Page 91 - Contributed Paper Session (CPS) - Volume 7

CPS2036 Mahdir B. et al.

Identifying survey location using GIS: A case
study on Malaysia employment survey in oil palm
plantations, 2018
Mahdir Bahar, Adrian Austin Spiji, Norhayati Jantan
Department of Statistics Malaysia

Abstract
Malaysia Employment Survey in Oil Palm Plantations, 2018 covered both
workers in plantations and smallholdings. Samples were selected through the
list of plantations and smallholdings provided by the Ministry of Primary
Industries. Due to the classification of the household frame in Malaysia
Statistical Household Register (MSAR) which use enumeration blocks (EBs)
rather than locality, information such as the names of the selected plantations
and smallholdings were either in duplication or unavailable. This paper
elaborates the role of Geographical Information System (GIS) in identifying the
survey location to enable the sample of workers in oil palm plantations or
smallholdings to be drawn.

Keywords
Enumeration Block; Plantations; Smallholdings; Land Title Registration

1. Introduction
MSAR is a database used as a sampling frame for household surveys
conducted by the Department of Statistics, Malaysia. It comprised of
information on the living quarters by EBs. Each EB on average contains 80 to
120 living quarters. In most household surveys, samples were drawn by two
stage stratified sampling in which the first stage was the EBs. For each selected
EB, the samples of living quarters (LQs) will be selected using the systematic
sampling. However, for the Malaysia Employment Survey in Oil Palm
Plantation, 2018, the statistical unit for the survey were oil palm plantation
workers and not targeting the households. Due to duplication and availability
issue, other methods were being considered in identifying the location of the
selected plantations and smallholdings in order for the enumerators to carry
out the survey. The samples of workers in this sector can only be selected after
the locations are identified.
In this survey, EBs are divided into two categories for plantations which are
Main EBs (MEB) and Paired EBs (PEB). First, GIS will locate the MEB and all
adjacent EBs will be identified as PEB. This PEBs are required in this survey with
the assumption that the plantation workers are residing in the living quarters
within the same EB or neighbouring EBs. However, for sample of smallholders
only EBs contained the smallholdings will be identified.

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