Qatar's GIS Network Key to Successful Censusby Dr. R.C.S. Taragi, GIS
Coordinator, Central Statistical Organization. |
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GIS plays a significant role in conducting housing and population censuses throughout the world. Qatar is no exception and extensive use of the country's GIS network is being made to conduct its upcoming Census 1997. In addition, the census provides an excellent example of inter-agency cooperation in the nationwide GIS policy adopted by the country in 1990.
To carry out a housing and population census it is necessary to locate all the houses and population to be surveyed. The country is divided into small feasible spatial units (territorial) for conducting the survey to ensure that there is no omission or duplication. In essence, part of the information has to be known to the administrator before the conduct of the census. All this is obtained through detailed maps of the survey area.
The entire mapping requirements for the 1997 Census are met through Qatar's nationwide GIS network. Thousands of maps from large to very large scales are generated at the Central Statistical Organization (CSO) from the GIS databases maintained by different agencies in Qatar. For the last census, which was conducted in 1986, CSO hired a private party to carry out the mapping for census field work that cost tens of thousands of riyals to the exchequer. The maps generated were made available to CSO only in hardcopy format and thus were not flexible or retrievable. In comparison, the mapping requirement for the coming census is met within the CSO in a very flexible manner, accessing the digital information made available by different agencies in Qatar through the GIS network.
The data used to generate these maps are made available on-line by the concerned agencies. Most of the vector data used to produce these maps include urban data from the topographic database maintained by the Centre for GIS (CGIS) and Qatar Area Reference System and Administrative Limits data from the Planning Department. In addition, flow line or centre line data from the Roads Department, agricultural data from the Agriculture Department, transmission network data from the Ministry of Electricity and Water, transmission towers data from Qatar Telecommunications and geographic names from the CGIS Geographic Names Project is accessed and used to give various kinds of information in the form of maps and tables for the conduct of the census field work. Extensive use of ortho and satellite image data from the topological database is also made, especially for the fast growing urban fringe areas and the rural areas for which vector data was not readily available. The ortho images of 1995 are found to be very useful in locating the new settlements and changes over the ground, whereas the satellite images helped the field staff in identifying the farms and settlements, guiding their way in remote areas.
GIS also helps in checking the census house listing and numbering operation in the field. A list of street ranges falling in each census block is generated through the system and supplied to the supervisory staff for checking and verification of the numbers given to the houses and maintained in the census registers.
GPS has also played a major role in demarcating the territorial boundaries and census charge areas over the ground, especially in outside urban areas where, in the absence of any landmarks, it is difficult to draw boundaries between territorial units. In such cases the important points to demarcate the boundaries are marked on the map, geographic coordinates for these points are noted from the system in Qatar National Grid format and converted into GPS readable coordinates (latitude/longitude) through QTRANS software, developed by CGIS. The coordinates are then fed into the GPS and taken to the field. The points are successfully located within 100-150 metre accuracy on the ground. An iron pole with a sign board is then erected for reference.
Broadly, the following types of maps for conducting the census have been produced so far.
- Pre-Planning Phase Maps - Administrative map of Qatar with municipal and zone boundaries and Zone maps with previous census (1986) block boundaries.
- Census Planning and Monitoring Maps - Maps for chief supervisors showing census charge areas of the staff under them.
- Census Field work Maps - Maps for General and Census Inspectors and Census Supervisors consisting of administrative details, land marks, built-up, street names and numbers, parcel/building numbers etc.
In addition, after the census, a number of maps will be prepared for data presentation, analysis, and dissemination of census results.
As educator David Rhind points out, GIS not only helps in analyzing the data with reference to its geographic distribution and spatial variations, but is also able to search records for individuals and tabulate results in aggregate form.