Use of Technological Tools in the Dissemination of
Census Data
United Nations Statistics Division
Regional Seminar on Promotion and Utilization of Census Results and on the Revision on
the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
Pretoria, South Africa, 24 – 26 March 2014
Outline
 Census Data Dissemination
 Dissemination Challenges
 Emerging trends in data dissemination
 Geographic products
 Web-based mapping
Regional Seminar on Promotion and Utilization of Census Results and on the Revision on
the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
Pretoria, South Africa, 24 – 26 March 2014
Census dissemination
 “A census is not complete until the
information collected is made available to
potential users in a form suited to their
needs” – paragraph 1.206 of the current Principles
and Recommendations for Population and Housing
Censuses
Regional Seminar on Promotion and Utilization of Census Results and on the Revision on
the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
Pretoria, South Africa, 24 – 26 March 2014
Some of the formats used in census data dissemination
 The information may be:

included in published tables and reports for general distribution:

Paper publication, CD-ROM/DVD

produced as tables in unpublished form for limited distribution

stored in a database and supplied upon request, or disseminated
online (in this case it will be available only to connected
populations):


Static web-pages (html, PDF, Excel)
Dynamic webpages – generating results upon request
Regional Seminar on Promotion and Utilization of Census Results and on the Revision on
the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
Pretoria, South Africa, 24 – 26 March 2014
Dissemination challenges
 How to present the right data with the right context to meet
users needs – To be user-oriented
 How to ensure that the most recent and most correct data
are used and displayed-Use of ICT and data accessibility
 How to take advantage of the spatial dimension of census
data
Regional Seminar on Promotion and Utilization of Census Results and on the Revision on
the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
Pretoria, South Africa, 24 – 26 March 2014
Emerging trends in data dissemination

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
Interactive Database
Open access/Free Download Facility
Geography Products
Web-based Mapping
Dissemination of Micro-Data
E-Government
Social Media/Networking
Mobile Technology (SMS, etc.)
Regional Seminar on Promotion and Utilization of Census Results and on the Revision on
the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
Pretoria, South Africa, 24 – 26 March 2014
Presentation and analysis of data
 Maps help to:


Relate statistical data to the geographic areas to which
they apply
Present data in a way that can be readily understood


Difficult to see population distribution, relationships and
patterns in a table
Increase use of data by the public

Effective distribution and widespread use of data will increase
support for future work
Source: US Census Bureau
Regional Seminar on Promotion and Utilization of Census Results and on the Revision on
the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
Pretoria, South Africa, 24 – 26 March 2014
A good statistical map …
 A good map…

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
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must be true to the data it presents- it must present the
statistics in a valid way
should be easy to use and understand
should give the reader an overview of the information
should be pleasing to look at and add value to the
representation of data
Source: US Census Bureau
Regional Seminar on Promotion and Utilization of Census Results and on the Revision on
the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
Pretoria, South Africa, 24 – 26 March 2014
Source:
Statistical
world
The
physical
world
EUROSTAT
Statistical Data
Spatial Data
Maps are “representations” or “generalizations” of reality
Tsunami Affected Areas in Gizo, Solomon Islands
Maps can help analyse locational distributions and spatial patterns
Statistical data can be overwhelming
USA Median Household Income, 2009
USA Median Household Income, 2012
USA Median Household Income change 2007 - 2012
Maps can be used as a method of presenting information
and communicating findings
Japan - Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs
and Communications
Area
Selection
Cadastral
Map
Graph
Settings
Graph and Map
What are Geographical Data Files?

Files that contain the coordinates
describing the geographic features

Examples:
– Streets and roads
– Legal, statistical and administrative area boundaries


City limits
Census tracts

Health districts
– Rivers, lakes, and flood zones
– Locations of toxic release sites
Source: US Census Bureau
Regional Seminar on Promotion and Utilization of Census Results and on the Revision on
the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
Pretoria, South Africa, 24 – 26 March 2014
Brazil
Regional Seminar on Promotion and Utilization of Census Results and on the Revision on
the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
Pretoria, South Africa, 24 – 26 March 2014
US - Census Bureau
Dynamic census atlases: “thematic maps on the fly”

Alternative to a static census atlas

Publishing of a digital map and database together with
mapping software can allow users to produce custom maps of
census indicators.

