Page 376 - Contributed Paper Session (CPS) - Volume 4

CPS2315 Nele C.

How South Africa implemented a Smart Census
Nele Coghe
Hexagon Geospatial, Leuven, Belgium

Abstract
For many years the data collection for the census in South Africa was a manual
process. Field workers used to receive paper maps to orientate themselves to
their enumeration areas. This has been a tedious and complicated way of
collecting data which required extra knowledge of map interpretation. With
the improvement and democratization of technology, Statistics South Africa,
the largest and arguably the most advanced national statistical office in Africa,
benefits from the HxGN Smart Census solution. The HxGN Smart Census
solution enables the use of imagery base maps in a web-based smart GIS
application with predefined workflows that control and limit each user
(including fieldworkers) to their allocated geographical areas and tasks. A
mobile application, intelligent caching, data storage and backups make it
possible for users, after only a limited amount of training, to have all the
functionality required to do data capturing in the field without internet access.

Keywords
Census; GIS; Sustainable Development Goals; Statistics; Digital Transformation

1. Introduction
Technology is supposed to be a great equalizer. It is supposed to take the
power out of the hands of the few and make it accessible to the many. It has
made data available to millions, but in many cases the ability to collect,
process, analyze, interpret, and present this data has remained with the few
who have the domain and technology knowledge to understand it.
Remote Sensing and GIS are two fields that have been locked away. While
the ability to use satellite imagery to analyze landcover and land use half a
world away is fairly standardized and well-documented, access to the data has
been restricted to only those few who can afford it. And processing the data
is a technological barrier to entry: understanding the complex nature of
satellite/aerial imagery capture and processing, GIS analysis, and geospatial
analytics restricts the pool of potential users even further, including only those
who have sufficient training and education. Added to this are the complexities
of interpreting the data and understanding what is being communicated.
Mapping and cartography are complex studies, and clear communication of
the information is difficult.

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