, road types, and household details. A custom Android-based application, EA PAD 4.0, was developed by Milsat Technologies, integrating spatial and attribute data and functioning offline. The pilot mapping tested software, logistics, and field conditions. Public sensitisation involved radio, community meetings, and local guides. Fieldwork included satellite imagery annotation, EA delineation, and data quality checks. Data was uploaded to a secure cloud system and processed using ArcGIS. No physical maps were printed; instead, a digital Census Pad application guided enumerators. Verification included ground trotting and system authentication.
Senegal built its mapping tools on previous census versions, refined through technical workshops and benchmarking visits. Tools were developed using ArcGIS and MOBAC. The cartography team included agents, team leaders, regional supervisors, and headquarters experts, each using a dedicated Android application. These apps facilitated task assignment, coordination, monitoring, and data collection, ensuring integrated management of census operations.
Botswana used SmartClient for Census, a web-based client-server solution with GIS architecture and a central database. It supported both online and offline functionality, enabling continuous work regardless of internet access. The system allowed real-time data synchronisation and task execution by different users, streamlining data collection and management.
Zambia partnered with GRID3 to produce high-resolution gridded population estimates using a bottom-up modelling approach. This method integrated settlement data, building footprints, and population input data collected by the Government of Zambia. The resulting datasets provided population estimates at approximately 100-meter grid resolution, including breakdowns by age and sex. These estimates were used for microplanning in health interventions, such as malaria control and COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. The data also supported census planning and were made publicly available through GRID3’s Open Data Hub.
South Africa conducted its first fully digital census in 2022, using three data collection modes: face-to-face (CAPI), telephonic (CATI), and online (CAWI). To support this, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) updated its Geo-Frame across all settlements, collecting data on dwelling units, addresses, and gatekeeper information. This update helped fieldworkers navigate EAs and ensured accurate data collection. The digital census infrastructure included tools like the Digital Census Atlas and interactive mapping products, which allowed users to explore demographic data at various administrative levels. These innovations marked a significant shift toward integrated geospatial and statistical systems in South Africa’s census operations.