Geographic data are crucial throughout census and survey operations. These data provide the frame for census and survey data collection, analysis, and dissemination. In pre-2020 census rounds, most countries collected dwelling unit and household information by drawing pictographic (i.e., sketch) maps during the listing operation. During the last decade, the majority of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) transitioned from paper- to digital-based listing operations, utilizing satellite imagery and GIS applications to record dwelling unit boundaries and create areas for enumeration (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). Though technology has eliminated paper-to-GIS digitization, the hard work of ensuring attribute and topological quality remains.

This technical note focuses on the various data quality dimensions national statistical offices (NSOs) must consider across all pre- and during-enumeration geospatial operations. This note will help NSOs to build quality assessments for their census and survey geographic data, allowing them to produce more effective, efficient, and useful geospatial data products.