Normally includes digital boundary files at a lower resolution
than the full census database to allow fast drawing and low
disk usage

Closely integrated attribute table should contain only a
selected number of census indicators.

Densities and ratios that are appropriate for mapping should
already be calculated.
Regional Seminar on Promotion and Utilization of Census Results and on the Revision on
the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
Pretoria, South Africa, 24 – 26 March 2014
CHILE: HOUSING AND POPULATION CENSUS DISTRICTS 2002
A screenshot of Ukraine’s dynamics census atlas
Importance of the Web
 Key medium for the dissemination of census data
 All standard geographic products are disseminated on the Web
 All data highlight tables are disseminated on the Web
 Benefits from Web Dissemination:


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Improved timeliness
Increased accessibility of products
Broader reach of products
Increased usability
 User-oriented, accessibility, web-based mapping
Regional Seminar on Promotion and Utilization of Census Results and on the Revision on
the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
Pretoria, South Africa, 24 – 26 March 2014
What is a Mashup?
 A web application that
combines data from more
than one source into a
single integrated tool
 an example is the use of
data from Google Maps to
add location information to
statistical data, thereby
creating a new and distinct
web service that was not
originally provided by either
source
Regional Seminar on Promotion and Utilization of Census Results and on the Revision on
the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
Pretoria, South Africa, 24 – 26 March 2014
How a Mashup works: APIs
 API is an abbreviation for Application Programming
Interface, a set of routines, protocols, and tools for
building software applications. A good API makes it easier to
develop a program by providing all the building blocks. A
programmer then puts the blocks together.
 Google Maps has a wide array of APIs that let you embed
the robust functionality of Google Maps into your own
website and applications, and overlay your own data on top
of them.
Regional Seminar on Promotion and Utilization of Census Results and on the Revision on
the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
Pretoria, South Africa, 24 – 26 March 2014
Cont…
 Web services today are frequently just Application
Programming Interfaces (API) or web APIs that can be
accessed over a network, such as the Internet, and
executed on a remote system hosting the requested
services.
 GIS APIs are designed to manage data for its delivery to
a web browser client from a GIS server
Regional Seminar on Promotion and Utilization of Census Results and on the Revision on
the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
Pretoria, South Africa, 24 – 26 March 2014
Trends
 The overall trend for web-based mapping is:

with more highly interactive, user-driven client interfaces as
well as the desire by the general internet user to see the
underlying data as a 3D environment and not a 2D flat-earth
map.

Server-technology: service-oriented architecture (SOA) and
broad spatial capabilities
Regional Seminar on Promotion and Utilization of Census Results and on the Revision on
the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
Pretoria, South Africa, 24 – 26 March 2014
WEB Mapping Common Interface
US - Census Bureau
American Fact Finder

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Thematic Maps (Data)
Reference Maps (Boundaries)
Japan - Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and
Communications
 Statistics GIS Plaza
 http://gisplaza.stat.go.jp
What is CensusInfo?
 CensusInfo is a database system specifically designed
for disseminating census data on the web and CD-ROM
 Developed by UNSD in partnership with UNICEF and
UNFPA
 Based on DevInfo technology platform
 Officially launched in February 2009 at the 40th session
of the United Nations Statistical Commission
 A
Scalable Hardware -
Blade
Server
(Source: ESRI)
Server
Cluster
Server
Web
Services
Desktop
•
•
•
•
Faster
Multi Processors
Loosely Coupled
Connected
. . . and Services Oriented
Laptop
Tablet
PC
PDA
Cell Phone
Potential app?
As technological
developments and data
availability advance rapidly,
statistical agencies must be
prepared to respond to user
expectations for data access
and interaction
Source: T. Trainor, US Census
Bureau, 2009
- Customized to Census
dissemination
- Use of SMS to disseminate
some census results (e.g. Kenya)
Conclusions
 Collecting and analyzing census data is very important, but
unless the results of this analysis are communicated
effectively to their intended audience, the analysis will have
little impact on real policy decisions.
 Various tools are available
-
User-oriented approach
Data accessibility
Geospatial-based approach
 Planning data dissemination
 The definition of geographic output products and the
time of their release should be coordinated with the
timetable for the overall Census project
Regional Seminar on Promotion and Utilization of Census Results and on the Revision on
the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
Pretoria, South Africa, 24 – 26 March 2014