UN Banner
HomeAboutExperiences and LessonsCase StudiesRecommendationsResourcesChecklist
Home
Aboutâ–¶
BackgroundPurposeRationaleStructureTarget Audience
Experiences and Lessonsâ–¶
1. Project Planning and Management2. Geospatial Mapping and EA Database3. Enumeration Instruments and Tools4. Data Capture and Management5. Census Testing and Pilots6. Recruitment and Training7. Deployment and Supervision8. Enumeration and Logistics9. Quality Assurance and Risk Management10. Census Analysis and Products11. Partnerships and Collaboration12. Advocacy and Publicity13. Procurement and Financial Management14. Post-Enumeration Survey15. Alternative Approaches16. Planning Checklist
Case Studiesâ–¶
1. Project Planning and Management2. Geospatial Mapping3. Enumeration Instruments4. Data Capture5. Census Testing6. Recruitment and Training7. Deployment and Supervision8. Enumeration and Logistics9. Quality Assurance10. Census Analysis11. Partnerships12. Advocacy13. Procurement14. Post-Enumeration Survey15. Alternative Approaches16. Planning Checklist
Recommendations
Resources
Checklist
Skip to main content

Introduction  ​

Cartographic mapping is a major activity conducted during the pre-enumeration phase to create Enumeration Areas (EA) maps. Such maps are used for resource and personnel planning, work allocation during enumeration, and serve as the frame for dissemination and geospatially referenced census data. Therefore, the quality of maps used in the census has a major influence on the quality and reliability of census data collected.

The mapping process involves: peculiar cultural and socioeconomic review, establishment of census geography, proposed methodology development, resource mobilisation, tool development, equipment acquisition, publicity, piloting, recruitment, training, data collection, map production and EA map verification.

Accurately delineated EAs are essential to a successful population and housing census (PHC) as they form the basis for field allocation of enumerators. However, this process can be very costly. Digital technologies offer opportunities to utilise tools and resources to reduce this cost and produce more efficient EAs, such as high-resolution satellite imagery to support the cartographic mapping. However, these digital tools also create challenges regarding the quality of mapping and the integration of maps into collection devices and data collection software. Digital mapping and cartography can also greatly increase the digital data storage requirements for a census, which has additional cost implications.

National Statistics Offices (NSOs) across Africa may face greater challenges in their geospatial mapping than those in other parts of the world due to limitations in the coverage and timeliness of information collected by national geospatial information agencies, including the lack of address registers. Another challenge may be the inaccessibility of some areas to allow for the creation of EAs and collection of census data (see also Alternative Approaches).

Cartographic mapping during the non-digital vs digital era

In the non-digital era, all the above activities were manually done on paper and were prone to human error and produced bulky papers for field teams to carry around.  This approach limits the ability to explore location data throughout the design and implementation of the census, including in dissemination, but it also limits the usefulness of collected data as this cannot be easily georeferenced. The time needed to standardise, print and distribute paper-based maps is very resource intensive, both in time and money, and it reduces the re-usability of cartographic assets for other statistical and operational activities carried out by the NSO.

Digital cartographic mapping has a wide range of benefits including better quality products, reduced costs time for development of EA maps, increased accuracy, and improved consistency etc. (UNSD, Handbook on geographic information systems and digital mapping, p. 10-13).

Digital cartographic mapping involves the use of digital technology for:

Census Mapping including:

  • Map production which includes overlaying of spatial data collected in the field on satellite imageries/aerial photos, digitisation of EA boundaries, preparation of EA maps
  • EA map verification and quality assurance of EA delineation through either high-resolution satellite imagery or field operations by cartographers
  • Collecting spatial data (GPS coordinates for structures, households, features such as schools, hospitals, churches, etc.) from the field to be used in delineation of EAs
  • Integration of cartographic mapping and EA boundaries into digital mobile devices used by enumerators during the census collection operation
  • Integration of cartographic mapping into software monitoring collection progress during the census enumeration operation.

Census Planning

  • Integration of enumerators’ area of assignment allocation and codes as attributes of EA maps for Tablets Provisioning and Enumerators profiling
  • Logistics planning: Transportation and Internet connectivity.
  • Planning for the enumeration of ‘hard-to-reach’, special and ‘high fenced’ population
  • Provisioning of Census Enumeration dashboard for total coverage, data validation and quality management

Census Data Dissemination

  • Production of georeferenced population data
  • Thematic Maps and choropleths for georeferenced population data analysis